“Wedding season” is quickly approaching (yay!). After the adorable proposals, every couple has to iron out a few initial details such as date and venue. Unfortunately, once decided, these details leave little to no room for some flexibility/creativity. Luckily, one part of the immediate post-engagement plan can be (in a way) designed and decided on by a couple if done the right way: engagement photos!

   When creating the perfect engagement photos, you must thoroughly think through the location, outfits and poses. We spoke to our professional Birmingham, Alabama-based wedding photographers Kelly Cummings of Spindle Photography and Julie Lowry of Chanterelle Photography to give you their top tips on taking the best engagement photos.

Location:

“For locations, I recommend that couples either pick places that are meaningful to them or a place based on the kind of settings that draw them in most. I love checking out a bride’s Pinterest boards and getting a feel for whether the couple is drawn to locations with more greenery/natural elements, downtown/city scenes or quirky locations with interesting surroundings. If you’re going to pick more than one location, ensure the places are fairly close so you aren’t missing much of the good light (golden hour) while traveling between locations.”

-Kelly Cummings, Spindle Photography

“Make sure you remember to consider both the time of year and desired ‘look’ before choosing a location. Your envisioned floral, fun shoot may not be a possibility if your engagement happened in December.”

-Julie Lowry, Chanterelle Photography

Outfits:

“The level of casual and formality definitely depends on the couple. I think it can be a little harder for some grooms who have less of a personal style (whose significant others might serve as their stylists), but I think getting your guy in on the Pinterest search for outfits might be a good call. Clothes make a big difference in the feel of a shot so pay attention to the outfits in engagement photos that draw your attention. A last-minute tip is to double check that you have all of the accessories for each of your outfits, (including shoes) and pack a pair of comfortable shoes for wearing in between locations.”

-Kelly Cummings, Spindle Photography

“Coordinate, but don’t match (the days of white shirts and jeans are LONG gone, y’all).  Don’t wear things that are way out of character because you feel obligated. For example, if you never wear dresses, don’t feel like you have to wear a dress because ‘Everyone does at least one formal outfit for their engagement session.’ Now, if you want to try something new, by all means, branch out!”

-Julie Lowry, Chanterelle Photography

Poses:

“For engagement session posing I prefer to let the couple focus on each other, and the best poses tend to involve action (walking together holding hands for example). It’s hard to feel natural when you are hyper-aware of the camera, so creating some movement can loosen things up and break the ice.”

-Kelly Cummings, Spindle Photography

“Let your photographer guide you. If you go into your session overthinking it, feeling like you need to strike a different pose you saw on Pinterest, it’s very easy to end up looking ‘forced.’ Remember, the picture is being taken from the photographer’s point of view, so he/she can see if a pose isn’t working with the outfit you have on, or if your fiance’s arm is at an awkward-looking angle.”

-Julie Lowry, Chanterelle Photography