How to Capture FUN Engagement Photos

How to capture fun engagement photos is one of the questions I’m most frequently asked by clients.

Using complex algorithms, technologist William Tunstall-Pedoe recently determined that Sunday, April 30, 1954 was the most boring, uneventful, and obscure day in history. No bride-to-be wants her engagement photos to compete with April 30, 1954 on the boredom scale.

We’ve all seen engagement photos (and maybe even taken them) that look staged, sterile, and, to be honest, sort of boring. Beaufort Photography Co. is a firm believer that what should be one of the happiest occasions in a couple’s life needs to be photographed as such.

Every photo session has its own feel. While wedding photography can be rather scripted in order to capture all of the necessary shots, engagement photos tend to be looser, freer flowing, and more casual.

Over the years, I’ve discovered three things that help in capturing FUN engagement photos:

F = Flow

Rather than constantly trying to “pose” a couple, “flow” a couple. In other words, encourage them to move, to be physical, to be active, to flow. Help them tell their story with the photo session that moves them from point A to point B to point C. Not only does this help everyone loosen up and feel more comfortable, it feels more natural than standing still and simply posing.

U = U (you)

There is only one YOU! Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Boredom is the root of all evil – the despairing refusal to be oneself.”One of our core values at Beaufort Photography Co. is YOU matter. We believe we can capture the best engagement photos when we encourage couples to be themselves.

While occasionally I get to photograph a couple that is extremely comfortable in front of the camera, most tend to be slightly reserved (at least at the beginning). This is one of the reasons I encourage couples to bring along a prop or two that is “them” – bikes, boards, clothing, musical instruments, favorite toys, keepsakes, a vintage car, etc. The list is endless and confined only by who you are and what you enjoy.

N = Nothing is off limits

I’ve found that I’m able to capture the best engagement photos when nothing is off limits. In order to get the perfect shot I’ve rerouted traffic, climbed trees, stood in the ocean, ridden amusement park rides, braved a monsoon, sneaked, jumped, hung, swung, and just about everything else. I love helping a timid couple think outside the box.

Photographing a couple in a special location also helps. I recall one engagement session that started out rather reserved. While attempting to put the couple at ease, I asked how they had met. Come to find out, they met at a Sonic Drive-In where the girl had been a carhop. So we headed there to finish what would become a super fun engagement session.

I hope you’ll take a moment and share your tips at the bottom of this page on how you’ve captured FUN engagement photos, regardless of which side of the lens you were on.