This is new, but I’m always trying to grow and learn so I can better serve you. I’ve learned, or I guess realized recently, that social media has completely transformed what an engagement session should look like. It’s not about finding the prettiest/coolest location, it’s not about me giving you directions so you look super cute. It’s about capturing your relationship. All this time I thought I was prioritizing that, but once I give you a direction, it ceases to be your authentic selves.
So let’s throw away all the preconceived notions of what we have to look like or be in front of the camera. Let’s throw away the worry of judgement from others simply because you don’t show love the way they do. I want to be truthful when I say I capture authenticity, emotion, your real relationship. But I need your help to do that.
Everyone feels awkward in front of a camera. I’ve never photographed a couple that didn’t feel awkward at the beginning. My solution for this has been to play games, give you prompts (industry word for open-ended directions). But someone opened my eyes recently and said that simply by me providing a prompt so you know what to do with your hands, I am ruining the authenticity.
So I challenge you to think about your relationship. What kind of people are you? Do you prefer a night in to a night out? Do you cook dinner together? Do you have any traditions that are meaningful to you? Where did you meet? Is it a significant location you’d like to look back on?
If my husband and I were truthful to ourselves, we would have had our engagements taken in our crappy little apartment, cooking dinner, watching Netflix, and playing with our dog. Or maybe at the movie theater we worked at and had our first date at. Not the apple orchard that had absolutely no relevance to our relationship.
Instead of finding the most beautiful location, let’s just hangout for an evening. Let’s make your engagements actually tell the story of your relationship. The photos will be so much more special and more meaningful to you when you’re looking back on memories if we can capture a typical day in your lives.
