Is it for you?
You’re here because you want some engagement shoot tips – welcome! Engagement or couples shoots aren’t for everyone – and that’s ok! If we had £1 for every time we were told ‘we hate being in front of the camera’ then our cat would be rolling in even more treats than she does currently ;D
We reckon that whether you’re getting married, already married or happily unmarried, they are definitely great fun, plus it’s nice to have epic photographs of the two of you for your wall/mantlepiece/on top of your telly (people don’t actually do this anymore do they? TV’s are a bit thin nowadays).
Being in front of the camera can be a daunting prospect, so some couples quite like doing an engagement shoot in the build up to their day to alleviate any nerves they have about that. It can be a good trial run for the wedding but it’s important to note; it’s similar, but it’s not the same thing. On your engagement shoot it will be the two of you and the two of us for a couple of hours – on your wedding day, your couples photographs will generally be around 20 minutes during your reception, and then another 20 minutes in the evening.
If you’re unsure about the idea of having your photograph taken – you’re going to have to trust us on this one – it’s really not as bad as you’re imagining it to be. Of course, this ties into your relationship with your photographers and how you feel about their previous work. It’s important that you trust them, and in our case, you’re open to going on an adventure ;D
Tip 1: Picking your engagement shoot location
One of the first engagement shoot tips is to think about your location, and this is something we feel out with our couples with a simple question; city or countryside? If you’re having a city wedding, you might fancy the great outdoors for your shoot, or vice versa. We always think it’s nice if our couples pick somewhere that has some importance to them as this can help them feel relaxed – but if you’re not sure of a where, we have plenty of ideas. You might even want to start at home (with your cat/dog? :D) and then head out. We are pretty much up for anything and love helping our couples figure out this part of their shoot.
Side note: if you have a dog, let’s take them with us! If you have a cat? We can try, but it just depends how much judgement you want to deal with from your feline friend ;D
“The thought of an engagement shoot gave me the absolute fear. I’m not the most confident of people so made sure to wear something that made me feel good, done an extra wee curl in my hair and I was good to go! Hanging out with Jo + Liam, being with my best friend and partner, time flew and honestly I didn’t think once about my ‘bad side’ or smiling with my teeth. Jo + Liam are more than just photographers, they become your friends. We had such a good laugh and loved their company. Not only do you end up with beautiful photos at the end, it’s a fun experience to do with your partner and that’s credit to them. I would highly recommend it!” – Corinne + Gary
Tip 2: Time of year, and time of day
Our next stop is figuring out what time of year you’d like for your shoot. Are you looking for a super crisp winter vibe, or perhaps you love the spring freshness? Summer gives us the option of the lovely later nights, and autumn is all about the beautiful colours. We recommend booking your engagement shoot at least 2 months before your wedding, only so that we have time to edit and deliver your gallery. Our turnaround is roughly 6 weeks, but at the busier times of year it can be 8 so keep that in mind if you’d like to use your engagement photographs at your wedding, or on your invites.
Once we know the rough time of year you fancy, we’ll start thinking about the light at that time of year. As we mentioned above, summer has the bonus of lighter nights. Generally speaking, we prefer to avoid slap bang in the middle of the day as this is when the sun can be at its highest, and a bit harsh. We love shooting towards the end of the day as there is more is more chance to get some gorgeous soft light and a cheeky golden hour.
When we’ve settled on a date with our couples we block out that whole day for them. We’ll agree a time for meeting, but we are always flexible on the day. What if it’s raining all afternoon but it’s clear in the morning? It’s something we chat through with our couples beforehand – we will keep an eye on the weather for them in the run up so that we can change plans if needs be.
Tip 3: What should you wear for your engagement shoot?
Our tip for what to wear during your engagement shoot is pretty simple; wear whatever you feel comfortable in! Dress appropriately for the location (i.e. heels are a pretty terrible idea if we are going out into the wilds) but if you’re not comfortable in your clothes, it’s going to show in your body language, and we want you to feel gooooood :D
Think of it like a date day – what would you wear if you and your other half were going out for the day together, somewhere nice but low key?
