Here you will find everything you need to know from picking the perfect location to how the session is going to play out! Please read this all through when you first receive it and a day or two before your shoot! The more prepared you are, the better this session is going to be! And prepare to have a lot of fun, and to make fun of my singing and dance moves. I promise I will probably bust a move at least once!
These sessions are my absolute favourite because I love all the one-on-one time I get with you! There is no pressure because if something happens, we can just do it again! Trust me when I say, unless you’re a model, no one is really comfortable in front of the camera. Being comfortable in front of the camera takes a lot of practice, but here’s the thing, I got you. The goal of your couples session is to capture your relationship, how you move together and interact with each other. I will be the one that will make our session as fun as possible to ease your nerves and capture you for who you really are.
Picking a location
Are there any special locations that mean something to the both of you? The location where you had your first date? Where he proposed? Going somewhere familiar that is wrapped up in some the best feelings and memories adds to your images. Make the locations you choose tell me who both of you are as a couple as well.
Love hiking? Let’s go to a park with some beautiful scenery with trees. Love to go fishing together? Let’s head to the lake and capture some fun images of you fishing and playing in the water! The possibilities are endless. The Twin Cities allows for so many different types of location choices.
If you are still stuck and have no idea what you want then that’s where I come in. As long as you know what kind of vibe you want for your session, I can help you find a place that is perfect for both of you! You are definitely not alone!
How to prepare
So at this point we’ve nailed down the location and date and now we prepare for the session!!
What to wear
I want you and your partner to be comfortable during your shoot. So if you choose outfits that neither one of you are comfortable in what you’re wearing, it will look like you’re uncomfortable in your photos. Start with picking items from your own closet that speaks your style.
So what do you wear then?
COLOR: Think, complimentary colors. Instead of going all matchy-matchy, find a color story that has multiple shades that all compliment one another, and in turn, it will add depth to your photos. Black is a super forgiving color right? But, it also lacks any depth and any texture. Also, Neons and super bright colors– like greens and or hot pink– are some shades to avoid. Bright colors create color casts, which makes your skin a different color and is really hard to correct in post-processing and can leave your photos look off because of the color casts.
I’ve found that jewel and earth tones are ones that photograph the best, 100% of the time. That’s burgundy, olive, plum, navy, cream, brown, gray. Also, lighter colors like pastel photograph great! (Check out the image below for inspo for color palettes)
Also keep in mind the location of your session. If your session is in a park with a lot of green and brown, probably best not to choose colors that will blend in with your background, choose ones that will make you pop out from your scenery.
Patterns & Textures
Patterns and textures also help add more depth to your photos. The main thing with patterns is that you don’t want to over do it and that it’s not fighting with what your partner is wearing. If one of you is wearing a pattern, best to put your partner in a solid to break it up.
Don’t forget to accessorize!!
If you’re still stuck check out my Pinterest page for more inspiration!
PHEW!!
We’re almost done, I promise.
Be prepared
Location and date set ✔️
What we’re wearing ✔️
Ok, now what…
Here are some things you can do to prepare so that our session goes smoothly and that we can all have a great time and get some fabulous pictures of you and your guy/gal.
- Sessions usually last about 90 minutes. Eat a good meal before your photos and bring snacks and water too!
- Make sure everything is all ready the day before so you aren’t running around trying to gather your clothes. You don’t want to be flustered before your shoot!
- Need to get a haircut and color before the session? Get that taken care of at least 2 -3weeks in advance, a week for the guys.
- Be sure to empty your pockets and remove hair ties from your wrists.
- If it’s bug season, bring bug spray.
- Avoid too much tanning and spending a lot of time outside the week of your session. Tan lines and sunburns add additional post-processing time. If you get a sunburn immediately before your session, let’s reschedule
- Ladies, bring extra lipstick or lip gloss for touch ups.
- If you’re going to incorporate a pet into your session, its best to do those at the beginning so that you can easily incorporate a pet handler to take the pet with them soon after they have been photographed. Also, bring treats or their favorite toy to get their attention.
- If you want to incorporate an activity (like eating pizza or tacos – PLEASE DO BY THE WAY), let me know and I can add that into our flow of the shoot.
- Ladies, if you’re planning to wear heels or wedges or any footwear that could be problematic to walk/hike in, pack a pair of sneakers that you can change into between spots.
- Get your ring(s) cleaned. We want them to shine in those up close photos of your bling!
- Speaking of up close pictures of your hand, don’t underestimate a good manicure. This goes for you menfolk!
LAST BIT
To keep the pressure low, trying thinking this session is just a date with you and your partner as one big date! And I’ll just be the weird third wheel documenting it all. I do my best to capture all the love and connection that is between you and your partner, so that you don’t look “posed”. I won’t be telling you exactly what to do, but more or less guiding you into “poses”, this allows you to be yourselves. If all else don’t stop moving. More movement means more variety! I also want you to get really handsy with each other. Just always be moving your hands all over each other or even playing with each other’s hair. Kissing is always encouraged, feel free to take any liberties with any direction that I give you when it comes to embracing, kissing, laughing, joking, and being silly. And flirty. So much flirty-ness. Be sappy and romantic. Be you! I will be bringing music to the shoot to help loosen everyone up. I have a playlist that I use but I will ask you if you have any specific type of music you’d like!
After your session
Don’t forget to plan a dinner or drinks date! You’re already going to be dressed up, so why not take advantage of it. And I promise I won’t try to tag along. HAHA! You rocked your session and you both deserve to celebrate!
It will take me 3-4 weeks to go through your images, edit and upload them to your private gallery. I generally post a sneak peek of your session within a couple of days of your session. In the meantime, check out and follow my Facebook page or Instagram for that.