Engagement Portraits with Flair!

Engagement sessions are great because you get a chance to get comfortable in front of the camera while also getting to know your photographer, says Geoff White, a San Francisco wedding photographer. It takes a lot of pressure off the wedding day, and allows your wedding photographer to hit the ground running, as you have already established that comfort level.

Planning your Engagement Session

You want to show off your relationship and also your personality, so it’s a good idea to put some thought & planning into your engagement session. One of the best ways to do that is through your clothing and accessories. Here are some tips for adding a little flair!

• Scarves, belts, hats, shoes, jewelry, etc all add to your look & will help create some amazing images for you. Bringing in some of your personal style helps the photographer to be a lot more creatively inspired!
• Think about having a couple of outfits to change into. Stick with clothing that you are comfortable in.
• Schedule your hair & makeup trial on the same day as the engagement session, if possible, to ensure you’ll look your very best in the engagement photos.
• Coordinate his & her outfits together. When choosing clothing for the two of you, think of the different pieces of each outfit, so that everything works well together.
• Location, location, location! Whether in your home or a nearby park, the key is to be creative and have fun. The you can incorporate your surroundings and each other, the better your pictures will be.
• Albright creative Imagery.com suggests that you take 30 minutes before the shoot to just focus on each other. You want the focus your attention on just the two of you so that during the shoot your connection to each other will be strong. These sparks will be permanently recorded in your pictures.

Check out the accessories in the following photos, such as the hot red shoes, guy’s hat, and flower in the girl’s hair. If you consider what type of vibe you want in your photos, whether it’s romantic, sensual, sweet, or fiery, your choice of color and accessories will make a big impact.

Flirt with the camera

Most couples feel a little nervous and shy when they start their session, and it often take at least 20 minutes to warm up to the camera. But a big way to get the most out of your session is to play up your relationship to the camera. The idea is to capture the real relationship between the two of you, and the best way to do that is to act naturally with each other, relax, and have fun. “If you are typically goofy with each other, then show that to the camera,” Geoff advises. “If the two of you tend to be more intimate, then go ahead and snuggle up, hold hands, embrace, look into each other’s eyes. If you are very romantic and tend to be more on the sensual side, then don’t be afraid to show it! I’m a big fan of making out on camera!”

Props can add a unique touch to your photos, so consider using something that’s meaningful to both of you, or whatever catches your fancy during the photo shoot. A car, a tree, or even a pet…

Images from Geoff White and albrightcreativeimagery.com

Poses

There are many ways to pose for engagement photos, so you should consider your own preferences, as well as how you’d like to present the photos to family and friends. You can have your photographer take some formal poses of you as well as some that are more causual or dramatic.

Formal:

Fun:

Dramatic: