Searching for ways to make sure your engagement photos don’t look like everybody else’s? I gotchu covered – we’re not about cheesy Pinterest ideas over here. We’re about unique engagement sessions that make your photos scream “you,” not the stock photos you see in picture frames at Target.
So here are 5 fun ideas I’ve got to make sure your photos are unique, & to help you get started brainstorming more!
If you love to camp: go camping
If you’re anything like a lot of my couples are & you absolutely love the outdoors, take this as an opportunity to have a lil’ camping trip.
One of my favorite things to suggest to my couples is that they make a getaway out of their engagement session, whether it’s for a few hours, a night, or a couple of days.
Your engagement session is a time for you two to spend together, away from regular life and the craziness of the world. It’s a time where you can solely focus on each other & be present with one another – so why not extend that into a trip if you can?
If you two love to camp together, make a camping trip out of your session and spend a night under the stars!
We can photograph you:
- Setting up your tent
- Making s’mores over a campfire
- Hiking to your campsite
- Popping popcorn over the fire
- Looking up at the stars
- Drinking your favorite drinks in the forest
- Snuggled up in your sleeping bags
The possibilities for cute camping photos are endless!
If you’re music lovers: bring a guitar
Are you into music? Maybe you play the guitar, ukelele, or another instrument that’s easy to carry around. Why not bring it to your engagement session? I’m always down to watch a cute serenade or love song, and I bet your partner is too 😉
This idea can go for really any prop that matches your interests, too. Maybe you love to have picnics together – bring a picnic basket and eat your fave finger foods. Or maybe you’d rather read a book together than play music – bring your favorite reads and lay on the grass for a while while you turn the pages.
There is so much you can do with props that are related to your hobbies or things you like to do together!
If you’re obsessed with your four-legged friend(s): bring them along
This should be an obvious one for anybody who is equally obsessed with their dog(s) as they are their partner: bring them along to your engagement session!
If you do this, keep in mind that you’ll have to take care of the dog and have something to do with it when you want photos of just you two. I usually suggest bringing along a friend or family member who can take care of the dog while you’re getting photos, and who can pick up after the dog (especially if we’re hiking/on a trail somewhere). This makes it so you don’t have to stress about watching the dog while you soak in your engagement session!
If you’re into cars: use a vintage car
If you’re a super cool person who’s into vintage cars, collector cars, or just cars in general, bring one along! Whether you have a car you love and that looks super cool in photos, or you’d love to have some sort of vintage car to lean up against for your photos, we can make it happen.
If you don’t have a vintage car but want to use one as a prop, I’d suggest posting on your social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to see if anybody you know has one. Or ask around your family/friends to see if they have a car you can borrow!
Cars can be awesome props that we can use in a variety of ways. So if they’re meaningful to you, let’s bring your vision to life!
If you like playing games together: start a friendly competition
If you and your boo love to get competitive with each other and play games in your free time, let’s incorporate your faves into your photos!
This could be:
- Ping-pong table (if we’re shooting at a location where we can set it up)
- Deck of cards (you can even get customized cards – like National Park cards or ones of your fave location. Or even your shoot location/future elopement location)
- Card game
- Board game
- Pool table you have at your house (if we’re shooting at your house)
This will make it so you have real-life memories engrained in your engagement photos – not just awkward poses that don’t mean anything to you. And hey – I won’t ever have you do those awkward poses because that’s not what you’re hiring me for 😉 But let’s make sure your photos are completely personalized to you & what you might do on a real date night!
A bonus idea for food-lovers: eat your favorite foods
And a quick bonus idea: if you have a favorite food, comfort food, food you love to eat/make together, bring it along!
You could have a sushi date at home if that’s your thing.
Maybe you bring your favorite movie snacks (Twizzlers, popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, etc.) and set up a little outdoor movie.
Or have a picnic & charcuterie board of your favorite cheeses, crackers, meats, & fruits.
If you’d rather go to a specific place that you love eating out at, let’s hit that up! We can visit your favorite creamery to get your favorite ice cream cone or go through the drive-thru of In N’ Out for the animal fries that you ate on your first date.
This is another one where the possibilities are truly endless and can make your session SO much fun and customized to you.
Real engagement session inspiration
Check out a few of my recent engagement sessions + resources below for real-life inspiration & helpful info!
