7 Tips For Fun & Romantic Engagement Photos

Today I found myself at loose ends with no photos to edit and no elopement or engagement photography session scheduled. And lately I’ve been noticing just how many people, men and women, find the thought of a photo session about as exciting as a visit to the dentist! So this blog post is about how you can make the most of your couples surprise proposal or engagement photography session to get the most romantic photos - and actually have fun in the process. The good news is that there are really only a couple things you need to know to get stunning engagement portraits. So here goes..

1. Choose The Right Photographer

How do you do that? Pretty much like you’d shop for a new car. Look around, do some online searching, look for someone who has a style you love… whether it’s light and airy, dark and moody or bright and cheerful. Then, make sure you CALL AND TALK TO THEM. Ever noticed how the more times you interact with someone, the more comfortable you are to meet/talk to them again? The more comfortable you can be with your photographer, the more you’ll relax into your photo session and be yourself. And that’s how you get great photos.

2. If You Aren't Having Fun, You Aren't Doing It Right

Let me be clear here: To get the best possible engagement photos, your Oahu engagement photographer should be FUN! Professional, yes, but no pressure, no expectation, no perfectionism... On your wedding day you’ll be crunched for time, you won't want your dress to get dirty and there will be a thousand demands on your time and attention. However, your engagement or proposal photo session is a chance to get comfortable in front of a camera, get to know your engagement photographer (hopefully, me!), and learn how to have FUN being playfully romantic in front of the camera. Of course, your wedding day will be awesome, but it makes a huge difference to have a great engagement session with the right photographer before that big day! By their wedding day, couples that have had an engagement portrait session know what to expect, what to do and thus feel much more relaxed for their wedding photos - and boy, does it show!

3. It's okay to be a nervous & uncomfortable at first

I mean, hello! it's not like any of us are professional models and stand around looking perfect all day. :-)  The good news is that you don't need to know a single thing! It's your Oahu engagement photographer’s job to show you how to pose, what to do with your hands and help you relax. For the first 20 minutes or so, you WILL feel a bit nervous and uncomfortable. That's normal and to be expected. EVERYONE does. Put ME in front of the camera, and I do too. :-)  Before your Oahu engagement photography session begins, I will go over four of the most basic poses, along with several variations that you will easily adapt and make your own. You will be amazed at how quickly you’ll get comfortable and - gasp - even start to have fun! I think it's particularly funny when the eye-rolling, reluctant groom-to-be is dragged to the shoot only to end up being the one calling for "just one more photo." 

4. Hmmm… What to Wear

Easy answer: whatever makes you feel the most comfortable and attractive. After that I recommend planning on coordinating your outfits, not matching. You want to complement each other, not blend together. Think in terms of contrast and color. Bright, bold colors work really well for Hawaii beach and sunset engagement photography sessions, helping make you POP out of the scene. Black usually doesn't look that good on the beach unless it's a very formal portrait. White works if you have a tan or warm-toned skin, and seldom looks good if you're pale unless it's paired with something colorful, or accessories like leis, flower bouquets, ribbons, etc. Try to stay away from busy stripes, logos or fad clothing...you want images that are timeless and will still look good 20 years from now. The easiest way to see what works well and what doesn't is to look thru all the photos on this site at what people are wearing and notice what you like. Never hesitate to ask your Oahu engagement photographer if you're not sure. That's what we're here for!

5. Prepare Your Poor Fella! 

This is where you ladies will be well served by allaying any concerns your guy may have. As you know, most men won't tell you they're nervous and uncomfortable. And face it, men are generally far less practiced or comfortable at being expressive, emotive or "posing." Help yourself and your guy by preparing him for the shoot. First, make sure you show him the kind of engagement photos you love and want for your own couples engagement photography session. If you really love the intimate, playful shots and your fiance’ thinks you'll just be standing there smiling at the camera, he is going to freeze up when I tell you two to “nuzzle” or get “nose to nose.” So make sure you explain to him why you love the snuggle shots so he knows going in what to expect! BUT ALSO... make sure he knows that he doesn't need to know how to do anything! That it will be the engagement photographers job - a middle-aged, macho guy (former motorcycle racer, contractor, scuba divemaster...) - to tell him what to do and when. And that mostly his job will be to stand there, hold you and sometimes "kiss the girl." :-)

5. Relax & Trust Your Engagement Photographer

As you’re getting ready for your couples engagement portrait session, remember that your photographer doesn’t expect you to be a modeling pro. In fact, I rarely work with models - I'd rather work with real, everyday people. Over thousands of photography sessions, I have noticed it almost universally takes a good 20 minutes to warm up - for you and me! I like to remind everyone that I'm shooting digital...if we try a shot and it doesn't work, we just hit delete and do it again! Perfection isn't required. I expect to take anywhere from 2 to 30 shots to get that one or two that are our YES! shots. In professional baseball it's called a batting average because no one hits a home run - or even gets a hit - every time up at bat. Lucky for us, no one is keeping score! So relax, trust your photographer, allow them to be creative and be up for trying different things and you’ll have more way fun than you expect.

7. Genuine Emotion Trumps A Perfect Pose Every Time

Posing for couples portraits is like sex - there are really only so many ways two human bodies can fit together. So HOW (emotionally, not mechanically) you fit together is really the important part. The trick to natural looking romantic couples photos is to choose any basic pose you like and then make it your own by injecting emotion.

So the real secret to romantic couples portraits and the perfect pose has little to do with what our bodies are doing and far more to do with what our heart is feeling. I know that we can't all feel instantly lovey-dovey, but we can think of all the little things we appreciate about our partner on an everyday basis. We can remember how we felt on our first dates, our first kiss. That moment we realized we loved them. And that is really all it takes. Feel the love, let it show. That's it. (To read more about this tip and posing, please see our Posing 101 blog post.)

I hope this little post has been helpful at reducing any concerns you may have about your Oahu engagement photography session! And now, here are a few more example portraits to share with you of normal, everyday amazing couples just like you showing off their posing skills during both their engagement session and their wedding day!!

And before you go, you may enjoy my other blog article next: Natural Light VS Flash Photography. Enjoy!