orlando photographer

5 Tips for a Stress-Free Engagement Photo Shoot

Whether you love to strike a pose or you’re camera shy, getting photographed professionally can be uncharted territory for most couples. But have no fear! We’ve compiled a list of five tips to ensure you have a stress-free engagement photo shoot and love the process too!

 

1. Relax

Although planning a wedding is such an exciting time in life, it can sometimes be a little (or a lot) stressful. Before your session, be sure to put your stress aside, relax, and have fun with your photo shoot. This is a great opportunity for you and your fiancé to take a step away from your wedding planning and focus on being in love and engaged. Your engagement is such a short period of your life. It’s important to take a step back every once in a while and enjoy it!

 

2. Get to know your photographer

It’s completely normal to feel anxious or camera shy before the shoot - but having a photographer that you feel comfortable with will help make the process a little easier. Your photographer will be sure to get to know you and your partner before the session, but it’s important that you get to know your photographer as well. Think beyond your engagement photos. Your photographer is most likely the person who will be by your side through your wedding day too, so it’s important that you click.

 

3. Dress to impress

Not only will you look back on your engagement photos for years to come, but you will probably also use them for save the date cards, brochures, and wedding booklets. Therefore, what you wear in your photos is extremely important. Keep it simple and wear something that you feel comfortable in. To avoid regret down the line, stay away from brand names and patterns. If you plan on doing an outfit change, bring one formal outfit and one casual outfit. Engagement shoots are only one session, so you want it to look cohesive.

 

4. Pick the perfect location

The location of your shoot is almost as important as what you wear. You and your fiancé should choose a location that is important to you. Choosing a location that is opposite of your wedding is great too so that your wedding and engagement photos are different when you look at the scenery or season. For example, if your wedding is in the spring a fall shoot would be perfect. Plus, the beautiful foliage will be the perfect backdrop for your photos! When choosing a location for your shoot, be sure to check if there’s a required fee and if a permit is needed before your shoot.

 

5. Don’t forget it’s all about you

Your engagement photos are so you can look back on this time in your lives when you and your partner are old and gray. Of course you may choose to post some of your photos from the sessions (because did it really happen if you didn’t post it on social media?!), but it’s not about social media or what your family and friends want to see. This is a great time to simply focus on you and your fiancé and what the two of you desire for the session. Enjoy it!

 

Whether you’re engaged and scheduling your photoshoot or still shopping for engagement rings and just want more information, I hope these tips were helpful! The most important thing to remember for your engagement shoot is to have fun and be yourself!

 

Guest post/ author: Amanda Hennigan 

Photography: www.denissejonssonphotography.com (Lotus Eyes Photography's Wedding Brand)

Engagement Location: Bok Tower Gardens

Rebecca and Dennis's Family Session at Cypress Grove Estate House

I Love watching families and their children grow. This was the case when photographing Rebecca and Dennis's Beautiful family. Their two gorgeous girls grew so much since the last time I did their family portraits. They flew in from the Netherlands for their annual Florida vacation and left in time to dodge the hurricane (Irma). Along with their immediate family members, we headed to Cypress Grove Estate Park to capture some late morning pictures.

 

I Love photographing at Cypress Grove Estate Park not only because it is a beautiful Park located adjacent to a large lake, but because you don't need a permit to have a photoshoot there- which is a huge plus, especially for last minute photo shoots.  The Park sits on 80 Acres of perfectly manicured lawns, all on the cusp of Lake Jessamine. The Mature Cypress trees aren't bad either! They brought along their siblings this time and I had such a blast capturing all of the fun. Rebeccas Parents were also celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary! What a perfect way to capture such a beautiful time in their lives with all of their kids

 

Here is a sneak peek from our session

Emily and Thomas's Outdoorsy Engagement Session

I‘m so excited to share Emily and Thomas super cute engagement session with you guys! I love when my couples get creative and really think their engagement session through by starting an inspiration board. The best way to start is by creating a Pinterest Board with Pins that reflect your personalities. If you love photography, maybe pin some Vintage cameras, or if you love to read, pin some books, library photos, reading glasses etc. These Pins will form a base for your engagement Theme, and lots of ideas will come out of them. Emily and Thomas wanted an outdoor themed Engagement session that represented their personalities and their relationship along with their love for the outdoors.

Emily happens to be super creative and brought some adorable props to our session including custom pillows, a pick-up truck for some snuggling pictures, a fishing boat, and their dog! Fun Moment of the day: We rushed to get on the fishing boat to catch the sunset on the lake and got pretty wet on our way there! The boat cruised at full speed to catch the last slivering of the sun as it set on the horizon. It was a warm and windy day, but the sky was blue with just a few passing clouds. It was really a blast and the pictures are just as fun and adorable. Hope you enjoy their sneak peek!