Engagement photos at Mickey's Coffeeshop & Bookstore New Albany, IN
What fun this morning was! Ethan, Lauren and I discussed how we wanted their engagement photoshoot to feel. I knew I wanted to do a mix of medium format film & polaroid film for their session. You can see scans of those scattered in the blog post. They ended up choosing Mickey’s Coffeeshop and Bookstore as their first location. Mickey’s located in New Albany, Indiana - if you haven’t been you definitely should. It’s a spot that Lauren and Ethan go often, plus it’s adorable, so it was a great spot to start taking photos. I got there a few minutes earlier and sipped on a cortado which was delish (basically a latte with less milk).
Afterwards we went to their home which they’ve recently moved into. They’re currently in the midst of remodeling the old historic home. We took photos in their dining room. They had been working hard to renovate before the photoshoot. It was so fun to take photos in spots they’ve put in hard work, but also fun to take photos in the spots that have yet to be redone. Their home has so much character! I’m glad they have these photos to look back on and remember how their home looked at the start.
Something I can’t stress enough: take photos at a place that already feels special and homey. When I took my own engagement photos, I just picked a pretty park that came to mind (thankfully that park has become dear to me). But at the time it didn't hold sentimental value yet.
There's nothing wrong with picking a random pretty location. But it’s nice to put some intention behind the location and vibe of your engagement session. Picking places that feel familiar to you can help you to relax & feel at ease in the environment. Photos can often feel out of one’s comfort zone already! Why add to the stress?
Most of all, picking familiar places makes your photos more meaningful and unique to you. In this case it was Mickey’s Coffeeshop and their home, but for you it might look a little different. When you share your photos with your friends and family now, they’ll think, “yes, that’s so them!” 30 years from now, it’s going to be oh-so nostalgic to have photos taken in your first home together or the coffeeshop you love.
You can also fold in activities that you would do (or try something new together!). That helps the photos feel more candid & relaxed, too. For this photoshoot, Ethan and Lauren made some cookies. Which made for some cute baking photos. I can’t complain because they sent me home with cookies. :)
We looked through old photo albums of theirs, played with their cats, played chess, gave me a tour of their place and poked around in the front yard. I truly hope the photos walk you through our morning together - it was lovely and I’m glad it’s forever documented in photographs now.
