Great Engagement Portrait Tips
Helpful ideas that will help you to get the most from your engagement photo session!
Michelle & Ben enjoy a “sweet” kiss!
Let’s start off these great engagement portrait tips with a story or two. Occasionally couples will tell us that they aren’t sure whether they really want to do engagement pictures. Or to save a little bit of money, some of them will ask us if we can give them a discount if we were to take it off their Wedding Collection. Since it’s included for free in all of our Wedding Collections, it doesn’t offer any savings by skipping it.
Some couples will ask me if there is really any benefit to doing an engagement photo session. My answer to that question is something that Ole & Lena would say: “You betcha!”
Engagement Photo Session = Better Wedding Photos
Asking us to photograph you and your fiancé before your wedding is one of the most important things you can do to help improve your wedding photographs. Just some of the benefits are:
- We all get to be more comfortable with each other.
- I’ll find out if you’re a “blinker”. That’s an important thing to know before your wedding day.
- I can see what your “good sides” are and what type of lighting flatters you. Also very important to know ahead.
- We will discover the types of poses that you like best.
- I get a good feel for the style of photographs you like. Then Joannie and I can go that route on your wedding day.
- You’ll feel more relaxed during your wedding day photos. That’s because you’ve already invested in quality time in front of our cameras beforehand.
- You get to go shopping for new clothes (and shoes)! Seriously, what’s not to like about that?
We’ll use that information to help us to create better images on your wedding day. Simply stated, you will feel more confident. That alone will allow us to create better wedding photographs for you.
The Best Wedding Photographers In Minneapolis
There are many reasons why our wedding photography looks as great as it does. But one of the biggest factors is the relationships that started during each couple’s engagement portrait session. And isn’t having awesome wedding photographs the reason why you selected us as your wedding photographers in the first place?
Jen & Ben play in the snow!
It’s So Important To Be Comfortable!
It’s only natural that you might feel a bit anxious about being photographed by a professional photographer. Because your wedding day is not the best time to experience any added pressure, one key benefit of an engagement portrait session is that afterward, you’ll feel much more comfortable in front of our cameras.
During your engagement photoshoot, we’ll also gain a better understanding of your personality, your style, and your best expressions. We’ll also discover if you have a “good side” and might also discover that you’re a blinker too.
I also want to show you how to appear “casually elegant” and how to “pose with attitude” in your photos so that your engagement images will have a candid feel that we know you’ll probably want to emulate on your wedding day too.
An engagement portrait session is also a great confidence builder. Being able to see how great you look in your engagement photographs will increase your personal confidence and your confidence in our skills as your wedding photographers. Plus it’s just fun to do!
Finally, there are only so many professional photographs you can give as gifts or display with you in your wedding attire. Your engagement photographs offer an opportunity to have photographs of you as a couple without the implications inherent in photos of you in tuxedos or wedding gowns.
Great Engagement Photo Tips – But What Should I Wear?
We would like to see you both looking awesome for your engagement photo session! With that in mind, we’ve put together several helpful tips for getting ready.
Engagement portrait of Patrick & Brittany by the famous Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge.
Great Engagement Portrait Tips About Wardrobe
When couples ask me what they should wear for their engagement pictures, I typically recommend that they wear clothes that are solid-colored whenever possible.
As a general rule, it’s usually best to avoid highly contrasting colors. Simply put, if you’re wearing light colors, then your fiancé should also wear light colors. If you’re wearing dark colors, then your fiancé should also wear dark colors. That being said, you should choose complementary colors and not necessarily matching colors.
Please avoid solid white clothing. Solid white fabrics show little or no detail when photographed.
Location, Location, Location
You can choose a variety of ways on your clothing style depending on the location where we are going to create your engagement portraits. Please choose the attire appropriate to your engagement portrait location.
For example, if we’re at the Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis, MN, I would recommend clothing suitable for a somewhat fancy cocktail, garden, or beach party. I’d recommend a collared button-down shirt with a sports jacket and slacks or dark jeans with closed-toe leather dress shoes or deck shoes for guys. For women, I would recommend sundresses, cocktail dresses, or a skirt with a blouse. And of course fancy shoes.
