How to plan your engagement session with your photographer

Book the session with your wedding photographer

A lot of couples want to do their engagement session with the same photographer who will shoot their wedding, and we recommend it. It is a great opportunity to get to know your photographer: their style, how they approach weddings, and how they interact with people in general.

Typically we photograph the engagement session in the same city as your wedding. The majority of public locations are open for photographs, but some require an additional permit, and a few of those permits are truly quite expensive. The permit has to be in place before we book the date.

Once the date is booked, we go over the timing of the day. We recommend the hours before sunset as the best time to photograph, and since a session is going to be 2 to 3 hours, we basically subtract that from your sunset time. For a longer session, we typically prefer a full day of shooting across multiple locations.

We use about 1 hour to about 1 and a half hours per location, though some only need about 30 to 45 minutes. We usually do not charge for traveling, and the travel time between two locations is already included in the package. For somewhere more distant, say Palm Springs or one of the national parks, we do have to charge additional travel fees.

Choosing locations and checking permits

Start with places that mean something to you, then check what they require. A trail, a beach, a city street, and a garden all photograph well, with different rules about cameras. Public does not always mean free, and fees vary widely.

Two or three locations is plenty for a 2 to 3 hour session. Because each one takes about 1 to 1 and a half hours, the count sets itself. Tell us which locations you have in mind and we will map the session around them.

Timing the session around sunset

Late light is softer, warmer, and comes from a low angle, which is why photographers steer you toward the hours before sunset. Counting back 2 to 3 hours gives you a session that starts in full daylight and ends in the best light of the day.

If you want more than that, a full day across multiple locations works better than stretching one session. Whatever you choose, keep the two locations close together; a long drive between them eats the time you wanted for photographs at the second one.