Engagement photo shoot is an opportunity to be creative and really allow your personalities to shine through. Once you’re finally engaged, a flood of things start to happen. You begin researching venues, choose the colour palette, pick your wedding party, etc. A lot of things go on during your engagement and it can be a bit overwhelming. The good news is that you get to take engagement photos! This is a chance for you and your significant other to announce your nuptials to the world and have a series of photos that capture this special time.
It is important to look and feel comfortable in your photos. If you want to take amazing engagement photos, you must plan ahead. What you wear in the photos is paramount because you, the couple, are the main focus. There are a few points to consider when choosing outfits to wear for your engagement shoot.
While being photographed like a movie star, you should feel like one too! You should dress how you normally do for your engagement photo shoot, just a little amplified. If you are a jeans kind of girl, that style is along the lines of what you should be aiming for. You could possibly hold the shoot in a park or somewhere outdoor, Calton Hill or Edinburgh Botanic Gardens are good locations. The goal is for the photos to represent you as a couple. Perhaps you are an artsy couple; you might opt for a photoshoot held in an art gallery or theater. Edinburgh boasts several galleries that are sure to deliver amazing backdrops for your photos.
Save the white and black for the wedding and add some colour to your photos! Wear clothes that “pop” and catch peoples’ attention. Deep reds, oranges, and browns look great during Scotland’s Fall season. In Summer, magenta, blues, and greens will really pop in an outdoor setting. During Winter, anything goes! With a wintery snow outdoor backdrop, a nice contrast of red or pink would look wonderful. Scotland has a plethora of naturally amazing backdrops to choose from. The key of a successful shoot is to know your scenery and choose colours accordingly. You could even coordinate your photoshoot colours with the colour palette of your wedding. It gives your guests a little hint as to what colours to expect to see at your wedding.
Layering your clothes is also a great idea. It creates depth in pictures and let’s face it, it might be cold out that day. Layering allows you to wear different colours and coordinate your outfit with your significant other. However, you don’t want to perfectly match your loved one. That might come across as silly in your photos and not give the impression you were hoping for. You can save the matching for when you have children! It is a good idea however, to compliment each other with colour. If your partner is wearing a cream colour sweater for instance, you might want to opt for something red or brown. Watch out for colour associations such as wearing red and green, which might be considered Christmas colours. Have fun with it, these photos are a practice run before the big day!
One thing to remember when choosing clothing for your engagement photo shoot is to avoid patterns, logos, and large writing. This can be very distracting in photos and take away from your vision. If you saw another couple’s photo and the groom-to-be was wearing a shirt that read NIKE across the front in large lettering, you would certainly notice it. It is just not what you want your audience focusing on.
It is important to remember to check the weather before your outdoor photoshoot. Especially the weather in Scotland. It can rain up to 250 days per year in Scotland! That would be 2 days a week that it does not rain. You must account not only for rain, but overcast, sun, wind, etc. All these things are conditions that affect your photos. Your photographer should be well aware of these variables and adapt accordingly. Sometimes there is just nothing you can do but to embrace the bad weather and go for some kissing-in-the-rain type shots. These can actually be some of the most beautifully captured moments.
Props and accessories can add some glamour to your engagement photo shoot. There are a ton of engagement photos floating around online with couples posing with cute props announcing the date of their wedding. A cute idea involves writing your wedding date on a stone and the couple holds it up for the camera to focus on. The main focus is the stone with the couple out of focus in the background. These kinds of ideas can really personalize your photos. Other accessories such as hats, sunglasses, or even a pet can work as well!
Read more in our Bridal Guide.