Top 5 Tips: Getting Your Best Engagement Photos

We know, we know. Engagement photos have a bad rep.

Let’s be honest: at some point we’ve all come across the internet’s most cringe-worthy selects: the under-dressed, overly-posed make-out session on a random urban fire escape. The Twilight-themed shoot. The use of umbrellas anytime it isn’t raining.

Don’t let the interwebs turn you into a cynic! Engagement sessions are a great low-stress practice run for the Big Day and can be a blast! With just a little planning and forethought, the shoot can result in some truly great images you’ll love for years to come! Below are my 5 favorite tips for getting the best engagement shots:

Using Props, be specific!

Tread carefully in prop land. Props can quickly turn complicated, clumsy, & awkward. If you’re going to use them, they should carry special meaning for you as a couple and/or relate to something that the two of you share.

Still like the idea of having something to do? Drop the prop and do that instead! A physical activity that you enjoy together - like tennis, hiking, or tossing pizza dough - will take your attention off the camera and lessen the need to pose for every shot. You’ll relax and have more fun (you might even forget the camera is there)!

Location, location, location!

Choose a place that resonates with you, someplace you know you’ll feel at home, whether you’ve been there a hundred times before or are visiting for the first time!

Don’t be a poser.

It’s great to have points of inspiration along the way! Just keep in mind that it’s easy to get swept away in social media and lose the authenticity of what makes you, you!

Aim for timeless.

Imagine flipping through your engagement album with your grandchildren forty years from now and trying to explain a cheeky reference to Kanye & Kim. Subtle pop-cultural references, cinematic themes, and other trendy elements may soon feel passe. Memories last longer than moments - aim for timeless.

Just be you!

Avoid the awkward by being authentic. If you’re silly together, be silly. Or if being romantic is what comes through naturally, don’t force the funny. You’ve got nothing to prove, so just relax and have fun together. Keep the romance, skip the cheese - simple authenticity rules!