My First Engagement Session: A Warm and Meaningful Experience
At this point, in the early stages of starting up my photography business, whenever I open my email, I typically expect notifications from TikTok and occasional updates from my website subscriptions. If I receive a website lead, it’s usually from someone trying to sell me their marketing strategy. However, one Sunday in December, and much to my surprise, I came across a real website submission for my photography services. EEEK! I was so stoked. And then I opened it. It was for an engagement session. When I tell you my anxiety immediately skyrocketed, I am not lying. I sat at my desk for a moment, rereading the submission, and then decided that now was not the appropriate time to determine the next course of action.
In the moment of opening that submission, I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. Starting with shock, amazement, and excitement, and ending with an overwhelming sense of insecurity. I figured there would be a time when someone would reach out, interested in engagement photos. I just didn’t think it would be the first one! The following Monday, I reevaluated my situation and decided that this session was very similar to a couples session, just with a ring included, and that there must be a reason this couple is trusting me with this task. So instead of continuing to panic, I began preparing.
That is how I was introduced to the laid-back, genuine, life-loving couple, Maddy and Will. We met up at a local coffee shop in Salt Lake City, mostly to get to know each other and discuss expectations for their engagement photoshoot. I don't know whether most photographers do this, but I loved getting to know my wedding photographer before committing to anything. I genuinely want potential clients to like me and feel confident that I understand their vision before any money changes hands or contracts are signed. We chatted for a little more than an hour, and it was such an easy conversation. Their story was very intriguing, and their backgrounds were vast. I think we talked about their lives for the majority of the time. Which, in all seriousness, is what I had hoped for from this meeting. Yes, I wanted to nail down the details for the photoshoot, but seeing how they interact and feed off each other guided my planning for their session. Almost immediately, I could tell they would rather work with fun prompts that made them laugh and giggle than with stiff, serious poses.
It was decided that the vision for the photoshoot captures their personalities in a nostalgic way, creating warm, home-movie-inspired photos and prompts with an outdoorsy twist. The goal was to achieve a vintage J. Crew theme. They would use these photos as their save-the-dates for the upcoming holiday season. The location needed to be snowy, with a mountainous view and pine trees. After doing some research on my end, I found Tibble Fork Reservoir to be an easy decision. It checked off all the requested details and would allow us to include a mix of photos with a mountain backdrop and some within the pine trees. The reservoir was an added bonus! To achieve the primary theme of the photoshoot, I also did a little digging, and with Maddy's help, we came up with the idea to decorate a Christmas tree. This would allow us to capture some very candid moments that come across as editorial. Of course, we will be capturing other spectacular moments, like a snowball fight and snow angels, but this should be the cherry on top. *Because Maddy and Will would like to use the Christmas-themed photos for their future save-the-dates, I will not be posting the finished images at this time. Follow along to see the results this Holiday Season!
After all the planning on our part, the weather this Utah winter decided not to show up. Our original location was tossed out after waiting a month for the snow to arrive. At the last minute, we swapped it for Spruces Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon, and it turned out to be the perfect spot. There was an intimate clearing where we saw one other person the entire session as he cross-country skied across the opening. Although the sky was overcast, the lighting made for an easy camera setup, and you can’t tell from the photos. While I started out intimidated by my first big photoshoot in a while, I knew that Maddy and Will were nervous, too. So we chatted for a few minutes to settle everyone and then got started with the in-motion prompts to warm up. Before we knew it, we were an hour in and almost done. I think I blacked out most of the session, because thinking back on it is all a blur. Not in a bad way, in a way that puts my mind at ease. where all I am thinking about and focusing on is the moment. I do remember post-holing in the deeper snow and the exact moment I realised the importance of compacted snow for a photoshoot.
After loading up our cars and saying our goodbyes, I called Tyler as I headed down the canyon and back towards home. My adrenaline was still pumping, and I couldn’t have been more excited to get home and upload all of the photos. After hearing horror stories that made photographers hesitant to take photos in the snow, I was very nervous about what I would find. Clicking through the images, I felt a sudden ease; there were great pictures in the mix. Towards the end of the session, the exposure and white balance weren’t perfect, but I was working to beat the cold and the quickly fading light. After culling through 1,200 photos and then again through 300, I narrowed it down to roughly 150 to edit. I know that's a lot for an engagement session, but it’s physically impossible for me to decide between two photos that are both great in my eyes and something I aim to improve upon.
Since learning from experience is the best way to grow, I always wrap up my blog posts with what I learned from the session. The two biggest things that go hand in hand are slowing down and being more confident. Allowing the couple to get comfortable with one prompt would let me focus on different angles and techniques that add more variety to a gallery. Slowing down to properly adjust camera settings as the lighting shifts, and not relying on fixing it in Lightroom, is a major priority of mine. Good angles are cool and all, but not if white balance and noise are impossible to save.
On a positive note, I really like capturing couples. There is such clear energy when two people are in love, and I find it so important to capture the emotion a single person can evoke in another. That way, many years down the road, when looking back on the pictures, you can see the genuine happiness from the love shared. I am also very proud of myself for taking on an engagement session and not shying away because I’m new to this. I will always be new to it if I‘m never uncomfortable. Maybe that will be a famous quote one day.
Sending over the sneak peeks was the most nerve-racking task that I have done in quite some time. Turned out I was nervous for no reason; Maddy and Will loved them. I can’t wait to share the rest of the Christmas collection one day soon. Here is a peek at this warm winter engagement session. I hope you love them as much as we do!
