Tips for an awesome engagement session

Engagement sessions are, in my opinion, one of the funnest parts of the pre-wedding time. You've booked an amazing venue, found the perfect dress and suit, and of course were kind enough to allow me into your lives to capture the big day, now it's time make some awesome images! For many couples, the engagement session is the first time they've been photographed professionally with each other. Knowing that, here are my tips for an awesome engagement session together! 

Location

Personally I'm game to shoot where ever you would like to go, and there are endless locations, but here are some ideas to get the ball rolling.

• Make it personal! Where you first meet, where you got engaged, your favorite date night location, your home town. Having a personal connection always makes for an amazing time.
• The city you love! Boston, NYC, Hartford, Providence, New Haven..the list goes on and on. City's provide tons of locations and awesome backdrops.
• By the water! Who doesn't love a kick ass sunset photo at the beach or on the rocks! This is always a great Summer time idea!
• Classic New England! Downtown Mystic, The Stonington Borough, Beacon Hill, Newport, maybe even your home town has that classic New England charm! 
• The Fall! Living in New England, why not capture the colors of Autumn at a local park or in the woods!
• A vineyard! Good in the Spring, Summer, and Fall.
• A farm! 
• State Park!

Time

The best time of day for photography in my opinion is late afternoon, usually the hour before sunset, going into sunset. This time of day is what we call the "golden hour" where the sun is lower in the horizon creating a softer more golden light, perfect for photography. With that said, I'm happy to shoot whenever your schedule allows for it.

Take the day off

Your engagement session should be a fun, stress free time. Taking the day off from work is always nice, and it makes the session more of an event than just a one hour session. 

Hair & Make Up

If possible, I suggest planning your hair and make up trial on the day of your engagement session. This will allow you to see how your hair and make up will look in photographs, and you wont have to worry about doing it yourself for your session!

What to wear

I always suggest wearing clothing that you love, showcases your personalties, that you're comfortable in, and reflects the location of your session. For example, if your session is in the woods during the fall, you may want to go with more casual Fall attire than attire you would wear for a night out on the town.

Some couples bring a change of outfits to change into quickly half way through their session. One suggestion is to bring a more casual outfit, and a outfit you might wear for a night out on the town, that's a little more chic. The most important thing is to wear what you're comfortable in.

Bringing the pup (s)

I'm a dog lover, April and I have a lovable JRT ourselves and if he was around when we got engaged, he would have been in some of our photos. Feel free to bring along your pup or pups. Please bring along someone to watch them when they're not in photos so you don't have to keep an eye on them. If you're planning on bringing along your pup, I ask that you please let me know in advance :-)

Be You

My last tip is the most important, be yourselves. I keep sessions really laid back and fun. Remember to be yourselves and I will take care of the rest :-)