Get The Most Out Of Your Engagement Shoot - Colorado Engagement Photographer
Engagement shoots are one of my favorite types of shoots. I guess couples shoot fall in this category as well, but with engagements there is the excitement of the upcoming wedding, and the fact that these photos are probably going to be used for the save the dates.
Colorado has so many locations that I have the opportunity to use for engagement photos that I get giddy just thinking about it.
Not everyone likes doing engagement sessions, which is understandable due to the fact that being in front of a camera can be intimidating. Most of the time it tends to be the guys that don't see the need for them, but do them because their soon to be bride is keen on having them.
But why would a couple even need or want engagement photos? Well, there are several reasons.
As I mentioned above, these photo are great for save the dates. (Artifact Uprising has some really amazing options for wedding invitations, and save that dates). It's is always great to have an epic photo of you two to add to these, plus you have some extra photos to give to mom and dad, which always is a good move.
Another reason to have engagement photos done is to be able to spend time doing something with your future spouse. Weddings are stressful, and getting ready to go and shoot engagement photos has the potential to be stressful as well. After the shoot you can look back on the shared time as moment of building intimacy between each other.
My favorite reason for getting the engagement photos done, is that in a way it can be an interview, a trial run for you and your chosen photographer. You have the opportunity to see how they work, how they pose, and best of all you get to build a relationship with someone who is going to spend the entire wedding day with you. Once you see their photos of you and your partner, you will have complete trust in who they are and what they can do.
There are a ton of things that you can do to make your engagement session more enjoyable. One of the main things is finding an experienced photographer. Someone that knows how to put people at easy, how to direct, and has ideas in mind. After all they are the professional. And I believe that first and foremost that it is the photographers responsibility, not the clients to ensure an enjoyable session. If the engagement session is miserable, what will the wedding day be like?
Here are some things that you can think about for your session.
Coordinate your outfits. (maybe not cheesy matching)
Launder and iron your clothes, Photoshop won’t take out wrinkles or animal hair.
Bring props: something meaningful to you, your pet, an instrument, a hobby, sport or whatever suits you the most.
Use it as an excuse to get professional hair and makeup or splurge on those fantastic new shoes you have been wanting.
Now for some things to NOT do
Wear anything with big logos or lots of writing (it detracts from the two of you)
Wear exactly matching outfits (unless you’re going for the 80/90’s look)
Wearing new clothes that still have store wrinkles.
Wear clothes that hug the wrong spots, or hang to loose.
Wear white socks that peek out of your pants, this just looks ridiculous.
Tan right before your shoot. Just Don’t. Lets leave Oompa Loompa’s out of it.
Think about your body type as well; you know what suits you and what doesn’t. Dress for the season, especially if your engagement shoot is outdoors.
The most important thing during your engagement shoot is to be yourself! The whole purpose of the shoot is to capture exactly who you are, and show your personalities. If you pick an outfit that just isn’t ‘you’, you’ll feel uncomfortable and that is never fun.
Also be willing to try something, get in the water, ride the bike, lay in the middle of a road (if no cars are coming). The best photos are the ones that are challenging to get.
Check out some of my favorite engagement photos from the past years
Mention this blog post and receive $100 off your engagement session in Colorado!
Vail Elopement - Matt & Lauren - Colorado Elopement Photographer
Recently I had the amazing opportunity to shoot an adventure elopement in Vail, Colorado. Matt & Lauren were up from Arizona and hit me up to do a little elopement session while they were in Vail. Colorado has had an amazingly warm winter so the snow was a little scarce, but I wanted to get them out into nature and have some fun experiencing the beauty that is Vail.
We didn't have much time so we met in Vail Village by the bridge to get a shot there and then headed up to the trail.
They were troopers and hiked through the ice and mud to get up to the spots that I had found.
Finally after slipping through and almost falling, and arriving with the Vans still clean we reached the spot that I had found and had a blast.
A little further up the trail there was an aspen grove that I wanted to use for the video I was shooting as well. So we hiked up, or slipped up and shot a couple more photos.
While we had some beautiful scenery, there was one shot that I wanted to get with the mountains in the background. So we headed back to the car and drove to one last spot to snag this photo.
If you want to watch the video check it out here!
Epic Styled Shoot Part 2 - Anna Be Bridal, Evolution Salon, & Metalmark Fine Jewelry - Denver, Colorado
In the previous post there were more words than photos. It is not that I have run out of words (just ask my wife, I never shut up) but I figure you would rather see these beautiful photos than listen to me ramble on and on about the dresses.
I mean they say that a photo is worth a thousand words soooooo........
Dress - Monique Lhuillier - Dulce
Dress - Ines Di Santo - Spicy
www.inesdisanto.com
Dress - Berta - 16-103
Vendors
Anna Be www.anna-be.com - www.instagram.com/annabebridal
Evolution Salon http://www.evolutionsalondenver.com/ - www.instagram.com/evolutionsalondenver - www.instagram.com/maggiejeanhair
Metalmark Fine Jewelry - https://metalmarkfinejewelry.com/ - www.instagram.com/metalmarkfinejewelry
Epic Styled Shoot Part 1 - Anna Be Bridal, Evolution Salon, & Metalmark Fine Jewelry - Denver, Colorado
This shoot was LIT. I think that is how you use that, right? Isn't that what the kids are saying these days? Anyway, ignore my efforts to try and use cool words.
