If you’re reading this, you’re either:
A) Engaged (yay!), and may have seen how engagement sessions are included in photographers’ packages.
2) You’re not engaged, but you’re interested to find out this inner circle wedding thing called an engagement session.
Welcome, regardless, to my Ted Talk about Engagement Sessions.
What is an engagement photo session?
An engagement session is a photoshoot before you get married (thanks, captain obvious). Usually, the photos you take during this session are used for your wedding save the dates, wedding invitations, and your wedding website, but are not limited to putting as your phone background or posting constantly on social media.
This session can be as long as you’d like, but they normally last 1-2 hours at a location of your choosing.
What’s the point of an engagement session?
I suggest my couples do engagement session for three reasons:
Reason #1: Get to know each other
It can be overwhelming to meet your photographer on the day of the wedding, so engagement sessions are a perfect way to get to get to know your photographer and for them to get to know you!
Being able to see how a couple interacts with each other, what jokes make them laugh, what posing prompts they really enjoy, or if they like PDA, etc. The goal is to get comfortable in front of the camera and for the photographer to get to know their personalities.
Reason #2: The chance to get comfy with the camera
Being comfortable in front of a camera is easier said than done. Some people are naturals and some are camera shy. Doing an engagement session allow couples to experience the photo prompts they may have on their wedding day but with much less going on - so it’s a perfect time to practice and get comfortable! Plus, you don’t get engaged everyday, and it’s fun little excuse to plan a date night. Like, how can you not love this.
Reason #3: The chance to be camera ready
Once the wedding day arrives, we have at least met in person once (especially if the wedding is out of state or a bit further away) and we both go into the wedding day ready to spend time together, and confident that it’s going to be a really special day.
Karlie and Cody planned their session sot hey can use the photos for invitations. They are both are beer/brewery enthusiastic amongst their friends.. They chose Ithaca to do their session and started at Autumn Leaves Bookstore (since Karlie is a big reader) and Angry Mom Records (Cody likes vinyls) and then headed to Liquid State Brewery. After, we had some time left over, and went to Cornell to enjoy the architecture (see above omg) and bask in the March sunshine, because when is there ever sunshine in March in Upstate New York??
We’re SO awkward. What if it’s a trainwreck?
This is something I hear all the time.
What if I told you all the couples in the above photos said the same thing? Because they did. And I’ll be honest - photos can be very awkward but these don’t seem awkward at all, right?
With the right photographer giving you prompts that help you forget that you’re being photographed, that awkwardness melts right away. I always recommend seeing these photos as an excuse to plan a perfect date, so you’re doing the things you love most, with the person you love most. Thinking of a photo session this way makes everything look more natural, and you won't feel like you're not just posing for the camera.
Clever secretly planned this session to propose to his high school sweetheart, Niamh at Wildflower Creek Farm during prime bloom time because Niamh loves flowers.
He had reached out to me a few weeks prior to a Pick and Pose event for couples, and wanted to know if he’d be able to do something similar but in the morning so they can spend the day celebrating, and for a little longer. Clever had said he wasn’t sure when he wanted to pop the question during the session, but when he felt like the time and place were right, he would give a signal (see the first image hehe).
After a very teary and happy engagement, the two frolicked around the field and spent the rest of the day celebrating :)
What do we do at this session?
Let me roll out the list of fun things to do on your engagement shoot:
- Going to get coffee/tea and then going to a bookstore/record shop (Ithaca is perfect for this)
- Going to a museum of a shared interest
- Going to the farmers market or botanical gardens
- Bar hopping
- Bowling
- Picking flowers at a flower farm
- Bike riding in the middle of nowhere
- Cooking at home or at an Airbnb
- Thrifting
- Hiking
- Frolicking in a field
- Making snowmen outside (hot chocolate optional)
The goal: make it a date where the paparazzi tags along.
So what now? Ask yourself…
think about the season you’d want your photos to take place
think about the location you’d want to go
do you want a more nature-y scene or cityscape?
what’s your favorite things to do together?
From there, we’ll schedule your session depending on your favorite month/season, and plan an activity you both enjoy and look forward to doing. The goal is to make you look forward to this and to celebrate your whimsical, unique, weird little love :)
want to learn more about engagement sessions? ready to start planning yours?
want to learn more about engagement sessions? ready to start planning yours?
Have a question? Want to get in touch? Ready to plan your session??
— Meet Your Photographer —
I’m Juliette and I’m an Upstate New York photographer and videographer specializing in weddings, lifestyle and branding.
My interest in photography started by taking portraits of my pet chickens as a 6 year-old, and has since then expanded into documenting cinematic and nostalgic shenanigans and stories for humans nationwide.
I’ll tell you to sing silly songs to each other during your session, or proclaim 100 times about how good you both look and show you sneaks during each set of photos.
When I’m not editing, you can find me watching The Great British Bake Off, making food with my husband, Teddy, or playing the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. :)