How to feel confident on your engagement session

I want to share some tips for you so you will know how to feel more confident on your engagement session! If you’re feeling nervous or anxious about your upcoming engagement session, if you think you’re going to be totally awkward in front of the camera, if you have to force your fiancé to come because he hates getting his photos taken, if you’re not a professional model and don’t know what to do with your hands, if you’ve only been in front of the camera 0-1 times in your life, then THIS IS FOR YOU! I’m here to boost your confidence on your engagement session!

As an educator, I give beginning photographers all the tools to come to a photo shoot with confidence and energy to make the session super fun! (Oh yeah! In case you didn’t know, us photographers feel the anxiety and pressure of a photoshoot probably as much as you do!)

But now, I want to take a turn and give all the couples out there some tips and tools to give you a peace of mind for your upcoming engagement session! I want to bring you inside my mind as a photographer, what I think about during a session, things you can do that’ll help the shoot go smoothly, and generally just what to expect! I think the scariest thing being on your end is that so much is unknown and you don’t know what you’re walking into the day of!

So let’s fix that! Here we go!

Be open with your photographer and ask questions before you book

This will help ease your mind SO MUCH! If you are really nervous about getting your photos taken, if you just feel so awkward and are just dreading it, then be open about that with your photographer. You are not alone! You are not the only one who has felt this way!

Here’s the key! When you open up to this photographer that you haven’t booked yet and they are able to ease your mind about the shoot, give you tons of assurance that they got you, and are super open about what to expect on the shoot, BOOK THEM!!!! If they made you feel safe and comfortable through your vulnerability then you found the right match!

On the other end, if they made you feel worse or just didn’t really answer your questions, if you don’t feel like they really heard you or will make the shoot more comfortable for you, then it’s likely that they are not a good fit for you! Pay attention to these conversations you have with your photographer before you book! So many couples book a wedding photographer and then have a terrible experience during the engagement session. Ask the hard and vulnerable questions ahead of time and see what response you get back! This will save you so much headache! 

Questions and thoughts to share with your photographer

Here are some questions and thoughts to share with your photographer if you’re feeling nervous about being in front of the camera:

• I’m super awkward in front of the camera, will you help direct us so we know what to do?
• I don’t like getting my photos taken, is there a way we can make this more fun?
• What should we expect on a photo shoot?
• Do we need to come prepared with poses? Because I don’t know any.
• We are both super laid back people, we don’t have really loud or crazy personalities | OR | We are both really active and loud people, we aren’t into a lot of the really intimate poses (or a mixture of both of these)
• I really like that all of your couples look like they’re having fun in the photos, how do you do that? 

Wear your favorite outfit to feel more confident in yourself

I highly recommend you both find an outfit that you LOVE! Wearing something you feel 100% confident in can make all the difference! If you plan on buying new outfits for the shoot, I recommend wearing it 2-3 times before the session so you know how it feels! We don’t want you to end up buying a really cute shirt and then the day of you realize it might be too loose and your girls are hanging out or the bra straps have a hard time staying covered. Whatever outfits you choose, break them in before the shoot!

This is something any photographer would LOVE to help you out with! As a photographer, we are very visual and even have our own style preferences. If you’ve done your research, then you probably found a photographer with a very similar style and taste as you! Don’t be afraid to ask them for help!

I always tell my couples that I love to do a lot of movement oriented activities for my sessions, so the best thing for them to wear is jeans, sweats, shorts or something casual and comfy! But I also give the option to bring multiple outfits in case they also wanted some more formal styled photos!

Make this engagement session about your love story

This is so important! I know tradition says that you have to put on a formal dress and stand in a field to get your engagement photos taken. That’s far from the truth! I would turn off Pinterest and have a conversation with your fiancé. Talk about what would make this engagement session super fun for both of you!

In my experience, many of the guys I’ve taken photos of didn’t care or want to get their pictures taken. SO let’s get creative! What do you guys love to do together that you can incorporate into your engagement session? Do you like to go out to eat? Hiking? Traveling? Staying in and watching Netflix? Cooking? Working out? List some things you like to do together and talk to your photographer about how you can make your session unique! You can even go all out for the first half of your session and then get more traditional photos for the second half!

My main point in all of this is: do something that you love in an environment that you are comfortable with. If you aren’t city people, don’t get your photos taken downtown. If you don’t normally wear a dress and heels, then DO NOT put on a dress and heels for your engagement photos! Heck, put on sweats and a cropped T and feed each other ice cream for your engagement photos! YOU DO YOU!

Focusing on each other builds your confidence

If you are feeling nervous, guess what! Your best friend is literally right alongside of you through the whole shoot! Focusing on each other and not on the photographer will make you feel more confident on the engagement session! There’s never a “wrong” thing to do on a shoot so just be yourselves! If you feel like kissing, running around, dancing, or just being chill and relaxing with each other, do it! Your photographer will be great at directing you through it all, but ultimately you can do what you want! So you can listen for guidance but ultimately focus on each other!

In the mind of a photographer

Here’s a few more things to know about what goes inside my mind and probably most photographers minds!

Our number 1 priority is making sure you guys are comfortable and having a blast! We will be with you every second of the shoot to help guide and direct you when needed! If you’re never sure what to do then just kiss your partner! Haha

My sessions are always more like super fun workouts, games, activities, and creativity! I give you these fun prompts to do which you can go as mild or extreme as your personality wants to take it! The reason I direct with prompts isn’t necessarily to watch you sweat or get photos of you doing weird things! Some of the best photos might actually come before or after you finish doing the prompt! I might get some of the best candid laughing photos while you least expect it! Plus, I’ve found that doing all kinds of activities get your mind thinking about being in the moment vs being worried about how you look for photos! I promise you’ll feel more confident during the engagement session and you’ll have so much more fun!

You got this!

I hope these tips to feel more confident on an engagement session will come in handy! Just know that any anxious and nervous feelings are totally normal! Just have fun and go with the flow!

Here’s a link to so much more info about what it’s like to be in front of the camera! I would recommend checking it out HERE>

Check out some of my favorite outfit inspo on my Pinterest page! Feel free to follow and save what you love! Check it out HERE>

Dez and Sebastian is the amazing couple in this blog post! They are incredible musicians, you should definitely check them out! https://www.dziraegoldofficial.com/