I am assuming since you are reading this, that you recently got engaged! Yay! Congrats! If not thank you so much for reading this, and I hope it will provide you with some valuable information about taking photos or how to do a photo shoot in general.
So, you just got engaged, and you are so excited and ready to share the news with the word! You are excited to have some photos taken to commemorate the occasion, and potentially use for your wedding invitations. But where do you start?
First you should decide if you want your photos taken in a studio, or if there is a specific place that holds meaning to you and your significant other. For me, a studio setting wasn’t what I was after. I am a fan of more natural settings and light. My fiancé and I have always had a special connection to the ocean (we got engaged on the beach) and have always loved art and history, so we wanted to find a place that would incorporate those things.
The next thing you should consider, is the style, aesthetic, and over all “vibe” you want your photos to have. Are you looking for photos that are soft, intimate, romantic, sexy, edgy, editorial, dreamy, or maybe a combination of ideas? I wanted our photos to be very romantic and editorial, think “Italian Vogue” but also wanted them to reflect our creativity as a couple.
So, I needed to find a place and a photographer that would fit both my location and photography style. Finding the location was easy for me. I had been looking at a place in Miami, Florida called Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The grounds have a very European feel to them, I had seen similar gardens during my travels in both Italy and France. It also reminded me of the kind of place that a “Gatsby” type character might have lived. Plus, it is right on the Ocean, so it checked every want I had for the location.
In order to take photos at Vizcaya, you are required to buy a photography permit. This is currently a $250 expense that gives you permission to use the grounds for a photography session. When I reached out to book the permit, I asked if they had any recommendations for photographers. While they were not able to recommend anyone specifically, they did recommend finding a photographer who was familiar with shooting at Vizcaya, as there are so many different photo spot opportunities there.
With the photoshoot venue booked, I then had to find my dream photographer! Having worked in the wedding industry, I knew that The Knot is a valuable tool when it comes to finding vendors for all things wedding. I used The Knot to find photographers in the Miami area who’s services where in my budget (for reference I spent about $2500 for the photos, location, and photography services, which was within my budget and I was very pleased with what I got for this price). After looking through a lot of photographer’s galleries and not finding a style that I was 100% pleased with, I came across a photographer who’s creative yet natural style really caught my eye! I went to his website and Instagram page to see more, and noticed he not only had stunning images, but also many of them were at Vizcaya! I immediately filled out the contact form on his website and waited excitedly for a response. To my delight, he responded almost immediately and we set up a video conference to go over everything!
From the moment I met Leo and saw his work, I knew he was the photographer I wanted for our engagement shoot! During our initial video meeting, He attentively listened to my vision and provided me with all the information that I needed. He also shared more about his creative style, and different ideas he had for our shoot. I was so relieved that he was available on the day I had booked Vizcaya, and booked him the same day. It is important that you feel comfortable with your photographer, and that your creative visions match, this way the content/photos, they provide you with feels authentic, and it will ensure that you love the way the photos turn out.
After you have booked the photographer and found the photoshoot location, it’s time to prep for your photos! This means something different for everyone. I had about a month from the time I booked everything, until the actual session. So, I put even more of an emphasis on eating healthy, taking plenty of walks for exercise, drinking at least a gallon of water a day, and not skipping out on my skin care routine. Even though it seems a bit silly, I practiced different facial expressions and poses in the mirror so I would feel more confident the day of the shoot. I also studied other photos of myself to see what angels and poses I liked and did not like. Because I decided to do my own hair and makeup, I also spent time practicing different looks and trying out different products.
Here are some of the goodies that I used that day! You can click on this picture to shop these products.
At this time, I had already picked out my wedding dress (blog post to come soon about that experience:). I knew for my engagement photos, I wanted to wear a dress that was bridal and would echo my wedding gown, but still be different from it. I also knew that it would most likely be a hot day as we were taking our photos outside in South Florida in March (I think it ended up being around 85 that day), luckily B and I both like the heat so this didn’t really affect us.
The dress I chose for the shoot is very simple and elegant, but also a little bit sexy. It is from Azazie, style Adley, color ivory. B loves a classic black suit so that’s what he wore. I picked a tie for him that would coordinate with my shoes. It is important to keep the location of your shoot in mind when selecting what you will be wearing. A casual beach look would not have been elevated enough for this location. Also, in my opinion, jeans are never a good look for this type of photography. You are getting married! Don’t go too casual! I always say it is better to be overdressed than underdressed, and to pick pieces to wear that are timeless and not too trendy (my shoes are trendier, but our overall outfits are more timeless), but also clothing that you know looks good on you and you will be comfortable in, that way you will love and enjoy the photos for years to come.
We had the option of bringing another outfit to change into, but I did not want to waste any of our time changing, so we stuck to just one outfit. It was nice for B because he could do some photos with his suit jacket on or off. At one point some pollen landed on his white shirt and left a stain! I was so thankful he had the option of putting his suit jacket back on so it wasn’t visible!
I decided not to wear any jewelry other than my engagement ring from The Diamond Cellar, so it could be the star of the show! It is rose gold, so B wore a rose gold Daniel Wellington watch I had gotten him for Christmas. We wanted to keep our outfits very minimal.
The night before the photo shoot I packed up a bag of everything I would need during our shoot. A hair brush, facial tissues for blotting, dry shampoo, water bottles, protein bars, and all of the makeup I had used so that I could touch up if necessary. I also made sure we had umbrellas in case it rained. Thankfully it didn’t, and we had the most beautiful weather!
When we arrived at Vizcaya, we met up with Leo and his two assistants. They had brought an entire portable photo studio with them, and we really felt like models walking around with an entire camera crew! B was very nervous about the entire process, as he does not like to have his photo taken, but from the very start, Leo made us feel so comfortable! He guided us on all our posing and made the experience very enjoyable! This is why I think our photos turned out looking so organic and relaxed.
He took us to all the popular photo spots, as well as many off the beaten path. What you might not realize, is that for every one amazing photo, you have to take several other photos that don’t make the cut. It is important to just have fun with it, and keep your energy up! Although I was exhausted by the end, the day flew by! We had such a blast! All together we spent about 3 hours shooting.
Now B and I just had to wait for our photos! Leo said it would take about four weeks for them to be ready, but he had them done much sooner! We are still deciding what photo’s we want printed in our coffee table book.
Overall, I could not be happier with how the photos turned out and I cannot wait to marry the love of my life!
To stay updated on our wedding news and for more lifestyle type content, follow me on Instagram @_Sincerelylovely.
Links: