A dog waits patiently at the door while the bride gets ready for her wedding day in New England.
Self-expression is a huge part of any New England engagement session. If you spend the rest of your life marching to the beat of your own drum, why would you suddenly go generic in the lead-up to your wedding day? Your session should feel like the two of you!
To that end, many couples like to bring pets, props, or favorite hobbies into their Massachusetts engagement photos. It’s a great way to honor the life you’ve built together and show off the quirks that make you you. But bringing personal elements into a session does take a little planning so that the session runs smoothly.
Pets:
I love dogs and other pets. They can bring a real warmth and life to your engagement session but there are often complications.
Pets don’t care about your timeline and are going to get distracted by grass, people around you, or ghosts. They might only tolerate being in the photoshoot for a short window of time before they’re spent. While toys and treats can help out a lot, the best thing to do is bring a handler. That way once your pet has had their moment they can be whisked away to adventure while we move on to just the two of you.
Props:
Whether you’re thinking of balloon numbers with your wedding date or popping bottles, props can add a fun dimension to your engagement session. It’s a way to bring in more personality and make your pictures your own.
Just as with pets you should think about how you’re going to manage your props as you’re going through the session. Are the props something you’re going to have to carry with you? Is there going to be somewhere to put them when they’re not in use? Often these aren’t difficult questions but if you’re planning to bring something cumbersome, fragile, or valuable, it’s worth putting in some extra thought.
Hobbies:
As we talked about in my post on posing, a shared activity can help you really be more in the moment as a couple and feel a lot more natural since your focus is off the camera and on what you’re doing. Hobbies can be a great way to show your personality and interests as part of the engagement session whether you’re geeking out in a board game café or using them as a springboard for other elements in your session (love painting? Let’s go the museum).
Talk to your photographer and create a great plan to bring in the hobbies you share and figure out how to work them in smoothly.
What part of your life together are you bringing to your engagement session? Let’s build something fun that feels just like you.
Ryan Richardson is a wedding and engagement photographer serving Boston and beyond; including Cape Cod Weddings, New England Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings and Rhode Island Weddings
Summary:
Boston engagement sessions can often feel similar, in this article photographer Ryan Richardson breaks down three ways you can break out of the box: pets, props, and hobbies. These can all add a more unique personal dimension to your shoot but using them well can sometimes take additional consideration.
Q&A:
Q. Can I bring my dog to a Boston engagement session?
A. Your pet can be a great addition to your engagement session, but it can take a little bit of planning and thought to ensure that things go according to plan. One of the best things to do is to have someone your pet is familiar with to act as a handler so you can get some great pictures with them and then let your pet relax and explore.
Q. What props are good for an engagement session?
A. When it comes to picking props it’s all about creativity and imagination (and planning). Many couples like to bring a sign or banner with their wedding date for Save-the-Date cards for their Massachusetts engagement photos. Some couples keep it simple with just a bottle of wine to toast to their upcoming nuptials.
Q. How do we personalize our engagement session?
A. Engagement sessions can be wonderfully simple, just the two of you cozying up to one another in a cute location for some photos – it’s a little bit modeling boot camp, and part ice-breaker with your photographer! But some people like to be a little extra or over the top and celebrate the whole tapestry of their lives: maybe it’s by bringing your pets, including props, or theming the session around a hobby that you share.