Planning for a photography session at home
Choosing a location to take your engagement photos can sometimes be a difficult decision. Your photos are all about you, your partner and your love, so you want to be relaxed, comfortable and happy. If home is your happy place, consider having all or part of your engagement photography done in the comfort of your own home. To ensure you take your best engagement photos, check out these tips.
Clean up
It may sound obvious, but make sure to tidy up before your photographer arrives. You want the focus of your photos to be you, not the pile of laundry or used glass in the background. Take a few photos with your cellphone the night before to get a feel for how much of your surroundings will be visible in your photos, and if there is any straightening up you didn’t realize you missed.
Be comfortable
Don’t run out and buy all new decor for your photo shoot. You chose your home because it is your welcoming,safe space. You’ve created it, so embrace your design. Your photos should be a representation of your life together. Don’t break out fancy china for your photos if you only use them once a year. Incorporate your daily life into your photos, fancy or not.
Plan your outfit
Know what you are going to wear and be dressed and ready when your photographer arrives. If you are planning on a wardrobe change, have the outfit set aside in your closet or a room where you will not be photographing. The more of your photographer’s time you spend getting ready, the less time you get for pictures.
Make a plan for your pet
If your home is filled with one or more animals, figure out how they are going to play a role in your photos. Will they be in all of them, some of them or none? For the ones they aren’t in, where can you keep them so that they are not a distraction?
Cook ahead of time
Are you featuring food in your shoot? From breakfast in bed to cooking dinner in the kitchen, many couples choose to incorporate a meal into their engagement session at home. Depending on how much time your photographer has committed and what photos you are planning, you may need to bake ahead of time so that your final product can be featured. Treat your engagement session like a television cooking segment and make your meal ahead of time, and take photos of you cooking up a second one during your shoot so you have time to fit in photos of you whipping up your dish, and the outcome.
