An engagement session is a great opportunity for us all to get to know one another and to get you comfortable in front of the camera. You’ll get a sense of what it’s like to work together, and I’ll learn how the two of you interact. Every couple is different and expresses themselves in unique ways, and it gives me insight into what things might work best on your wedding day. Even more importantly, the session is a time for the two of you to spend together documenting and celebrating your relationship and the love you share. I approach the session in a very relaxed way – the goal is that you feel like yourselves- and most couples find it’s even more fun than they even anticipated! And then you walk away with some really beautiful images that capture your love and life.

Your engagement session can be as low key or elaborate as you’d like. Either way, I’ve discovered that doing a little bit of planning can prepare us all for the best experience together. I’ve put together a few tips that will help you make some decisions about your photo shoot.

LOCATION

The locations we choose for your session will really determine the overall aesthetic of the photos. There are such a wide range of options from classic, architectural, urban/industrial, outdoorsy/woodsy/nature feel, trendy, neighborhood-y, etc. So even if you don’t yet know where you want to shoot, if you give me a sense of what you’re going for, I can help you find some locations in line with your vision.

Below are some of my favorite locations around Chicago. (If we are doing your session in another city, I’ll send you a list of ideas in your area.)

Classic and/or Architectural Locations:

Wrigley Building + Riverwalk

Civic Opera House

Union Station

Chicago History Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Museum of Contemporary Art

Three Arts Club/ Restoration Hardware

Armour House

Skyline/City Feel:

North Avenue Beach

Adler Planetarium

Milton Lee Olive Park (bonus trees/park/beach)

Montrose Harbor (bonus nature preserve)

Millennium Park/ Lurie Gardens/ Art Institute Bridge

Cindy’s Rooftop

Oak Street / Rush Street

Old Town Neighborhoods

Astor Street in Gold Coast

LaSalle Street Bridge

Exelon Plaza

Various other parks in the loop

Nature:

Art Institute North or South Gardens

Lincoln Park/ South Pond

Lincoln Park Conservatory

University of Chicago (classic architecture and nature)

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond

Montrose Harbor (bonus skyline)

Chicago Botanic Garden

Morton Arboretum

Urban/Industrial/Gritty:

West Loop

Goose Island

Kinzie Bridge + Cassidy Tires

Under the El

Indoor Locations:

Union Station

Lightology

Public Hotel

City Winery

Lincoln Park Conservatory

Chicago History Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Museum of Contemporary Art

Three Arts Club/ Restoration Hardware

Various cafés, restaurants, and coffee shops

There are, of course, so many other options, but this should get your ideas flowing! Other possibilities to consider are locations that have special meaning or are a part of your every day life: your favorite neighborhood, your first date location or favorite date night spot, where your proposal happened, or where you like to go for walks.

ATTIRE

While this session is about documenting your relationship and love story, the clothing you choose will influence the feel of the photos. For one hour sessions, I recommend sticking to one outfit on the dressier side. For extended engagement shoots with multiple locations, most couples decide on two outfits: one dressy and one elevated casual. These pictures will reflect the two of you during one of the best times of your life, so have fun with your style and show us who you are!

Style is so personal, so there are no hard and fast rules, but here are a few guidelines. Feel free to combine tips from each category depending on what best matches your gender identity and preferred style.

