New Jersey Engagement Sessions - Your Ultimate Guide.

  Engagement sessions are THE PERFECT way for my couples to celebrate their love and encapsulate such a special time in the life they are building together.  With every happy, lovey, silly, and tender moment documented for you to look back on year after year, decade after decade; forever you’ll be instantly transported back in time to this most special time in your lives.

  Ok, let’s talk about setting you up for success to ensure you have a blast while making memories that will make your hearts swell every time you see them. 

What to Expect

 I always tell my couples that our engagement session is the best 2-hour date they’ve ever had, and they’ll have the photos to prove it. I mean, come on; how much better does it get than spending a couple of hours loving, laughing, and playing together? The added bonus is that it also provides a chance for us to get to know one another and to show you just how easy it is to be comfortable in front of my lens. 

  Everyone says they’re uncomfortable in front of a camera; myself included. Have no fear, all you need to do is show up and have a great time and I’ll take care of the rest. I can’t say I’ve ever photographed an engagement session with professional models, and I don’t expect you to think you need to be.  I CAN say that I have some tricks up my sleeve to ease you into the experience, let down your guard, and encourage you to be YOU. 

  Now, on your epic wedding day, you’ll be more relaxed knowing what to expect because we’ve already had that fun jam session.

Locations

  I’ll work with you to choose a location that reflects your personalities and suits your vision. I can recommend (and will a little further down) locations that would yield fantastic forever photos. Yet I always ask my couples to tell me if they have any special, significant locations in mind. Was your first date at a little cupcake shop? A quaint downtown? Eating pizza and playing skeeball down the Jersey shore? What I’m getting at is that if there are locations that are personally meaningful to you, you’ll ‘feel’ your photos that much more. 

 What to Wear

  One part of what will make your photos POP is choosing the right outfits. Your clothing should reflect your style and personality, while also suiting the energy of the experience to come. For instance, I wouldn’t recommend baseball uniforms for an engagement session at the opera, haha!

  Here are some tips for choosing what to wear:

1. Choose something both comfortable and flattering. You don't want to be tugging at your clothes or adjusting your outfit throughout the shoot. I want you to feel beautiful, handsome, confident, relaxed AND excited. Again, prepare for the best date you’ve ever had and channel that energy when carefully combing through your closet. 

2. Coordinate your outfits: While you don't need to match exactly, it's a good idea to choose outfits that complement each other. You could coordinate colors or styles to create a cohesive look.
   The easiest way to see if your outfits work well together is to lay everything you’re both wearing out on your bed. If everything is able to be mixed and matched, you’re good to go! If the color of your blouse or dress looks good with his pants or polo, you’ve got a winning combo!

3. Dress for the location: If you're having your photos taken in a park or on the beach, you might want to go casual. There aren’t many ideas I’d say no to. I’ve had engagement sessions that end up literally in the water. If you’re the adventurous type, I say embrace it and find that outfit that will let you be you. Or, at least bring a backup or second outfit just in case.   

4. If you're having your photos taken in a more formal setting, like a museum or historic location, you might want to dress up a bit more.

5. All in all, forget there are photos involved, and dress appropriately for the date you’re going on.
   

   
   Check out Rebecca & Michael’s coordinating combo of earth tones and lavender. #NAILEDIT

How to Have Fun

  Engagement sessions are meant to be fun and relaxed, so here are some tips to help you enjoy your photo shoot:

1. Be yourself: Please don’t feel like you have to ‘perform’ for me. At the same time, don’t be shy. Do you have goofy faces you like to make at each other? Bring them. Do you have tickle wars? Have them. Do you sing to each other? Croon it out for me! These are the candid goodies that let me capture who you truly are. You already have all of the ingredients I need to make our time together a win, and I know how to find those ingredients inside you, bring them out, and whip up the most delicious visual memories you could imagine. The more you’re YOU in your photos, the more you’ll FEEL your photos every time you see them.

2. Set your love on full steam ahead and let me take care of the rest. I’m here to guide you and make you look your best. Trust me, we are going to have FUN!

3. Be open to new ideas: Let me be your tour guide. I know you’ve already seen photos of mine and you’ve probably said to yourself, “Wow, I never would have thought of that!”  By now you’ve seen my work and you know that I’ve always got something unique waiting for you. Not only do I have poses galore for you, but I also have ways of ‘seeing’ and interpreting environments in ways that will take our session to the next level.
   I can promise you you’ll end up with photos ranging from classically tender and playful, to one-of-a-kind artistic imagery.
   
   
   
   

Stumped on where you’d like to celebrate your engagement?

Some of my couples’ favorite places to play are:
The Botanical Gardens at Ringwood State Park

Asbury Park

Hoboken

Cross Estate Gardens

Natirar Park

Point Pleasant Boardwalk

Jersey City

  To sum it up, engagement sessions are a great way to capture the love and connection you share. It’s my duty to make sure you'll enjoy the heck out of our time together while capturing once-in-a-lifetime snapshots that you'll cherish for years to come.