I had a blast last week working with this awesome couple on their engagements.  They chose to have them done at the carousel at the Children’s Museum (thank you to a very understanding employee!) and at the railroad tracks near their home.  Here are some of my favorites from our session.  Fortunately/unfortunately the lighting at the carousel changes about every four seconds so it was like a photographer’s obstacle course trying to keep up.  Makes for some interesting shots, I think.

And from the tracks:

And I have to give them major credit for spray-painting their fence for the occasion.

Baby feet!

And this is just too sweet.

1- Location location location. Ideally the location you choose for your engagements should be someplace that is special to the two of you. Did he propose in a garden? What interests do you share- your pets? Books? Food (yes even cooking together can yield some very romantic results)? Think about what time of year you want to do your shoot and plan accordingly. Winter engagements are best done indoors, with an architectural theme, or in the snow if possible!

2- Mood. If you want to have serious, romantic pictures of the two of you, it’s probably best not to arrange your photos to be shot in a zoo. Likewise, if you want to have some fun with them, a studio backdrop or heavy elements like statues is not always the best option. The location that you’ve chosen should match the mood you want.

3- End result. Decide what you want to do with these photos before you take them. Simply doing Save the Dates can be a short, simple session and if you will want to add text to your photos later your photographer should have that in mind when composing shots. If you want this to be a full session of the two of you, plan for a couple of hours, outfits (which I’ll get to next), and maybe some props to keep it interesting. These longer sessions are ideal if you’re planning on making an album of your photos, are big into scrap-booking, or want to take advantage of having the attention of a professional photographer.

4- Your appearance. Your attire should match the location and mood you’re going for. Engagement sessions are one of the only times, if not the only time, that just the two of you will have amazing portraits taken wherever you want. Take advantage of it! Plan your outfits to coordinate, but not match. This is the time for cute dresses and button down shirts, not jeans and sneakers. Simple silhouettes in neutral or low key solid colors are best. However, you have to use your best judgment- if you’re doing a rustic outdoor engagement shoot and wedding, feel free to bring the broken in jeans and cowboy boots. Heels are not appropriate if you’re planning on going off the pavement, but boots and flats look good with many outfits. It’s also always a good idea to bring a second outfit and a cute jacket. If you’re not usually into doing hair and makeup, consider doing it (or having someone else do it) for this occasion. The extra effort will pay off and you will look even more amazing than usual.

5- Do some local research. Some locations in Indianapolis require permits to shoot, have public access restrictions, require fees to enter, or are closed on some days of the week. Before you commit to any plans with your photographer, make sure there will be no surprises along these lines and make your photographer aware if s/he will have any limitations. If possible use the internet to find examples of other engagements done in the same or a similar setting. Your photographer should be willing to work with your ideas to come up with a unique portrait session for you.

I have updated the pricing and packages for 2012.  There are a few people I have been talking to that contacted me before I made the changes, if you are one of those people you have the option of my old packages and prices or my new ones.

Yes, the prices have gone up.  This is due to my packages changing to include more time, more locations, more prints, more album pages and design options and nicer covers, and new items like accordion and parent albums.

Engagement sessions have been separated from the packages because a large enough percentage of brides I meet with already had them done or do not want them.  In addition to splitting that from the wedding packages I added more location options, no time limit and a bigger album.

I am still willing to be flexible with package components- your individual needs are my greatest priority!

Here we have a ceremony program in the form of a handy what-to-expect guide.

AMB Photo

This must have been one considerate bride and groom- during the ceremony they had a helpful bridesmaid cue the audience to the appropriate responses.  Also AMB Photo.

Next up is a beeauuuuutiful image by Johnny Crash, taken at a Moulin Rouge themed wedding.

So after you’re done with the ceremony let’s mosey on over to the reception, where a guest book in the form of a to-do calendar will serve as guest book and reminder to love each other throughout the year.

Photographer Michael Robers, no link available.

Heading over to the table, one might get sidetracked by a delicious donut cart…

Jodi Miller Photography

Or feel compelled to bowl a few frames with DnK Photography

And wish the couple luck as they go out into the world joined together by love and sporting complementing tattoos.

Ashley Smith Photography

How are you going to show your personal style on your wedding day?

I started out messing with some photos that I took at the IN State Fair last summer, and I love how the contrast makes it look so much sharper.  Check out this headlight.

And photos that start with low contrast benefit from the change.

So alright, I don’t get paid to take a lot of photos of tractors, let’s see about some wedding and portrait stuff.  Is it any good for that?  Well the plus side is that raising the contrast and jacking with the color balance usually makes peoples’ skin tone look really awful, and this manages to make it all a little more interesting without looking like aliens.

I’ve seen this effect done for band photos or in front of graffiti walls and it really helps with the edgy vibe, probably not as useful for wedding stuff, but let’s see.

Pros- girl stands out from the background, more detail in her dress.  Cons- the artificial light looks way too harsh for a sweet little flower girl.  Let’s try another.

Bottom half looks terrific- more depth in the water, dress, flowers, and even the gazebo structure stands out more.  Unfortunately it’s doing bad things to her face.  I’d call this half a success (It’s cool Reema you’re still gorgeous here).  Alright, one more, the only one I really think was improved by this process.

Love. This. The lighting looks more romantic but was achievable without any extra equipment on site, the banquet room walls and carpet almost disappear, but you still have the lights receding into the distance so no depth is lost.  Speaking of depth, check out the ruching on that dress.  The only weird thing is their skin tone, but I can forgive that because it’s almost turned into a monochromatic, sepia style.

So tell me what you think of this trend!

Many of these pictures will be from Offbeat Bride, The Knot, and green wedding shoes, and I will give photographer credits whenever possible, and I will make note of which photos are mine.

Starting off will be my fascination with how to use snow in photos, an interest that was sparked by a bride who wants to do her engagements in the snow.  Here is a lovely one by Kerry Morgan, which I’m in love with because most bride+snow photos end up with the bride being nothing but a floating head against the white ground.  It won’t surprise you when one of my favorite things is brides wearing color, will it?

Random dance party in the foyer of Claddagh?  Why not!