How DO you pick a spot for your engagement photos?
So, you’re ready for engagement pics. Maybe you’ve got them already scheduled and the perfect outfits picked out or maybe you haven’t even officially gotten engaged yet. No shame here.
I’m going to give you some tips to pick out the right location. I’ll also link to my favorite outdoor locations in Louisville below, and you can also inquire with me, hire me and pick my brain all you want!
Find somewhere sentimental. I’m blogging Shelby and Dani’s engagement pictures from 2019 in this post & I’ll be using them as a reference a lot! The first location that they picked was Shelby’s mom’s house. We started by drinking coffee on the back porch as the sun rose… even though it was a cloudy sunrise, I love how these turned out. Something sentimental could be where you had your 1st date, or where you grew up or had your first kiss.
Shelby & Dani also set up the cutest, dreamy little Pinterest back drop in the backyard. You could do something crafty like that with your partner and make a day of it!
Pick somewhere you go a lot. I included this because it doesn’t necessarily need to be a very serious spot to be meaningful. It could just be the bar that you go to on the weekends or the coffeeshop you hit up every morning. Or maybe it’s the farmer’s market or park that you walk after work with your dogs. Romanticize the little things!
Don’t be afraid to explore and go somewhere new for the shoot, either! You should be able to pick a few places to go to for your engagement shoot — why not pick one place that’s familiar and one that’s new to try out? For Shelby and Dani’s shoot, we drove around just looking for pretty fall spots to take pics. We found some goats too (see below haha!) Remember: Don’t be afraid to explore!
What’s more your vibe, indoors or nature? Or a bit of both? If you want some really beautiful outdoor photos and want to adventure, maybe you head out to Red River Gorge. If you want a downtown look for your photos but still want some nature, then find a city park like Cherokee Park to go to after you go downtown. There’s endless options!
Decide if you want to take photos at your home - this doesn’t work logistically for every couple, but many couples already live together before their wedding. Even if your apartment feels too tiny or maybe you just bought your first home and it’s not renovated the way you want it to, it can still be so special to have this stage of life captured and you’ll be able to look back at the photos and remember your first place together. This can also work if you want to take photos at a family home or backyard!
Bonus - if you have dogs, taking photos in your backyard or front yard is really the best way to include them - or inside with kitties!
I find that picking two-three location options works really well for engagement sessions - talk to your photographer (or me if I’m yours!:)) if you feel stuck on ideas. I can help make a personal location list that feels right for you and your partner.
Below are the rest of the photos of Shelby & Dani (they’re adorable and so are the goats!!) and also a link to another post with my favorite outdoor locations for photos.
