You already know just how important your Engagement Session is.  Making sure you are at your best can be a little stressful.  I’ve shared a few tips on how to prepare for your Engagement Session!  Check them out!

Call in the Professionals to Help You Prepare for Your Engagement Session!

Now is the PERFECT time to get your makeup, hair, nails, lashes, etc. done professionally!  This will do WONDERS for your confidence which is always a good thing when taking pictures! Ladies, I’m going to get a lot of shots of your hands so it’s off to the Nail Salon! Nails should be polished and manicured.  Don’t have time or the salon?  Press-On Nails work serious miracles!

Did you know: I provide all of my clients with a Style Guide to help them prep for their sessions? If you are my client, check out the ANP Client Lounge to grab your copy!

Let’s talk WARDROBE!

Most of my couples have two outfits for their session, one that is formal/dressy and one that’s more casual. Stripes & patterns draw attention away from your face, so I like to tell my couples to stick to solid colors.  Ladies, if you want the romance to be all up and through your images, long, flowy dresses are your go-to!  They photograph SO WELL!  When thinking of colors to wear, take into consideration the location of your session when choosing the color of your outfits.  If the background is very light or white, then a nice pop of color against it would look phenomenal!  The best advice I can give would be to try to COORDINATE instead of match.  Also, don’t forget to accessorize!  Have a piece that’s sentimental?  Wear it! Statement jewelry, scarves, hats, and colored shoes photograph incredibly well but don’t go overboard!   Speaking of shoes,  ladies… heels or wedges only please! (Bring flats if our location will involve a lot of walking)  Heels help to correct our posture, add muscle definition to our legs, and just make you feel a little daintier.  I do want to reinforce one thing:  Don’t try to reinvent the wheel!  If you have a classic style, stick to that.  If you are trying to be someone you are not, it will translate negatively on camera.  You want to be comfortable, feel beautiful, and look like yourself in your images!

Tip: Ladies, check out Rent the Runway, Windsor & Lulus for GORGEOUS dresses to wear for your session!

Shapewear saves confidence and images!

Well, not really “saves lives”, but it will definitely save your images.  Even the client with the smallest waist needs a little help from shapewear like Spanx.  Trust me, having improper shapewear or no shapewear at all can completely ruin your images. Invest in GOOD shapewear and undergarments.  Try them on with your outfits to make sure they fit and are unseen.  What makes shapewear undergarments” good”?  Here are three tips:

1.  Your shapewear and undergarments should stay in place.  You don’t need it slipping or moving as you move during your shoot.
2.  Good shapewear smoothes, shapes, and contours the areas you find unflattering.  If it doesn’t smooth what you want to be smoothed or flatten what you want to be flattened, find a better piece.
3.  When in doubt, go for full-body coverage.  Sometimes wearing the incorrect Spanx can cause you to have a bulge or unsightly area where there was none before.  If you find a certain piece fixes one problem area but causes another, it may be best to switch to a full coverage piece like THIS, or THIS, or even THIS.

Relax & Trust Me!

Nervous about how to prepare for your engagement session? Don’t worry! I don’t expect you to be a professional model. I work with normal couples and I know how nervous you can be! I also know how to make you both feel most comfortable and look great! I may see something you don’t see in regards to the scene so trust my direction and have a great time loving on your fiancé. Again I say, TRUST ME, and allow me to be creative and you’ll have some amazing images to show for it!!

 

A Little Prep Work goes a Long Way!

Getting your entire look together for your Engagement Session the night before is not going to give you the calm, warm, loving & fun vibe you generally want for your images.  I can guarantee if you are frantically trying to figure things out the day before or the day of, the lack of planning is going to show through in your mood in your portraits.  Do yourself a favor:  PLAN AHEAD!  Start looking for wardrobe options early!  Once your session is scheduled with me, book your hair/makeup appointments as many times, your favorite stylist or artist books rather quickly. Also, if you are choosing an outfit you already own, try it on to make sure it still fits the way you’d like and doesn’t need any alterations.

Did you know: I also provide all of my clients with a Portrait Session Prep Checklist to help them make sure they are prepared for their sessions! If you are my client, check out the ANP Client Lounge to grab your copy!

Timeliness is next to Godliness

I completely made that up but this is so important! I am a Natural Light Photographer and prefer to schedule my Engagement Sessions either early morning or early evening.  What this means is that I am dependent on the sun to light the images I create. If you are late for your session, the sun will not wait on you LOL!  it will either get really hot or really dark.  If it’s an evening session, we will lose that amount of time during your session due to the lack of light. Now I primarily shoot couples in the Atlanta area so I know firsthand what HEADACHE Atlanta traffic can be.  Of course, I understand that things happen and sometimes things really are out of our control, but try to do what you can to ensure that you won’t miss out on valuable shooting time during your session.

Tip:  Download the Waze app.  You can plug in what time you need to be at your session and it will alert you to the time you need to leave your house based on current traffic conditions!

Now that you have a few key tips to help you Prepare for Your Engagement Session,  CONTACT ME to get your session on the books, and let’s get the fun started!

 

Check out a few of my favorite engagement sessions below:

Elisha + La’kee

Ramia + Kyle