Fall colors.
What To Wear and Not To Wear
- Avoid selecting wardrobe items featuring strong patterns, busy prints, or logos.
- The exception being if we’re at Target Field, for example, each of you wearing Minnesota Twins jerseys would be very appropriate in at least a few of the images.
A Twins fan & a Cubs fan. Must be love?
- Dark, solid colors are highly recommended because they are both slimming and will make you look more tan. As mentioned earlier, avoid solid white clothing except when worn under jackets or sweaters.
- Unless we’re at the beach (which we could be), don’t wear shorts, cargo pants, t-shirts, polo shirts, sweats, jogging suits, leggings, athletic shoes, flip-flops, crocs, or men’s sandals.
Michelle and Ben on the beautiful St. Croix River.
- Except during our cold Minnesota winters where layers are always “in fashion,” avoid multiple layers of clothing as layering can sometimes make you look bulky in photographs.
Winter engagement portrait was taken in Anderson’s Portrait Park.
- If you’re wearing thin clothing, ensure that undergarment straps aren’t visible through your blouse, shirt, or dress.
More Is Less
- Even for slender female subjects, it’s often difficult to focus attention on one’s face if a bare arm is competing for attention in a photograph. Therefore, we recommend that you avoid sleeveless dresses, shirts, or blouses. The more skin you cover up, the more your face will stand out in your engagement portraits.
- Make sure your wardrobe is pressed and free of stains, pet hair, or dandruff. An insignificant wrinkle can sometimes detract from an otherwise great photo. For men especially, it’s typically best to hang your shirt in your car and only put it on when you arrive for your session. That measure prevents wrinkles from forming on your shirt while you’re driving.
- If it’s going to be a hot day, guys should wear an undershirt. Retouching photographs featuring sweaty backs or armpits is an expensive proposition.
- If you’re going to wear an undershirt, make sure that it isn’t visible at your neckline. My best advice is to wear a v-neck, scoop neck, or deep-neck undershirt.
Always Have A Back-Up Plan
- Bring along an alternative outfit. Although we typically don’t have time for too many wardrobe changes, you should be prepared for any contingency or wardrobe malfunction. During one warm summer engagement portrait session at Leo’s Grill & Malt Shop in downtown Stillwater, MN, our groom dribbled ice cream down the front of his shirt. In another instance, a bride spilled coffee on her skirt in the car. In both cases, we were saved by their backup wardrobe.
- Shoe selection is important. In a grassy setting, high heels can be prone to sinking into the grass so you might consider wedges instead. We’ll almost always be walking quite a bit so keep that in mind when you’re making shoe choices. You can always carry your fancy shoes and put them on when we arrive at our locations too.
- When you clean your clothes, remember that fabrics fade. That fading might be very apparent in your engagement photos. Consider buying something new to wear for your session. You might be glad you did. A side benefit of having your engagement portraits taken, it’s a reason to go shopping!
We Are Here For You
If you have any questions about your engagement portrait wardrobe, please e-mail or text us photos of what you plan to wear and we’d be happy to offer you some free advice.
Nolan & Amanda kissing by an old antique car in the rain.
Great Engagement Photo Tips About Grooming
Before your engagement portrait session, you may be thinking to yourself that you don’t need to check those eyebrows, visit a manicurist, or get a haircut. But please don’t think that way.
- Getting a manicure a few days before the portrait session is a great idea—even for gentlemen. we don’t always feature close-ups of hands in photos, but it may be nice to have that as an option.
- Your haircut should be at least a week old.
- Check your nose, ears, and eyebrow areas for stray hairs. Tweezers are your friend.
- Unless you’re going for the “rugged man” look, men should shave no more than a few hours before the engagement portrait session. We’ll be taking several close-up photographs where facial hair shadows might be very evident.