It goes without saying, best to avoid football tops or yer ‘hoose claes’ (for the non-Scots, these are more well-loved garments you reserve for wearing at your home ;D)
Why not make a day of it? Think about it, you’re all dressed up anyway…Go for a wee drink before (1 drink, don’t accidentally get smashed thanks to nerves haha!) and afterwards, continue the date…whether that’s a nice dinner, trip to the cinema or even if it’s getting a chippy on the way home! You’ll have a bit of a buzz afterwards (trust us!) and you’ll definitely want to debrief with each other.
Tip 4: It ain’t all about the winchin’
If you’re not sure what that word means then click here ;D I guess what we are trying to say here is…love is so much more than a kiss. It’s having a laugh with your lobster, poking fun at each other, those weird in-jokes that only the two of you have and all the other glorious things in between. Our job as your photographers is to help you feel comfortable enough to be exactly as you are with your other half. We’re not saying DON’T kiss (because kissing is great, although kissing with tongues isn’t great on camera, we can’t lie!), because that would also be strange, but we don’t like to force our couples into being something they’re not – so if PDA freaks you out a bit, dinnae fret ;D
Don’t worry about ‘what you’re going to do’ on your engagement shoot – we’re going to talk more about our approach below :)
Our approach to an engagement shoot
So we talked a little above about some of our approach prior to your engagement shoot, but what about on the day itself? Generally speaking, we set aside 2 hours for shooting. That’s not 2 hours of our cameras being ON you, it’s just 2 hours of adventure :D
Once we know the area you want to shoot, we’ll do a wee recce beforehand if possible and figure out some cool places to shoot. We’re looking for ace backdrops, nice compositions and a rough sort of route to make the best of the time we have with you. We’ll think about what the light will be like, but we take that with a pinch of salt because, you know, Scotland and all. All you have to do is show up and trust us :D
“Originally we were not going to have engagement photos, but after talking to married friends, we were talked into it. We were really nervous beforehand, but as soon as we got to the location it felt really natural. Jo + Liam were the pals we never knew we wanted! An engagement shoot is a great way to get to know your photographers and get used to the cameras. When our wedding day came round it just felt like we were hanging out with Jo + Liam, it didn’t feel weird at all. We love our engagement pics. Choose a location that means something to you and just have fun.” – Katy + Sarah
Essentially, think of it as going a walk with two of your pals. Pals that really like bad puns, ridiculous chat and taking photographs. We see a spot we think looks cool, we pop you in it. It’s pretty normal for couples to suddenly feel like they don’t know how to ‘couple’ so we have a few low key directions to get things started. For us, these are just a starting point, from there we use our absolute stellar chat (ha!) to make you feel comfortable and shoot what happens. We love shooting the in-between moments too, and details that you might not even be aware of.
“Jo + Liam made the entire process so easy and were able to capture our genuine smiles and emotions. The whole process felt like we were hanging out with friends in a beautiful location where they just *happened* to be taking photos of us! Our day with Jo + Liam was one of the highlights of our trip!” – Chelsea + Steven
Liam loves a wide shot, whereas I love getting a little closer. Thankfully, we compliment each other; apart from when he makes fun of my big feet which by the way ARE A TOTALLY AVERAGE SIZE OK.
Here’s our promise to you; we promise will NEVER say, ‘relax’, or ‘smile’ to you. It’s hella awkward inducing, even for us haha ;)
Don’t forget, the most awkward photograph is going to be the first one – and that’s the same for us too! We’re always nervous-excited before a shoot which is a good thing, imagine if we didn’t…it would mean we didn’t care :-O
After your shoot is finished, we scurry home to back everything up and start working on your sneak peek. From there, your full engagement gallery will be ready in the timeline we mentioned above and we will email you when it’s ready – easy peasy!
So there you have it, our engagement shoot tips. If you fancy your own wee adventure with us, check out our couples portfolio here, and then get in touch :D xx