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5 Top Unique Prop Ideas to bring to your Engagement Photoshoot | New England, Florida, and Destination Photography

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June 29, 2020

If you follow us, you know we just LOVE engagement sessions! Its a great time to get to know our couples, gives them some fantastic photos, and most importantly, gives you a chance to get used to being in front of the camera!

Connecticut Engagement Session with Save the Date Sign- Connecticut Wedding Photographer Bright Lights Imagery

Our #1 concern for couples is how to pose, and we like to think of the engagement session as a trial run where we can direct you into non-awkward, natural poses to create candid images (you know, where you feel and look like yourselves). That way, you are pros on your wedding day šŸ™‚

We get asked ‘What can I bring with me to our engagement session?’ a lot, so we decided to put together this blog post for inspiration.

  1. Signs This one is the most common for sure and is great for Save the Date Cards. The possibilities are endless. Paige & Kyle brought this adorable chalk board sign featured above and Jessie & Chris brought this vintage banner to go with their indoor rustic engagement session inside an abandoned building. (We shot there with permission of course! šŸ™‚
Worcester, MA Engagement Session- Worcester Massachusetts Wedding Photographer

2. Bring your Furbabies! Bring your dog, horse, or any other animal you love with you. After all, they are part of the fam too and bringing them to your engagement session is so much fun! You can even get props for them too! Check out this adorable sign and bandana some of our #Brightlightsbrides brought to their session with their pups Bella & Perry!

Newport Engagement Session-Newport Wedding Photographer-Destination Wedding Photographer-Engagement Session with dog

3. Champagne! or wine! You can plan a picnic or spray champagne like a pro like Kara and Jay did their winter beach engagement session in Hull, Massachusetts. They also brought these adorable custom glasses which were a nice touch!

Engagement Session at Nantasket Beach MA- Beach Engagement Session, Worcester Wedding Photographer

4. Bundle Up with a Blanket! Estefanie & Michael got nice and cozy during their March engagement session. Blankets add an intimate vibe. We have a whole collection and would be happy to bring some to your session if you would like!

Concord Engagement and Wedding Photographer Bright Lights Imagery

5. Go Sentimental Choose Something meaningful. This is by far my favorite. Did you have a first date at a coffee shop? Go for ice cream? Mini Golf? Kayaking? Recreating this for your engagement session is oh so meaningful and the end results are priceless. Do you have another milestone going on in your life? Did you just buy your first home together? Do some photos at home or in the yard to celebrate. Is there something that you do together and love? Add that to your engagement session experience šŸ™‚

Sarah & Joe bonded over college football while dating and watching together is one of their favorite things to do together so wearing their fav jerseys was a must at their castle engagement session!

Engagement Session at a Castle- Destination Wedding Photographer

Bonus! Other ideas!

Stephanie and George found this super cool & sign and it added a perfect touch to their session!

Prop Ideas for Engagement Sessions-Florida Wedding Photographer

Daniella & Eric brought a football with them and even added their wedding date!

Football Save the Date Engagement Photo Sesso

Lizbeth & Bryan brought Initial balloons!

Boston Wedding & Event Photographer, Providence Wedding & Event Photographer, Worcester Wedding & Event Photographer

Want to try something different?

You can go for Confetti, Bubbles, or even Smoke Bombs (they come in a variety of colors!)

No matter what you choose, your engagement session will be a great experience!

Bright Lights Imagery is based in Whitinsville, Massachusetts and Orlando, Florida. We serves all of New England, and all of Florida for portraits and travel worldwide for Destination Wedding Photography and Videography. Common Destinations are Plymouth, Worcester, Boston, Providence, Hartford, The White Mountains, Boston, Cape Cod, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Miami, and more.

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June 29, 2020

STEP 1: We arrive to the location!

I like to start off every session, no matter if I’ve meet you in person before or not, with a solid 5-10 minutes of us just talking a little bit before I take any photos.

