Your Houston engagement session is a great way to bring your love story to life! Like Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, your relationship might not have happened right away, but there was alway a spark. Your engagement pictures area great way to incorporate your passion for each other and the things that brought you together. For our engagement session, you bet your bottom my husband and I incorporated some Survivor elements into it {that was how we met, online, on a website devoted to the TV show Survivor}. Telling your story and looking awesome are just a few of the things to think about for your engagement session.
Location
When deciding on your location you have tons of options. You can use a blank slate, like a park to tell your story. You can choose a restaurant or location that is important to your relationship. Where did you go on your first date? Do you both love ice cream or coffee? All of those places are great choices for great pictures that can capture your personalities. If you are a more rustic couple, pictures at a barn or open field could work like a charm. Movie buffs? What about a movie theatre? Book lovers? A library would be an awesome choice. Comic books your thing? A comic book store to start and ending at a coffee shop while reading your favorite volumes would epic! The world is your oyseter and your shoot can be anything you want it to be.
Clothes
Clothes are kind of like locations–you can make it whatever you want. Some couples opt to wear jeans and dressier shirts, as that is what makes them comfortable. You don’t need to feel the pressure to be completely dressy for the session unless you want to. I have photographed couples who wore cowboy boots and jeans and others who wore a tux and flowy dress. Both of them loved their pictures and felt it represented them as a couple.
For the guy, he will probably need a little guidance. From personal experience, if the fella shows up uncomfortable it takes long for him to warm up to me. Guys in general dislike having their pictures taken, but I find this to be a great avenue in showing them how painless the process is. As long as you two coordinate in colors, clothes are ironed and not messy looking, you are great! Just don’t match too hard, the white shirt and jeans look is very 1985.
Lastly, you can always ad tiny touched of personality to your outfits. A belt buckle with the Batman logo? Yes please. A scarf in a Harry Potter theme? Do it! You don’t have to have all of those items in every image, but you can have them in same and have fun with it. All of these small details will make your Houston engagement session amazing!
Hair and Makeup
For the ladies you don’t have to get your hair and makeup done professionally, but this is something I do recommend. It’s one less thing for you to have to worry about and the women who have shown up to shoots with it done are much more confident and completely feeling themselves. Of course look at the weather to decide ultimately, but if it is going to be sunny and wonderful, I say do it!
For the guys, I highly recommend shaving or trimming the beard. Further, a hair trim a few days before is a great idea. He will look smooth and polished, which can only translate to great pictures.
Inspiration
So you have decided on a location but are feeling a little overwhelmed with everything else. You know you want to incorporate touches of your story into these pictures but don’t know how. I know some photographers don’t love Pinterest, but I find it a great place for getting inspiration. Who knew that Dr. Who tie existed? Maybe you fell in love with a tulle skirt you couldn’t find in a local shop! Not only does Pinterest provide possible poses, you can find items to purchase that you never thought of.
A word of caution though–although you love a certain image and want to replicate it with your photographer, it might be better to use it as inspiration rather than a carbon copy. The people in your favorite image might be models and you and your honey will look different no matter what. I always encourage my couples to send me their favorite images both of ones I have created and ones they randomly found. That way I get a good idea as to where to take the session.
Personal Touches
Personal touches are where the story of you two can come alive. My husband and I are big Survivor fans, but we also love Harry Potter and have incorporated wands into several photoshoots. Maybe you two love books, how great would it be to be at a coffee shop reading your favorite volumes? Or at home, cuddled into each other while one reads to the other? Cute, right? The only limit to your engagement session is truly your imagination.
Don’t be afraid to talk to your photographer! These are ideas that are just off the top of my head, if we were to talk more, I am sure we would come up with a Houston engagement session that would rock your socks! At the end of the day, just relax and have fun with your partner! Your best images will stem from that, and you will be able to share your love story in a relaxed beautiful fashion.
More Wedding Advice
5 Important Wedding Gown Shopping Tips
Top 5 Elegantly Nerdy Themes for Your Wedding
Have me Capture your Wedding!
Love my work? Want me to capture you and yours? Let’s talk!! It’s easy, my email address is Christine@swishnclick.com. Let’s have a heart-to-heart, get excited about the possibilities of your wedding or session and come up with a plan that is uniquely you! I want to hear from you!
