Love in Focus: A Comprehensive Engagement Photos Guide

What are Engagement Photos?

Introduction

Being a fiancé is a special, fleeting experience.

When you’re busy planning your wedding and life together, taking moments to savor the moment can be hard to come by. The engagement session is a beautiful opportunity for you and your fiance to exhale and honor this special time in your life. 

On a more practical level, the engagement session gives us the chance to meet, get to know each other, and for you and your fiance to get comfortable in front of the camera together.

Plus, free from the demands of family, elaborate wedding dresses, or a tight event schedule, this session allows you to create more adventurous and playful images that you’ll cherish forever.

Are Engagement Photos Necessary?

Engagement photos are not necessary but they are a nice reminder of a time in your life when you were both at the cusp of marriage. The engagement phase of your relationship is a euphoric time that is special because it is usually only a few months.

If you have the time, budget and interest in getting professional engagement photos captured, then do it! You won’t regret it.

In this engagement photos guide, we will answer all the questions and explain the important details that will result in the best outcome.

When Should Engagement Photos be Taken?

12-6 months prior to the wedding

Is 30 minutes Enough for Engagement Photos?

1 hour is highly recommended for a proper shoot. You may need more time if you decide to do outfit changes or want different locations photographed.

What Should The Engagement Photos Be Used For?

Save-the-dates, wedding website, guestbooks, prints, and more.

What To Consider Before Planning Your Photo Session?

Know Your Vibe

Consider what kind of feel you would like to capture during this season. Is a bold urban aesthetic true-to-you? What about a woodsy escape, or a casual retreat near the water? Explore magazines and Pinterest to gather a collection of photos that fit your vibe and will inform the shoot. No need to go overboard— 10-15 pictures is just fine. These images could be portraits, landscape shots, hairstyles and clothing, and anything else that inspires you and will help inform your photoshoot. 

Choose a Location

Your moodboard can help us narrow down locations near you, however, if you have specific locations in mind, we can start there. Perhaps you want to revisit the place where you first met or know you want to be near water. 

When choosing a location, we recommend finding one spot that offers multiple scenic points. This ensures variety in your photographs without us having to travel between different locations. We’re always happy to help you identify beautiful options.

P.S. If you really have your heart set on two or more locations that are far away from each other, we will UBER between locations. Additional locations will require a longer session (2-3 hours).  

Work With The Seasons

No matter the season, we capture the best photographs at golden hour. This means we’ll start the shoot 1.5 hours before sunrise and sunset. We recommend mornings so we can beat the heat, harsh sunlight, and traffic.

If it’s winter, you might be tempted to take things indoors but winter photoshoots can be some of the most magical. If you’re willing to endure the cold, we recommend shooting outdoors and capturing some of that winter whimsy. 

In case of inclement weather, we can explore indoor locations like greenhouses, hotels, or public buildings. If you do choose an indoor location, we’ll most likely need to secure a permit. Permits range from $100-$500 not including any parking fees. 

Get Professional Hair and Makeup Done

Your engagement session is a time to invest in professional hair and makeup. It’ll enhance the photographs and help you feel confident in front of the camera. We recommend choosing professionals in the same area where we’ll have the photoshoot or having them come to you so we can stay on schedule and make the most of our time.

Select an Authentic Style

Your engagement shoot is all about you, so it’s important to curate outfits that make you feel confident, comfortable, and like the best version of yourself. That said, in this engagement photos guide, we want to suggest what kind of clothing photographs the best for elegant, timeless images:

Keep patterns to the minimum

Bold patterns are fun but can distract from the overall shot.

Small, discreet, or low-contrast patterns are just fine.

Complement any patterns with solids in neutral colors like cream, beige, or black.

Coordinate rather than match

You are your own person and what you wear should honor that. Consider coordinating your color palette or aesthetic rather than matching head to toe.

Prioritize comfort and fit

Choose outfits that fit you well and make you feel good. If you’re buying new outfits for the session, ensure they fit or have them tailored before arriving at our location. Same goes for shoes— you’ll be on your feet for an hour so we highly recommend styling your outfits with footwear that’s already broken-in.

In this engagement photos guide, we also want to discuss an overlooked outfit faux-pas for guys that has to do with the pants.

Have you heard of diaper-butt?

That’s when the pant area around the posterior is baggy and loose to the point that it looks like a bulgy diaper.

Engagement Photo Session Etiquette and Tips

Schedule your session ASAP.

We recommend scheduling your engagement session as soon as your calendars allow so you can use your pictures for save-the-dates, your wedding website, and more. Most couples schedule their shoot 6-9 months before their wedding.

Arrive on time.

Since we’re at the mercy of sunlight, starting our session on time is essential. Consider arriving early so we can ensure hair, makeup, and clothing details are in place and we can make the absolute most of our time together.

Pack the necessities.

• A spare pair of comfy shoes
• Lotion
• Lip balm
• Touch-up makeup (especially a small can of hairspray)
• Blotting paper
• Tote to hold your keys, wallet, and phone
• This nifty changing cape for quick outfit changes

Be Mindful with Inspiration Photos

It’s always great to share a mood board or inspiration photos with your wedding photographer. However, trust your photographer and their signature style to capture the final aesthetic of your engagement portraits. Do not expect your photographer to copy anyone else’s photography. The vision board for your engagement is simply a starting point to inspire the concept and look you are going for. If you hired the right photographer, trust their expertise and do not micromanage.

Limit Props

Keep your engagement photos timeless and elegant by avoiding the use of tacky props and overly staged photos. It’s important to make the chemistry between you and your fiancé the main focus in the photos. So, have fun, let loose and get real with one another in front of the camera. Yes, it will be awkward for the first 5-10 minutes, but if you hired a great photographer and you did all the things above, you will feel confident and relaxed!

Overall, Are Engagement Photos Worth It?

Engagement photos require planning but in our opinion are a must-do before your wedding. They capture your a unique and short lived point in your love story. Plus, this portrait session helps you get comfortable with your wedding photographer.

These photos become cherished memories, creating a beautiful sense of nostalgia for this special time as fiances, and they can even jazz up your wedding decor. If budget is a concern, you can do them yourselves.

Just document it in some way!!

Don’t miss the chance to capture these precious moments before the “I dos”!

We hope you enjoyed this engagement photos guide and would love to hear any additional useful information to add to this article!