- Stray hairs are difficult to retouch. If hairspray doesn’t help, put light lotion on your hands and then apply that lotion to the offending flyaway hairs.
A fun little moment with Nolan about to kiss Amanda!
The pretty light painted engagement photo of Chris and Sara on Iona’s Beach.
Additional Engagement Picture Tips & Hints
There are many other things to consider, but here are just a few more to round out our long list of recommendations.
- Avoid alcohol and get a good night’s sleep before your engagement photos. Bags under your eyes detract from your photos.
- Make sure that cell phones, purses, bags, makeup, and other accessories are safely hidden in your car. If your keys are bulky, remove everything but your car key from your keyring and put them in your back pocket, or have me hang on to them for you. We don’t want bulky things in your front pockets.
Split Rock Lighthouse.
Engagement Portrait Tips About Using Props
I’m always willing to incorporate props into an engagement session. I typically recommend props that have some special meaning or significance to the couple. For example, if the bride is a tennis player and the groom is a baseball player, a tennis racquet and baseball glove might be considered.
- Your prop choices are limited only by your imagination and any location restrictions.
- Some trendy props have been used by so many couples in recent years that they frequently appear on thousands of Pinterest wedding boards. Examples of props include balloons, vintage luggage, vintage cameras, scrabble pieces, fruit, picnic baskets, period clothing, mustaches, picture frames, and ampersand signs.
- If you want to bring a ton of props, you’ll probably need someone to manage those items during your engagement session and that’s certainly fine with us. We typically photograph you with your props during the first or last 15 minutes of the session.
- If you’re bringing props, please run your prop ideas by us first as we may be able to offer unique insight that will perhaps save you time in your preparation.
- In some cases, the props you may be considering could be problematic due to the location selected. Some locations don’t allow prop use by visitors.
Adam and Sherry are ready to ride in the winter snow.
Engagement Portrait Tips About Pets
If you and your fiancé have a pet and you would like to include him or her in your engagement pics, we think that’s a great idea! We know first hand with our “granddogs” Nala & Yogi, how easily pets become an important part of your family.
However, including your pet can be problematic if there’s no one else around to contain them, and since most of the engagement photos will be just the two of you. And since we’re not big fans of leaving an animal alone in a car, especially in the summer heat, you’ll need to supply an animal sitter.
That person should be someone who is comfortable and capable of assuming the duties of “pet sitter” for the whole engagement portrait session; preferably some distance away to avoid distractions.
It’s also important to consider that not all areas that we visit during your session might allow pets in the first place. It’s best to check out the local ordinances to ensure that pets will be allowed in the locations you’ve selected.
Adam, Tawnya, and Draco.
Engagement Portrait Tips About The Best Time Of Day
The warmth, depth, texture, and contrast of photographs are dramatically affected by the angle of sunlight. We will have the best light when the sun is low on the horizon in the early morning and late afternoon. Photographers call this time of day—near sunrise and sunset—the “magic hour” or the “sweet light.” To take advantage of this great lighting, we should try and schedule your session near sunrise or sunset so we can achieve the best possible results.
In the morning hours, as the sun climbs across the sky, the quality of light becomes harsh—and harsh light sources aren’t very complimentary for quality portrait photography. This “hard” light can cause deep, dark shadows on facial features. It also can cause you to sweat and squint in your photos. Although I can address some problems with harsh light, it’s certainly not an ideal situation and it usually limits the locations that we can use.
Generally speaking, the farther away we are from sunrise or sunset, the less complementary the light becomes for photography. On cloudy days all bets are off and we generally can work just about anywhere.
You Color My World.
Engagement Portrait Tips – “Story Telling”
During a typical engagement photo session, we’ll work together to create beautiful portraits of you and your fiancé. However, given the constraints and intent of most sessions, we’re taking individual photographs; we aren’t telling a story that has a beginning, middle, and end. That kind of photography is typically referred to among photographers as an editorial or a themed shoot. We call it “Story Telling.”
