Engagement Portraits

I’ve grown to love engagements almost as much as senior portraits. I love watching people interact and the pictures often yield the best expressions and unexpected gems. An engagement couple plays off of each other. The couple laughs, they joke, they encourage each other which inspires confidence and comfort in front of the camera. You can’t really ask for more than that in a subject. The shoot becomes fun and something people will remember fondly when they look at the pictures for years to come.

We have a quick video chat to find out where you want to go, what kind of ideas you have and how we can incorporate those ideas into the shoot. Do you have a special location that means something to you? We can go there, provided we have permission. Have a special pose in mind? Share an image with me and we can make it a reality.

There are many outstanding places to shoot your engagement session. Some of the greats are Butler Park/Long Center, The Texas Capitol, the Seaholm Area, Mueller Lake Park, Lady Bird Lake, the UT Austin Campus and a host of others. But the reality is, there are endless opportunities for photographs wherever we are. With a little work, anywhere can become a great location. Sometimes a location that you think might not work might end up being the best place you go.

This question haunts me all the time. Honestly, I have no idea what truly flatters you. I suspect you know what works for you. I suggest items of clothing that express who you are and how you want to look that fit correctly. I suggest accessories that add metaphorical and literal bling. If your personality says that you are comfortable wearing a 20s flapper dress and your fiancé is comfortable wearing a vintage double breasted suit complete with fedora? Bring it. If that isn’t your style, that’s okay. When in doubt, wear what flatters you. Don’t try and wear the trendy item that doesn’t quite fit, as you will be unhappy with the results. Feel good in what you’re wearing, and you’ll look good. Bring multiple outfits and change if there is an opportunity.

It is a collaborative effort. Not every pose is flattering for everyone. It’s also possible that you may have something that just looks perfect for you that I wouldn’t have thought of. I have a list of standard poses that are very successful with everyone, but at the end of the day, I want it to be an engagement portrait that showcases who you are, not who I’ve made you be. A fun idea is to bring props that are connected to you to get started. Once I had a couple bring a plaid blanket to the shoot. They wanted to use it for a picnic shot. At the end of the picnic shots they wrapped it around the two of them creating a pose that was a much better use of the blanket than the picnic they started with. If they hadn’t brought the blanket, we would have never captured that image. Have fun with posing. Relax, explore and create.

A picture is worth a thousand words. But did you know that a few words provided with a picture can make that picture worth a million words. As a press photographer, I always had to write a cut line to describe the photograph and the people in the photograph which gave it far more context and meaning. With that in mind, here are a few words to describe my photographic style. It is visually very punchy. It can have a lot of color. It undoubtedly has a lot of contrast. I like to think that my style can’t be ignored. Coupled with the ability to shape my subjects into photo perfect rock stars, I’m able to create images that are unforgettable. My style is, however, mine and I may not be able to mimic something from another photographer.