Three tips to prepare for your Utah engagement photos, day of.

You just got engaged. You booked your dream Utah Travel Photographer (who hopefully is me), got your engagement photos scheduled, and now what?

Its normal to wonder and worry about how your shoot is going to go and what is going to happen. That’s why I wrote this blog post, to give you an idea of what to expect and how to prepare and get the most out of your engagement session.

1. Give yourself PLENTY of time to get ready.

The #1 biggest mistake I see is that clients don’t plan ahead and give themselves enough time to get ready. This includes planning outfits!! Try to plan your outfits at least a week in advance. If you already know what you and your partner are going to wear, it can’t be a pain-point day of! If you want more tips on what to wear to your engagement session, click here.

Check your maps the day before around the time of your shoot to get an idea of how long it will take you to get to the shoot location. Plan to leave 15 minutes earlier than you think you should! This way if you’re running late, you hopefully won’t BE late.

Start hair and makeup twice as early as you think you should!! The last thing you want is to be doing your mascara or painting your nails in the car on the way there.

Without fail, every time I book family photos for myself my husband and I get in a fight before the session. This is ALWAYS because we don’t give ourselves enough time to get ready and get to the shoot location. You’re not you when you’re rushed 😉 You will be so much happier with the photos if you’re not having to pretend to not be annoyed at your significant other the whole time lol.

2. Turn your engagement shoot into a date night!!

There are two ways this can be done. The first is to incorporate a meaningful activity into your engagement session. This can look like going to the library or art museum and letting me tag along, recreating your first date, or doing a fire and smores in the mountains. I call these type of sessions Memory Sessions. Click here if you want to learn more about sessions like this!

Memory sessions are such a great way to foster natural candid interaction and the type of photos that feel like you’re watching your relationship on a movie screen.

The second way is to plan activities for before or after! I always recommend my couples to go and get dinner or ice-cream after the shoot is finished! You will spend a lot of time snuggling, kissing, and staring into each-others eyes during the hour you’re with me so you might as well continue the night of connection!

Good photos come from good connection between you and your significant other.

3. Communicate to your photographer any inspo you’re loving and your favorite music!

It’s always great to book a photographer that you fully trust, but still never a bad idea to compile some inspo photos that you love! This can give your photographer an idea of how you want your photos to feel and also give them some posing ideas! Don’t expect the photos to look the exact same, but it’s definitely helpful to see some of your favorite work so we can know what things you are drawn to.

Sharing music or playlists is also a great idea! I love to play music at my sessions! It can help everyone feel more at ease. I love it when my couples send me their favorite music so I don’t have to guess and hope you like my music.