While this blog post was created with engagement sessions in mind, you can absolutely take these ideas into whatever photo session you end up doing. This can be an engagement, an anniversary, or even a just because. I always recommend getting professional photos done of you and your significant other at least every couple of years. These are your memories that you’ll not only get to look back on, but also your children, then grandchildren and beyond. Seriously, don’t you love looking at old photos?
But this is where things are starting to shift. When you used to get your photos taken, it used to be staged, at a studio in Target or in your backyard smiling at the camera. The thing is, this truly does not reflect how you are together. It doesn’t show your love, feelings and story. And that’s what the shift has become today. Photographers are truly becoming story tellers instead of just a point and shoot. We want to tell your story. We want you to be able to feel your love when you look back on these pictures. Feel the feelings you felt within those specific moments. That is what you should strive when getting your professional photos done.
So now you may be thinking, how do you even do that?
Well it starts by creating experiences. Your photographer should give you movement and feel comfortable being as you are. While yes, everyone wants the nice smiling photos, you’ll want an album full of real life feels. Smiling and running into eachothers arms. The passionate kisses or snuggles on a blanket. This is how you can capture those images you can look back on for the rest of your lives.
How to come up with experience ideas
Truly coming up with ideas for your engagement session should be easy. Ask eachother, what do we love to do together?
If you want to have an ocean backdrop, what would you two generally do at the ocean? You’d probably go for a walk, or bring a blanket and relax. You may even go and watch sunset with some snacks and a bottle of wine.
Or maybe you really want it in the mountains. Generally, you two love to hike. So go on a hike for your photo session! Or waterfall chase. Whatever it is you two would love to do together is what you should plan.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when coming up with some ideas:
- If we were going on a normal date to _____, what would we do or bring?
- What are some locations that are important to us?
- Where do we most feel alive?
- When we look back on the photos, what do we want to remember?
These questions are really important when making this decision. If you think of what you want to remember during these photos, this very well could be your first apartment together. Then maybe you do an intimate in home session taking photos in all the different rooms!
Engagement Session Experience Ideas
I’ve combined a list of all the experiences I could think of that could be fun to incorporate into your engagement session. Now, these are not for everyone! BUT, it’s to help get your creative juices flowing and maybe one of these you come across and say, “DUH!”. Let’s have some fun!
1.Hike your favorite mountain, or one on your bucket list
2. Have an outdoor picnic
3. Go ice skating
4. Go sledding and see who can go faster
5. Bring your dogs on a little stroll
6. Snuggle up on your couch and have a pillow fight (does anyone actually do this when they’re alone?)
7. Build an indoor fort and watch a movie
8. Go camping and watch sunrise with a view
9. Find a cool Airbnb or unique accommodation – your photography would just be there to capture it!
10. Rent 4-wheelers and go riding out into the desert
11. Go skiing in your engagement attire
12. Hire someone on your vacation to follow you around for an hour or two
13. Always go chase waterfalls
14. Rent a sailboat and go sailing
15. Love to fish? Bring your fishing pole to the ocean
16. Go for a morning coffee at a coffee shop
17. Go on a sleigh ride in the snow
18. Play your favorite sport that you love together
19. Go apple picking then make a pie
20. Find a wild flower farm and stroll around it (not in the flowers, leave no trace rules!)
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