Wedding Tips

3 Tips For More Authentic Engagement Photos

Now you are engaged the planning and preparation for your wedding day really takes off! Couples celebrate this wonderful time in a variety of ways, including an engagement photoshoot. These beautiful pics are used on wedding invites and capture an important part of the love story.

Engagement sessions are the ultimate practice ground for your future wedding day portraits. Making the most of quality time spent together and getting comfortable with both photographer and each other. When the camera is clicking on your wedding day, you will be thankful for your engagement session. Making time to have professional photos taken for your engagement will be a champion decision and you will love them. Practice makes perfect!

Over my career as a wedding and elopement photographer, I have shot hundreds of engagement sessions. I want every session to be unique and special to the couple and to their relationship, their journey, and their story. There are a few things I have learnt along the way that really help take engagement sessions to the next level. Sharing these 3 rules or tips with you will help make your photoshoot go so, so much better!

3 tips for authentic engagement photos:

1. Stay together

This session is about the two of you, so always stay close to each other. You don’t have to be touching constantly, but don’t run or wander off alone. Although the surrounds maybe exciting and something may catch your eye, please don’t be tempted. Stay together! If you want to check something out or have an urge to move to another spot, adventure with your loved one. Engagement photos are not about solo portraits, they are about the two of you and the relationship that you share.

Don’t worry, there is plenty of movement in an engagement photo session. I love capturing authentic transitional moments, between the different spaces we go. So, it helps a great deal if you are together in those moments and interacting naturally with each other. Let me emphasise it one more time because I’m not sure what happens during a photoshoot, but couples tend to split off. Stay together and enjoy quality time having fun with each other while I stay in the background shooting quality pics.

2. Focus on each other, not on the camera

With so many things to pre-occupy your mind right now as you prepare for your wedding day, be sure to focus on each other. Remember to relax, breathe easy and have eyes only for each other, unless I need a mom pic. I will take a few of what I call my “mom photos” during the engagement session, every mom loves them. These photos are classic, where the two of you stand side by side, looking at the camera and smiling.

The vast majority of the photos I take of the two of you will be about showcasing your relationship. I’ll have you interact with each other; I won’t miss any golden opportunities. My job is to focus on the couple and guide where needed. Unless I tell you to look at me, focus on what we’re here to capture – you and your partner. So, tip for authentic photo number 2, keep naturally interacting with each other and don’t focus on the camera.

3. Don’t change things

If I’m not telling you to change something, you’re not doing it wrong. I will tell you to change things if something needs fixing. But if I’m not telling you to change things – you’re doing it right! This also means you have the freedom to make this session what you want it to be. This is your date, so if you have had enough of being in a certain space, move together and I will follow. You are free to do whatever you’d like, just be mindful that if it’s not working, I will let you know. Big picture is, we all want awesome engagement photos.

I want this session to be about the two of you and allow you to simply have fun together. Be free and confident and just be yourselves. Don’t be self-conscious about your body, clothes, hair, and props. What your hair is doing, whether your hands and arms are in the right spot, etc are my concern. Trust me, I’ll let you know if I need you to fix something or reposition yourselves. If I’m not instructing you, then you’re doing it right! Consider me your personal mirror and if anything is not looking good, I have an eye for detail, and it will be fixed.

Multi Day Elopement Photography & Videography Packages

I hope these 3 tips for more authentic engagement photos help you. If you would like to discuss an engagement session photoshoot, please click the link. It would be my honor to talk you through the packages and hear of your celebration plan.