1. Layers are flattering and allow your personality and style to show through. Layering it up adds tremendous depth to the photograph. So instead of wearing a shirt and jeans, try adding a scarf, jacket, vest, and accessories.
2. Solid colors and very simple patterns are photographic gold. Bold and small patterns can be very distracting in photographs. That being said, this rule can always be broken, so if you’ve got style and see an awesome dress or top in a daring pattern, by all means go ahead. Just stick to solids or simple patterns for the rest of the items.
3. Try to coordinate outfits without looking overly “matchy”. Avoid wearing exactly the same colors and instead, find a color palette you love and piece together items from that palette that are complimentary to one another.  In general, go for more neutral colored outfits (black, white, grey, navy, taupe) with pops of color that complement each other rather than two distinct and brightly colored or patterned looks. Also make sure attire is the same level of formality. It’s hard to demonstrate a cohesive style when one person is quite dressed up and the other is wearing jeans and a t-shirt!
4. Fitted clothes translate better to photographs than baggy ones. However, avoid anything that feels too restrictive or requires a lot of fixing. During winter, wool pea coat styles work much better than puffy jackets.
5. Don’t be afraid to look hot! Wear clothes that you feel AWESOME wearing, whether casual or dressy. But don’t force yourself into something uncomfortable that you would never normally wear. Know your body type and what will highlight your strengths and draw attention away from flaws. Wear fabrics that won’t cling to every curve, particularly if you are self conscious of a certain area. I also recommend not wearing a sleeveless dress or blouse unless you LOVE your arms.
6. Put care into the details! Accessorizing your outfits with things like headbands, hats, jewelry, jackets, and boots can create a very stylized look. Color, texture, and layers are important.
7. Wear stylish shoes or boots! This will really elevate your clothing, even if you are wearing jeans. We will be walking a fair amount, too, so make sure they are also comfortable. But definitely bring those heels and then a backup pair of flats, even if just to walk in.
8. I recommend sticking to 1-2 outfits in order to maximize our time together. If you would like to wear an additional outfit, realize that this has an impact on the amount of time that we are able to spend shooting. You can never go wrong with a classic black/navy/grey dress, white blouse and black pants, suit and tie, sweater over a button down (with or without a tie.) And the second can be more relaxed, but think of it as casual chic. It should still be slightly elevated than what you’d wear at home. Jeans and a blouse with heels/ dress shoes is a classic and go-to elevated casual look that is guaranteed to look great!
9. Scour Instagram and Pinterest to get ideas on what looks you’re drawn to. Give yourself time to shop. Hire a stylist for a virtual styling session or personal shopping. Check out Rent the Runway to find elevated looks you don’t necessarily want to buy. (A word of advice with RTR, however: always have a few back up options picked from them or elsewhere as sometimes what you want becomes unavailable at the last minute.) Try Trunk Club or browsing styles on websites like J. Crew, Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic, Club Monaco, Ralph Lauren, and Kate Spade. You know your style best, so at the end of the day, it’s important to stay true to you. And if you’re still not sure, email me with photos of what you have picked out or bring multiple options to the shoot. We can always make a game time decision if you have several choices
10. In regards to makeup, be sure to pay attention to your eyes. Take extra care on your mascara and really separate your lashes. Consider hiring a professional hair and makeup artist. Because your wedding day look will be different than your engagement photos, this isn’t the time to do your trial. However, it is a great opportunity to work with a hair and makeup artist you are considering to hire for the wedding to see what it’s like to work together. Or take advantage of the makeup counter at Nordstrom, Macy’s or Blue Mercury. Many times you can get a free appointment with a product purchase minimum. If you are wearing lipstick, be sure to bring some with you for touch ups.
11. On the day of the session, leave purses or bulky items in the car. I can carry around small items in my bag such as keys, phones or lip gloss, but having large items with us may slow us down as we’ll have to find places to put them while we shoot. We also want your hands to be free during the session. Go to the restroom right before you leave. Many places that we shoot do not have accessible restrooms nearby, and I want to be sure to maximize the shooting time we have together.
12. Bring someone along if you wish! This is totally optional but can help with parking in crowded areas, with carrying clothes, and with noticing stray hairs or mussed clothing. You know yourselves best and can determine whether or not you will need someone else. Make sure you are comfortable with this person seeing you act affectionately with one another. He or she will definitely contribute to the dynamic of the shoot, whether positively or negatively.

Finally, have fun! I’ll take care of making you look fantastic, so don’t worry about a thing. I’ll give you plenty of direction when necessary, but the more relaxed you are, the more we can allow for the natural moments to unfold and be captured.

TIMING

Couples book their sessions at various points in their engagement, and there is no “right” time to do it. Whether you just got engaged or getting married in only a few months is not important. The most value is in the experience itself. Of course if you want the photos to serve a specific purpose, such as using them for Save the Dates, engagement announcements, or a wedding day guest book, allowing enough lead time before your deadline is important. Images are typically delivered 2-4 weeks after your engagement session, but if you have a need for them to be expedited, there are options to do so, just let me know when we book. We’ll also need to plan accordingly if you are looking for an album or other items.

The other factor is weather. Most couples prefer to wait until the weather is a bit warmer, but I do engagement sessions all year long. So if you’re up for braving a chilly fall day or really want a snowy winter session, we can make that happen!

Finally, the time of day determines the quality of light. I do most sessions at sunrise or in the hour or two before sunset. You may have heard this referred to as the “golden hour,” and it’s true that the beauty and the softness of the light this time of day makes it the best time to shoot. Weekdays are best, especially during prime wedding months, but I do have weekend availability at certain times of the year, so feel free to ask.

 

With these guidelines, you will have received a questionnaire for you to share some of your thoughts. Take some time thinking through these details as you answer. The more information you share, the better we can plan together to make your engagement session what you’re envisioning it to be. I am so looking forward to working together!