When the weather starts turning warm in late March, we begin to see the first signs of spring. The budding of trees, the first of the wildflowers, and the birds on their migratory travels. On such a day as this, we first met Velda & Colton for their engagement session. We planned to meet under the Big Tree on Goose Island where a Live Oak tree has stood the test of time for centuries! Lillian and I have had picnics here and photo adventures. We even came to visit the tree after Hurricane Harvey came and washed away much of the area leaving devastation in its wake. Amidst torn-out trees, there stood Big Tree, much the same, though with some broken limbs.
We arrived early at the agreed rendezvous place, as we usually do, to allow us time to breathe in the air, to observe the light filtering through the leaves, the direction of the wind, and to make a plan for our session. It was during this time that I mentioned to Lillian that I wished I had included tips on how to dress, in particular, layering with clothes, to add interest, in particular, to bring a hat. I had some ideas on how I'd like to incorporate layers of clothes, such as hats and jackets, to bring an elevated coolness to a photo session.
As we were scouting out our location, we saw Colton and Velda arrive. Walking up to greet them, my heart leaped as I noticed Velda not only had a jacket but also was wearing a hat! I was so elated that I told them excitedly that I had just mentioned I was hoping to have her wear a hat! Admittedly, I get a little overly gushy when things go my way.
Velda and Colton are such a lovely couple, we all got along easily! The light was delightful, dancing across the tall grasses. We had fun frolicking in the pasture together. As seasoned photographers, we know what to look for in the quality of light, how to pose our couples, ways to encourage our couples to interact in a meaningful way. Try as we might, we do our best to help our couples to be comfortable with us and being in front of a camera. We realize getting photos taken can be awkward. We also know this feeling from when we try to have our photos taken!
When you book a wedding with us, one of the emails you will receive from us will be all about your engagement session. We love to help you plan, as the saying goes, "He who fails to plan is planning to fail." Although this is a more negative saying than we prefer, we do agree that it's important to plan! These are our tips on how to make an engagement to remember.
Pick a complementary location and season - This means, if you pick a park or woods, plan the session during the spring or summer. In the winter, these locations usually look dormant and bland and won't necessarily give the vibes you're after.
Pick a complementary location and wardrobe - Here we can see that choosing certain locations lends itself to certain looks and vibes. A date night look will look phenomenal while strolling the Downtown area. A floral dress looks lovely in a park. At the beach, a casual sundress is a darling look! All this to say, we always want you to choose what you are confident and comfortable wearing over a certain style.
Arrive as the best version of yourself - Let your significant other know that you love them and just want them to be themselves and maybe to remind you of the same thing! Often, our couples are worried about the session, worried they can't be themselves, self-conscious of their perceived flaws, and perhaps they even got into an argument on the way to the session. We want our couples to arrive excited, joyful, and most importantly, the best version of themselves.
Connection - connection isn't always about touching, although we do strongly suggest touching, holding hands, and kissing whenever possible, but it's also about body language, whispering to each other, staring into each other's eyes, and perhaps even laughing together about how awkward they feel! You two are getting married for a reason, let us see that chemistry, whether it's silly, serious, or helplessly romantic!
In Velda and Colton's case, all these tips came together effortlessly and we got to see how well they work together and how well they love each other, it was absolutely beautiful!