How to have the best Engagement Session: St Francisville Rosedown

How to make your Engagement Session perfect! 

I have been writing about this topic of having the best engagement session because it seems to be such a source of conflict for couples. Whether they do not know what to wear or whether they think they are not going to be photogenic enough it always seems that people second guess themselves when it comes to having their photos taken. 

I understand this because 1. I work with couples every day to compose their best looking selves for their engagement sessions, weddings and family sessions. 2. I was also that person!! I was so super nervous at our engagement session and I remember what it’s like to feel uncomfortable in your own skin. 3. And now I document love for a living and I would like to say that I have learned a thing or two working with all these amazing (sometimes not photogenic groups). 

So to begin, get this… 90% of the couples I work with on a daily basis show up feeling uncomfortable or saying things like- I am awkward, I am not photogenic, etc… So YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! There’s a whole world of people out there that don’t feel 100% comfortable in front of a camera. So know it’s not just you! 

Secondly… it’s MY JOB as the PHOTOGRAPHER to make beautiful images! Did you get that? Yes…  it’s MY JOB to make sure we are getting images that exemplify you guys as a couple and yalls love story. So the pressure is off!!! 

Everyone walks into sessions or situations in general with an expectation to preform well guess what… NOT at your engagement session, a bridal session, a family portrait session or your wedding!! Nope! This is the job for your photographer! Me! Well, possibly me! Haha…. But seriously, take that expectation off you and your boo and y’all walk in with the expectation to just have a great time and your photographer should do the rest!

The things I DO tell my people is come and expect to have a good time with each other!! Sometimes I tell them, if they are very introverted, to bring a beer or something to help them lighten up the mood. I also play my wifi jams sometimes to help with this need for a comfortable setting. 

But if you guys can come and just enjoy one another, trust your photographer and come to have a blast then I promise, promise ALL will be well in your world!! And we will make absolutely beautiful pictures! Like Glynn and Christopher so did here! 

Another thing I like to remind my couples’ is that I am very lifestyle oriented with a touch of posed and a touch of candid. I really try to have some of all three in my session and galleries delivered to couples. The thing is what I find is in most cases couple’s really tend to do great with a little of each. I do have the exception where a couple is very pose oriented or very candid oriented but in 90% of the cases, they are a good mix of all three in which I tend to deliver great images to. 

Now if you know beforehand what you flow best in that’s even better so you can share with your photographer and they can work their magic to produce the most beautiful images within those bounds. For instance Christopher and Glynn were very posed oriented but they loved the idea of having more candid shots. In which they told me and I was able to tailor the session to accommodate getting a good mix of all. 

As a photographer, I think we would love to have ALL OUR CLIENTS be “X” oriented but I have found that this is not actually the case for how life happens. And it doesn’t bother me because I do feel as a photographer you should be able to document any situation that arises. On the other hand though, some photographers might aim to only shoot a certain kind of client to which I say more power to you! Do you and do it well! 

So when it comes to scheduling your engagement session with your wedding photographer be sure to know what style you and your soon to be spouse are and relay that to your photographer. Also be perfectly content with walking into the session fully prepared to just show up and have a blast!! This is truly the only thing you should have to show up and do! 

Thanks for reading, 

Natty