Engagement Portraits

Some of our favorite times with our couples happen during the engagement session; with lots of laughing and fun times that are always memorable. There are multiple reasons that we include the engagement portrait session with every wedding that we do, and they’re each extremely important to us, but what stands out the most is that it gives us the opportunity to become acquainted. It let’s us get to know each-other, and allows for a sense of comfort being in front of the camera that we wouldn’t have otherwise.

The time that you call each-other fiancé is so much fun. Planning the wedding, sending out invitations, and all the hustle and bustle can also be stressful. The engagement session is all about you. This is a time for you to take a day off, enjoy yourselves, get dressed up, and remind yourselves why you love each-other and want to spend the rest of your lives together. These nights are special to us too. We take you out to dinner, and get to know more about you. Remember, we’re not in this business just to make a living. We’re here to partake in something special. We’re here for the conversation and a deeper connection. We’re here for you.

What I love about living in Los Angeles is the vast array of locations we can shoot. One of our favorites is Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The Old Hollywood feel is just fabulous. Then there’s Old Town Pasadena with it’s beautiful bridge, Travel Town with the old trains, the Griffith Park Observatory, Santa Monica, Leo Carrillo Beach, Orcutt Ranch, Trippet Ranch, Central Park in Santa Clarita, and then any field you can find in Ventura or Santa Barbara. The options are really endless. We could have a snow themed engagement session, and in the same day have a beach themed photo-shoot.

Theme

This is for you coffee lovers, pastry chefs, bicycle riders, artists, painters, guitar players, and general merry-makers. The themed engagement session is so much fun. We get to incorporate YOU into the photos. Do you love a certain car? Let’s rent one. Do you love playing guitar? Bring it along. This is where we can get creative. What do you love to do? What about bowling? What about fishing? What about poker? Do you love the theater? The Dodgers? The Lakers? This list can go on and on, but I’ll tell you about the coffee themed engagement session I did. Loren and Rachel LOVE coffee and Starbucks so much that they decided to have a coffee themed wedding. They even used coffee grounds instead of sand to create a unique Loren & Rachel blend. Needless to say, the engagement session incorporated coffee, and we went to Starbucks at the Block at Orange. We had a great time, and created some beautiful images. Then we went to a brew-house and had some amazing shrimp nachos.

The theme doesn’t just have to do with your hobbies or passions. We can bring along balloons, or have a “red” themed photo-shoot and just have a red day, and everything that implies. At the end of the day, it’s up to you.

Clothing? Hair? Make-up?

These portraits are important. Although we stress a casual atmosphere, and we want you to have fun, how you look is important. These images will be around for a long time after-all. We strongly suggest having your hair and make-up professionally done. Make sure the MUA(make-up artist) knows that this is for a photo-shoot so she knows the right type of make-up to use. If you need suggestions for hair and make-up let us know.

Clothing is also super important. Make sure to get clothes that are semi form-fitting and that aren’t baggy. Second, clothing that complements each-other in color and style is huge. You don’t want to be too matchy-matchy, but the colors need to be complimentary. And above all, no white socks with dark shoes. Invest in a personal shopper if you aren’t that style savvy. Go to Anthropologie and ask one of the wonderful people there for advice. They’ll set you up nice.

Layers will add a special something. A light cardigan can be added for when it gets chilly, or removed when you are a little more comfortable in front of the camera. Bring along a dress(for her), to change into and a pair of slacks(for him) for a longer session. What a lot of people do is buy a couple of new outfits for their e-session. This makes the images even more special. They’re unique, and your friends haven’t seen these clothes before.

Time

The time of day is important. We don’t absolutely NEED to have our session during the sunset hours, but we strongly suggest it. The lighting during that time is beautiful, and will compliment your new outfit. There’s also something special about the sun going down. It symbolizes a certain era of your life ending, and a new even more exciting one beginning. Don’t make any plans afterwards. We want to celebrate this time with you. Weekdays work best as weekends are generally reserved for weddings. You can usually count on the shoot lasting between 1-3 hours, depending on what you decide upon during our initial consultation.

We can’t wait to spend the evening with you!