I first found Anna Be Bridal while I was driving for Lyft. (I pick up a lot of passengers in this particular area of Denver. Also if you need some ride discounts use this code MATT067500). You can tell from the outside of the building that the inside is going to be amazing, and it does not disappoint.
I knew that I wanted to try and shoot a styled session with Anna Be; so I walked in and introduced myself to the shop manager, Joy. A few weeks later I emailed asking if they would like to do a styled shoot, and to my amazement and utter happiness, they said yes!
So, the search was on for the rest of the elements for the shoot. I already had a model in mind as I had worked with Kaysie for a brief bit and we had talked about her modeling. Believe it or not, she is not a professional, but she should be. So I asked her if she was available and she said yes!
Berta Dress
I also drive by Evolution Salon in Denver due to them being next door the the Starbucks near my wife's work. So I messaged them on Instagram and asked if they might want to do HMUA for the shoot, and yet again, I received another YES!
Shucks, everything was coming together. So we finalized our date and made the plans.
I was hoping for a cloudy Colorado sky, but the Sun decided to grace us with its presence almost the entire time. We had a few clouds, but this was a challenge to execute the vision I had in mind with direct sunlight.
So we arrived at Anna Be around noon to get the Hair and Makeup done. Maggie, a stylist at Evolution Salon, Kicked A$$ with the Hair and Makeup. You can follower her on Instagram @maggiejeanhair or follow the Salon @evolutionsalondenver.
After the hair and makeup was finished, Kaysie had the opportunity to try on some rad dresses, even a dress from Berta, her favorite designer. Joy got in contact with Mary the owner over at Metal Mark Fine Jewelry and she came over and provided us with some gorgeous pieces for the shoot. Seriously, check them out.
As a guy this was my first experience in the world of bridal dress fitting. It is such an intense choice. I never really thought it could be as hard as brides make it out to be. But, as I watched Kaysie try on the dresses each one looked better than the last.
Anna Be's store manager, Joy, is amazing when it comes to knowing what dresses will look fit well on what body types. She had a few dresses in mind when we arrived and they were all perfect.
(As a side note, while we were talking, Joy told me that they have an amazing retention rate for stylists. They all love what they do and from what I can tell they are all amazing at it. The parent company - a&bé - has bridal shops in Denver, Dallas, Miami, Minneapolis, and Portland. But Anna Be on Denver is a separate collection from the rest.)
After the fittings we headed out to Boulder to for the super sunny locations. If you are a photographer reading this, you know the fear of shooting in direct sun. The harsh shadows, the blown out highlights, and the super saturated colors. But, we scheduled this and I knew that chances are we would have a beautiful sunny day. So I was ready to face the challenge.
I will write a future post for all you photographers about shooting in direct sun and making the most of it.
But without further rambling of words, I will show you the images which you came here to view. Also below is a video that I shot during the experience for fun.
Dress - Made With Love - Hayley
So this was just the first dress/location. Check out Blog number 2 that is filled with all sorts of photo goodness from the other 3 dresses. You can see that here!
Vendors
Anna Be www.anna-be.com - www.instagram.com/annabebridal
Evolution Salon http://www.evolutionsalondenver.com/ - www.instagram.com/evolutionsalondenver - www.instagram.com/maggiejeanhair
Metalmark Fine Jewelry - https://metalmarkfinejewelry.com/ - www.instagram.com/metalmarkfinejewelry
Wedding Flowers
So prior to becoming a wedding photographer I never noticed the flowers at the wedding. I might speak for most guys in that this may be one of the last things on our minds when it comes to weddings. The first is probably food. Even if you are the groom, the food and drink may come before any other details. Now I know there are exceptions. I had a wedding this year where the groom was a musician and cared about the reception and the music more than anything. But the ladies love flowers. So I wanted to let some of these long wilted lovelies live on.
But now, flowers are one of the details that I am most excited to see. Every wedding is different and every bride has a different vision.
I had two wedding this year that had arrangements that stood out. Elizabeth had one of the most unique bouquets. Her husband Grant is the head coach of Brown University's baseball team so there were many elements that included a baseball theme. My favorite part was that the boutonniere for Grant was made out of a baseball leather, and Liz's flowers had a baseball flower in them as well. You can see their wedding here. Flowers provided by Blooming Blossoms.
But one of the best flower arrangements was from Caitlin and Drew's wedding. Caitlin is a horticulturalist with the parks in New York. Growing up she worked for Weedweavers of Wakefield, and Elaine created some masterpieces for the wedding. You can see the full wedding here. There are so many from this wedding I had to share all of them.
Below are a few more of my favorites!
Best of Weddings...2014
So the year is over, and we are on to another. At the end of every year I go through and make sure that all my photos are archived and easily findable. In doing this I get to remember all the great weddings as well as all the couples I have had the opportunity to work for. You make what I do fun and together we created some pretty rad images. Thank you for bearing with me as I tried new things, as we went out into the rain and heat all for the sake of photography. Here are my favorite wedding images of 2014!
It has been a great year. Weddings in Kansas, Wisconsin, Missouri and Colorado. Now that I have relocated to Rhode Island lets see if I can get more states under my belt! Here's to 2015!