How To Get Engagement Photos You’ll Love
Do you run for the hills as soon as someone whips out their camera? A lot of people do (um, guilty right here!) because they dont like how they look in photos. The way you’re dressed, the way you stand, and the angle of the camera plays a huge role in why so many of us untag ourselves when friends post photos on Facebook.
Here are our tips on how to take beautiful engagement photos that you’ll be proud to tag yourself in!
1. Dress comfortably…but don’t sacrifice style
If you’re wearing an outfit that doesn’t make you feel 110% good about yourself, that’s going to show in your photos. Avoid wearing any outfit that is too tight or too big on you, colors that wash you out, and wearing anything that in general doesn’t “feel like you”.
This doesn’t mean you can’t dress up in an outfit you’d never wear on any other day though! I basically live in sweatpants with my hair in a messy bun & for work I wear cute colorful dresses & pleated skirts…but I feel SO GOOD wearing glam princess dresses! So a photoshoot is really the only time I can wear my princess dresses because I can’t wear them to work a wedding (well, I had one bride who begged me to and who am I to say no to a request like that?!) and my dogs would wreck the dresses if I wore them around the house…which I would 100% do if not for their little sharp nails haha
So just because I don’t wear $600 princess dresses even once a year doesn’t mean I can’t wear it to a shoot!
Plus, your engagement session is a great excuse to go shopping (-;
2. Don’t be matchy matchy with your outfits
The days of matching in jeans and white t-shirts have been left in 2010 and good riddance.
Co-ordinate your outfits and dress in complimentary colors! Or triadic colors. Or monotone colors. Or analogos colors.
I always suggest one of you pick out your full outfit first and then build the other persons outfit off of that one. And you always want to match in the sense that you look like you’re both going to the same place. It would be weird for one of you to be dressed like you’re going to a formal event and the other is on their way to Walmart to pick up milk.
3. Accessorize!
I love love love accessories!
From fun shoes & socks to plush velvet headbands & pearl hair clips, you can really go crazy with accessories to level up your outfit & make it feel really stylish without spending a ton of money.
4. Choose your location with purpose
If you have a special spot that has a lot of meaning to you, that could be a great engagement session location!
It can be the spot where you guys got engaged, your favorite date spot, or the park where you walk your dog every day.
Think creatively, you don’t need to be limited to parks! If you like to go mini golfing, or spending time in a bookstore, we can totally go to those places!
And for those of you with a more adventurous soul, think outside your city. If you’ve always wanted to visit the Highlands in Scotland…my passport is ready.
5. Practice posing together or in the mirror
Check out our wedding and engagement galleries to see where couples place their hands, how they stand, how they kiss, etc. and practice that together! Pinterest is another good inspiration (the keyword here is inspiration) source for posing practice.
But most importantly just be affectionate naturally at home and take note of how relaxed you are, where your hands fall on each other, and where you kiss each other the most.
6. Bring props
9 times out of 10, couples ask “what should I do with my hands?!”
First, know that I’m gonna tell you what to do with your hands! I always tell my couples before we even begin shooting what to expect & places they can put their hands if I dont specify where I want them – because again, I want these to feel natural, not like a photoshoot.
But….Props can help people feel more comfortable because hands that are doing something instantly relaxes people.
A prop can be anything like a bottle of Veuve, your pet, confetti, a bike, a hat, a vintage car…anything goes! However, please make sure its something fun or meaningful to you. If neither of you plays guitar and you bring one, your friends and family will wonder why you’re holding it and it will feel inauthentic!
You don’t have to include props in your shoot, only do so if it makes sense to you!
7. Practice hand placement
I’m guessing the engagement session is the first time either of you has ever been in front of a professional camera and you will probably wonder what to do with your hands (like we talked about in the tip above)!
Again, I’ll be there to direct you, of course, but just know that it’s totally ok to: play with the hair on the back of their neck, run your fingers up and down each others arms, touch each others faces (when you caress your parterns face, is it with soft fingers or are you always super tense when you do it? A lot of people tend to tense up when directed into a pose, but just be natural), fiddle with the hem of your skirt or shirt, hold hands, put your hands in your pocket or on your hip, wrap your arms around each other in a hug, grab each others asses & squeeeeeze…see? Its easy!
8. Pay attention to your posture.
When you slouch, you instantly shrink yourself and give yourself a double chin and look bored. Is that how you want your photos to look? No way! So stand up nice and tall, push your shoulders back, and turn slightly to the side, put your weight on your back foot, pop your hip to the side to create curves.
If you’re going to stand straight on to the camera, give yourself a waist by holding hands while standing a little bit away from each other, or put one hand on your hip.
And don’t worry – we’re always looking out for slouched posture too, so we’ll definitely remind you to “stand up tall & put your shoulders back”! I probably say it 20 times during a shoot haha
9. Practice the almost kiss.
It looks super romantic and like a real moment. If you hold it for long enough, you’ll start laughing and thats where the magic is truly made!
Your homework:
-Pay attention to how you kiss and touch each other. Are you fingers soft or tense when you touch each others faces? Do you have a death grip when holding hands or is it nice and loose? How do you cuddle up on the couch?
Katie + Jay of Catherine Ann Photography are Charleston SC Based Wedding & Elopement Photographers specializing in candid & fun wedding photos that feel like you!
Ready to book your engagement session with us? Get in touch here! We love to travel too!