If you’re interested in kicking it up a notch and you want something very different from a typical engagement photo session, let me know. We can talk about what it takes to do a “Story Telling” shoot that tells your story. It takes a bit more time to plan (sometimes a lot more time) and it costs a bit more (sometimes quite a bit more), but when we’re done, you’ll have engagement portraits that are more spectacular and unique than any that you’ve ever seen.
I Love You!
Actual Client Engagement and Wedding Testimonials:
Downtown Minneapolis, MN
Monika said…
“Michael and Joannie are amazing photographers and do impeccable work, but more than that they are great people. They went above and beyond on our wedding day helping with flowers, hair, etc and they stayed late so we could get a beautiful night shot. You will regret it if you don’t choose them!”
Monika (& Joe) Maxey – review from WeddingWire
Profile Event Center wedding, Minneapolis, MN
David said…
“Michael and Joannie were absolutely amazing to work with on our engagement shoot as well as our wedding at the Profile Event Center on May 16, 2015.
When we first met them at the wedding fair a few years ago I was incredibly impressed by their knowledge and their flair for capturing unique images that no one else would think of. I was very picky when it came to picking the photographer for my wedding as I am an aspiring hobby photographer and knew firsthand how easy it can be to pick up a camera and how hard creating memories can be. They proved through their work that they are very knowledgeable and managed to capture our event perfectly.
They did a great job working with the surrounding area to create unique compositions, working with our family to capture portraits, and engaging the kids at our wedding to capture some really fun memories.
You won’t find a better pair of photographers who are down to earth, like one of the family, and very talented artistically and technically.”
Dave (& Gina) Carlson – review on WeddingWire
Eagan Community Center wedding, Eagan, MN
“We’re very pleased with the results, a wide variety of photos and he even recorded some brief video. Michael is very easy to work with, he is really laid back, and has a good sense of humor. We were asked a number of questions about what we like and he handled the planning from there. His wife helped out during the wedding and snapped candid shots along the way.
The flexibility to adapt to lighting conditions and the schedule changes was impressive. Michael even went out of his way to incorporate our bicycle theme into a number of the photos.
We can’t say enough about how delighted we are with having chosen them to capture those important wedding moments.”
Stephanie & John Fagnant – review on The Knot
Crown of Life Lutheran Church wedding & Southview Country Club reception, West St. Paul, MN
“Great wedding photographers, very professional. Mike is always willing to take the extra time to make it perfect.
Our wedding went off without a hitch and they were able to capture our story from start to finish. You could not ask for anything better, a huge thank you to Mike and Joannie, we love you both!!”
Buddy & Diana Waldbillig – review on The Knot
Columbia Heights wedding back in 1990
Steve & Dee Dee Larson (upon having their album cover become “sticky” after 26 years)
“Michael,
Thanks so much for replacing (our defective wedding) album. We are grateful to have worked with a photographer that after 26 years stands behind the product!
The album is beautiful and we are thankful.
God Bless,
Dee Dee & Steve – handwritten note
St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church wedding & Cannon River Winery & Vineyard reception, both in Cannon Falls, MN
Max said…
“Michael and Joannie were awesome. I’m not particularly comfortable around cameras, and a big event like this can be pretty stressful. Our photographers made me feel right at home, and our pictures came out great. Thanks again!”
Max and Laura – review on WeddingWire
Amazing! They make your day so special and have great ideas for photography! They capture all the special moments and we wouldn’t recommend anyone else!
Sarah & Andrew – Grace Lutheran Church wedding, Andover, MN & The Links at Northfork reception, Ramsey, MN – review on The Knot
Minneapolis, MN wedding
“You could not possibly be in better hands. They took pictures of my sister in laws wedding and it was spectacular. I don’t have enough hours in the day to tell you how much everyone loved the photos and how lovely they are to work with.
We enjoyed them so much that we go back and see them for Easter pictures. And now we are doing a family picture with them in a couple of weeks. Check out their blog on their website when you have time to just sit and enjoy all their beautiful creations.”
Maria Armstrong – review on Google