An engagement session is a wonderful opportunity to capture the love and connection between couples before they tie the knot. I personally love doing engagement sessions for couples because it gives me a chance to get to know you and have some fun before the wedding. Here are some tips to make your engagement session a success.

 

About the Session: Like I said I love doing engagement sessions, it gives me a chance to get to know you and your personalities. It's also a chance to have some professional quality photos that are outside of your wedding attire. These are also great for Save the Date and/or invitations and just sharing with family and friends. My posing style is very laid back and natural as most of the time I am working with regular people and not professional models. During engagement sessions I generally like to walk around to get a variety of locations.

 

Location: I like to let you choose your location! If you need Ideas I have my favorites and I’m more than happy to help find a place that fits the style you’re looking for! Do some brainstorming and think about the places that mean something to you and your partner, what types of locations you like.  Here are some of my favorite locations.

 

Beach

Torrey Pines Gliderport

Sunset Cliffs

Coronado Beach/Hotel Del

Mission Bay

Oceanside Pier

Windansea Beach

Spanish Landing

Torrey Pines Natural Preserve

 

Trails and Nature

Lake Miramar

Sweetwater Bridge

Maple Canyon

Hollenbeck Canyon

Mount Laguna

 

City

Little Italy

Seaport Village

Harbor Island

Centennial Park

Downtown

 

Parks + Cool Architecture

Balboa Park

Presidio Park

Chicano Park

Old Town

Central Library

 

The options really are limited to your imagination with your engagement session. It doesn’t have to be a scenic location and could just be your favorite bar, coffee shop, or library. Just remember to check to see if you need any permits or to ask the owner of the place if you want to use their coffee shop/bar most. In my experience most of the time most places are cool with it but it's better to not have surprises!

 

Scheduling: I schedule about 1 to 1.5 hours for an engagement session, typically in the evening with my preference being a little more than an hour before sunset. You get the best natural light during this time, you may have heard us photographers call it “golden hour”. I also suggest trying to schedule on a weekday as it's less busy in most places, this allows us to be more mobile and also leaves less people in the background.

 

What to Wear: I’m flexible with whatever you’d like to wear, this is your session and you should wear what you’re comfortable in. I recommend no more than two outfits in order to maximize our time together. I always recomend brighter colors but most couples tend to go with a button up shirt or polo, and a short dress, sundress or skirt, the only thing for me is shoes, since I do like to walk around I recommend comfortable shoes for walking. This is also a good time to mention that you could even bring other things that mean something to you in your relationship like pets or other personal items.

 

Remember, the goal of an engagement session is to capture the unique love story between you and your partner. There are no rules so don't be afraid to let your personalities shine through!