Choosing a Location for Your Engagement Session

Hopefully you enjoyed last week’s post on How Seasons Affect Your Engagement Session. We chatted about some of the different pros and cons of each season, and how the weather, start time, and environment will be a little bit different for each one. This week I want to discuss choosing a location for your engagement session! Here are a few things to consider when you and your fiance discuss WHERE to take your engagement photos!

Most Importantly

Choose a location with meaning

What do you two love to do together? Do you have a fun or unique story to how you met? Did he propose somewhere special? Is there a location you guys love to spend time at? Any of those answers could potentially be a GREAT location for an engagement session. I have done photo shoots in people’s homes, at a bar, in downtown, in the country, on private property, at the beach, at an arcade – among so many other options! Truly, the sky is the limit.

I also want to stress that just because you don’t SEE anyone else doing it, doesn’t mean you can’t BE THE FIRST! If you have access to a family farm, or airport hangar, or just a special location that only you have access to, let me know! I really want you to dream high for your engagements!

 

I will go ANY.WHERE.

I have tons of location options I could suggest but it is always nice to go somewhere I don’t normally shoot. I LOVE to shoot in new locations. Going to a new location and scouting out different angles and poses we can try is exciting and creatively fulfilling to me. It gets my juices flowing and inspires me to shoot better! If you have an idea, DO NOT hesitate to talk to me about it. I am open to anything! I especially love the beach…and traveling…so just throwing that out there 😉

 

 

A few other things to think about when choosing a location for your engagement session

National Parks or Monuments

While there is a lot of beauty to be found at National Parks, it’s important to be aware that government-owned land does require a permit for shooting in. You’ll want to look up the laws and regulations for your local National Park or monument before deciding to shoot there! We also will need to follow proper Leave No Trace etiquette and stay on the designated trails, and clean up after ourselves.

Other Fees

Aside from government land, some privately-owned parks or areas require other entrance fees. Usually a quick search on Google will fill you in on this! You’ll also want to be aware of any parking fees.

 

A City Vibe

If you and your beaut are less “nature-y” and want more of a downtown look, let’s do it! However, with tall building cropping out the sun, it might affect our start time. We might need to start a little earlier and not get sunset shots.

Hiking into the mountains

Similar to tall buildings, sometimes being up in the mountains, or tucked into a valley, means our sunset time gets bumped up much earlier. We don’t want that sun to go down behind the mountains and leave us in the dark at the beginning of a session! Or, if we are at the TOP of a mountain – then we’ll be the last to see the sun go down!

 

 

Crowds or Events

Wherever you end up deciding to go for your engagement session, we’ll make sure there aren’t any major events going on that day! Sometimes there are races, parades, festivals, or other events that make the area extra crowded. That will put a little damper on your session!

If you want to shoot at a location that is typically touristy or crowded, then I really recommend doing a sunRISE session! This will still give us dreamy lighting while avoiding a vast majority of the crowds!

Do you want your engagement session location to match your wedding scenery OR be different from it?

Sometimes my couples want their engagement photos to be COMPLETELY different from what they know their wedding photos will be to provide a variety in their photos. Opposite season, different colors, vibe, location, etc. While other times, my couples want their engagements to match their wedding, either by shooting at the same location of their wedding or just making sure it all flows and is within “theme.”

 

Frequently Visited Locations

I love shooting at Point State Park. You can see . This park offers a lot of variety in locations all in one close area, and it has options all year long. The Mellon Institute is a great backup if it rains! You can see it here with Andy and Aubrey. However, I will say again – I always love to explore NEW locations!

A comment on the weather

I discuss the weather a little bit in my post about How Seasons Affect Your Engagement Session, but just to reiterate. I am not afraid of a little rain! If you’re up for it, then I’m up for it. However, if you really had your heart set on sunny photos and the weather is overcast and gray, we can definitely talk about rescheduling! The great thing about engagement photos is you CAN reschedule, whereas on a wedding day – you’re stuck with whatever weather you’re given!

If you have any ideas or thoughts in regards to your location, and you want to bounce around some ideas with me, feel free to send me an email. Ask away! We can plan your session together to make it the most epic and fun session ever!!