My #1 goal is to make you feel comfortable, and if we rushed into the session I don’t think that would happen right away. I love getting to know my couples and hearing all about them!

There is no rush when it comes to having your photos taken and if the photographer is snapping a hundred photos from minute one, before even speaking with you, then it sets the session off on a rushed note and you will see that portrayed in the photos. 

June 29, 2020

Time to get ready!

After our short chat we have typically warmed up to each other, maybe even cracked a few jokes. Laughter goes a long way, so I like to find ways to make the two of you smile and laugh. Now we will begin your photoshoot.

At the beginning of every photoshoot, I will have you stand close to each other, most likely hip to hip, but recently I have loved having my couples stand facing one another. You will hear me say,ā€Ok, so I am going to check my settings to make sure everything is good. These are just tests, so go ahead and just talk with each other while I set up.ā€ 

I like to do this because it gives you and your partner the chance to see the camera go up, hear the shutter, but not really be too focused on what you are doing. It sets the tone for that natural candid capture.

Sometimes during these ā€œtestā€ shots, I actually capture some really cute moments between you and your partner. Like Ashley and Josh, in the photo above, you can see her laughing at something that Josh said to her while I was setting up. Because they are focused on each other, I was able to capture that true moment as it was.

June 29, 2020

Once the test shots are settled, the photoshoot will truly begin. Depending on the level of comfort and ease y’all show in those first moments, I will start one of two ways. The first is to have those more ā€œposedā€ photos of the couple holding each other close together, holding hands, maybe a few smooches.

I do this because, if you are naturally less expressive with one another and need a little more posing help, I can start that from the get go so that you are comfortable. If you and your partner are naturals in front of the camera, I know that sticking you into poses is going to make you look unnatural and uncomfortable, so instead, I will coach you through movement and moments to capture those candid photos of you two in your element together. 

In general I like to work you through movements because every person, every couple will have a different way of expressing themselves.

Some of my favorite, more intimate moments are when I ask you two to embrace, cuddle up and hold each other close. Another trick I like to use, is having one of you whisper something into the others ear that they know is going to get them to crack up. It’s gold I tell ya!

For the majority of your session, we will all be chatting back and forth. I like to keep communication flowing because the silence can be deafening and leave the two of you feeling uncomfortable. Once we have gotten into a flow of me helping you into poses, or the two of you moving in and out of them on your own, I will typically ask you two to remember back to those first couple of dates. I love to do this because it can be really humorous and lead to those genuine laughing photos! (aka: candid moments ? )

I’m also a big ā€œshow and tellā€ photographer. Meaning I will be showing you the photos from the back of my camera as we go so you can see how adorable you and your fiance are šŸ˜‰ This is also great, since I can get feedback from you to make sure you absolutely love the photos as we go. 

June 29, 2020

I like to throw out some experiences and just capture you and your bae’s interpretation of said experiences. A couple of my favorites are,

    Practice your first dance
    Go on a little stroll while holding hands
    Get in nice and close and visualize your wedding day

These are wonderful photography moments because it portrays who you are as a couple. Like I mentioned earlier, no two people are going to move in the same way as you both and it is so unique and memorable.

As we wrap up you session, I like to ask if there are any other poses that you envisioned that we didn’t capture and if so, let’s do them! If you are like me, you have several Pinterest boards full of poses that you have fallen in love with and I want to make sure they are all captured for you in the best way possible. I will say, it isn’t always 100% the same because every photographer is going to have different ways of photographing and different equipment. But I will try my best to get it just right!

And that’s about it!

Having your photos taken shouldn’t cause you anxiety, so if you are feeling nervous, let’s chat! I will always be up for a phone call or text if you are nervous about a photo session coming up. It is my job as your photographer to make you and your soon to be spouse, as comfortable as possible! And believe me, I work very hard to make sure every couple who works with me has an all time blast, that has them chatting about their session even after it is over!

So, let’s do it!!

x Kayla

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