Having your photos taken can be nerve-wracking, even for the best of us! But before the anxious and stressed out feelings take over, these 4 tips will help you feel super prepared for your engagment session and help ease the nerves.

Having worked hard over the last 10+ years as a Vancouver / Whistler engagement photographer to create a photography experience that is fun light and relaxed, I’ve noticed a few small things go a long way in helping you feel comfortable in front of the lens. 

What Is An Engagement Session

Just real quick so that we’re on the same page, an engagement session is a photoshoot that happens after you’re engaged. It’s a way to celebrate and document your time as fiancees.

For some engagement session insp, check out Emily + Ben’s Campbell Valley Park Engagement Session.

4 Engagement Session Tips!

Wear Something Comfortable

Maybe you’re a jeans + tshirt type, or maybe you’re a velvet jacket type, the important thing is to feel 100% comfortable in your outfit will help ease your nerves. 

Pro Tip: Consider bringing two outfits. One being something you’d wear to a special dinner or date night, and another more relaxed, casual that you’d wear if you were meeting friends on a patio for happy hour. 

Get Your Nails Done

Whether your fiancee picked out your ring, you did it together or you had some input, we want to see that ring in your photos!! And while rings by themselves are beautiful, showcasing the ring on your hand, while holding your love’s hand has a bit more feeling to it. 

So if you can book a mani a few days before your engagement session, you’ll feel more confident showing off how good your ring looks on your hand. 

Choose A Location You Love

Choosing a location that you love, or has elements that you love, will help you feel more comfortable during your engagement session. 

Consider locations like your favourite park, beach, trail or neighbourhood. It can also be a non-traditional location like the ski hill, skate park, or your favourite street.

If you’re stuck for ideas, no worries! I can help find a location for you based on the things you love. I even have a few secret locations that are super quiet without a lot of people if crowds have you feeling nervous.

Related: How To Choose An Engagement Session Location

Extra Time

Most engagement sessions are 1 - 2 hours long. I always recommend you allow extra travel time to get to your session, but I also recommend blocking off 30 minutes after your session, especially if you’ve planned a date night post-session. 

Especially during the shoulder seasons when the sun sets aroung 6:30 pm / 7 pm, we’d likely be starting our shoot around 5:30 pm, so by making a late dinner reservation you won’t be stressed about having your photos taken AND making your dinner reso. That and a small snack if needed to tide you over. Being hangry and having your photo taken do not mix well. 

Road Pop

I LOVE that you can now drink in some Vancouver Parks! If you think having a bevvie or two will help ease your nerves, definitely bring some drinks! Same goes if you need a little smoke before hand to chill out a bit. 

Pro Tip: I recommend choosing cans vs glass bottles when possible, simply because they’re lighter to carry.

What To Expect At Your Engagement Session

While this is not necessarily an engagement session tip, sometimes having an idea of what to expect can help you feel calm and prepared. So think of your engagement session like 3 friends hanging out in a cool location for an hour. And one of us just happen to have my camera. 

We’ll go to a few different spots, take some photos, walk around some more and take some more photos. If you have any specific pose ideas you’d like to include, just let me know! If not, no worries, I got tons of ideas!

Book Your Engagement Session

Now that you’re ready for your shoot, let’s get you in the calendar! Find out more about my engagement session pricing, or use the button below to book your session today!