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The Five Best Engagement Session Ideas

mary — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:43:46 +0000

I’ve come a long way in my thinking about engagement sessions. Starting out, I assumed most engagement sessions were a nice photo session in a pretty setting–a park, a cute neighborhood, that sort of thing. After all, that’s what I had done for my engagement session.

And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that sort of session–you can get some really cute and creative photos of the two of you. But I’ve come to believe that your engagement session can be even more meaningful than some nice photos in a park. It can be a window into your relationship as it is, right now, and a reflection of this unique time in your life. Everything changes so quickly, and we can easily forget what life was like before we were married…before we had kids, etc.

So with that in mind, I’ve been encouraging my couples to get creative with their engagement sessions–thinking of it more as a fun date than just a photography shoot. The possibilities are endless, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know my couples even better through their personalized sessions. Here are five of the best engagement session ideas I’ve photographed in the past year or so. I hope they inspire you in planning your session.

1. Stay home. Seriously, home is where we’re relaxed, where we have everyday conversations. Where we laugh and cry and do mundane things like make breakfast and dinner. One of my favorite places to photograph engagement sessions is in my clients’ homes. Take a look at Lauren and Ian’s Brooklyn home engagement session and Jenn and Ryan’s breakfast-making engagement session.

2. Plan an afternoon or evening date. What do you enjoy doing for dates? Do you visit a favorite restaurant, peruse a local museum, grab a yummy cupcake at a local shop? If you’re going somewhere and doing something you enjoy, your photos are bound to reflect that. Check out Ashley and Matt’s fun visit to an art museum, Erin and Joe’s stop at a favorite restaurant and cupcake shop, and Katie and Brent’s afternoon date where they hit up their favorite locales in Philly.

3. Explore the great outdoors. Maybe you and your fiance have a favorite outside activity. Go explore it together for your session. Check out Katie and Brian’s downhill skiing adventure, Emilie and Max’s pumpkin patch fun, and Kelly and DJ’s amusement park date.

4. Share your passion. Perhaps you met your fiance through a shared interest or passion. See how Caroline and Darius keep a friendly hockey rivalry alive, and see how the theater brought Lindsey and Kyle together.

5. Walk the dog. Many of my couples have dogs, and guess what–when you have a dog, you take them for a walk. Plus, dogs just make everything cuter! Take a look at all these lovely pooches: Natalie and Steve’s handsome boxer, Katie and Allan’s adorable puppy, Abby and Matthew’s sweet basset, Katie and Max’s faithful mutt (I love mutts!), and Elizabeth and Matt’s playful labradoodle.

As you can see, the possibilities for your engagement session are practically endless. So get creative–and be sure to ask me for more tips if you get stuck planning your session.

Highlights of 2011 | Portraits

mary — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:17:34 +0000

Time flies when you’re having fun, as my mother would say. Well, if that’s the case, this year was a lot of fun because it seemed to fly by at an incredible pace. But before I say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012, I wanted to share a few highlights from the year. First up are some favorite portraits.

Looking back, I honestly did have a lot of fun shooting so many creative and meaningful engagement and family sessions–several of which involved snow and ice and two trips to the Big Apple. I hope you enjoy looking back on these as much as I do. Here they are, in no particular order.

DC Engagement Photography | Erin and Joe

mary — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:01:57 +0000

It’s only fitting on a very rainy day like today that I post some more of Erin and Joe’s engagement photos. You see, Erin had carefully planned their session for months–picture beautiful fall leaves, nice weather, etc. But when the day arrived, so did the rain, sleet, and yes, finally snow. And this was October!

But since great engagement photos can be made on any day and in most any weather (I’m thinking a hurricane or tornado might ruin things), we had a fun time exploring some favorite locales of Erin and Joe around DC. Of course, warming up with a glass of wine and ending the session with a tasty cupcake in Georgetown might have helped.

Thanks so much for the great session, guys. I’m so looking forward to your wedding next May!

Georgetown Engagement Photography | Dawn and Adrian

mary — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:07:37 +0000

Before the weather turned nasty and we lost all the fall leaves, I met up with Dawn and Adrian in one of their favorite DC neighborhoods–Georgetown–for their engagement photos. While Dawn and Adrian are from Pittsburgh and having their wedding there next summer, they are currently living and working here in DC. So, it only made sense to photograph their engagement photos here where they’ve spent so much time together.

I loved exploring Georgetown with them, and despite all the crazy traffic and hustle and bustle we even managed to find some quiet streets along the canal. Thanks for the fun session, guys! Wishing you the best on your wedding next year!

Rainy, Sleeting, Snowy Engagement Photos | Erin and Joe

mary — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:38:34 +0000

I think we were all caught off guard last weekend when winter decided to pay us a little visit. But when life gives you cold and rainy turn-to-sleet-then-snow-weather, you make great photos in it anyway! At least, that’s what we did for Erin and Joe’s engagement session around DC’s Georgetown neighborhood.

I wanted to share a quick sneak peek of a couple photos as a little consolation to Erin and Joe for braving the elements with me. I had so much fun with these two, and I can’t wait to share more later.

Astoria New York Engagement Photography | Katie and Allan

mary — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:24:36 +0000

Last week I drove up to New York City to photograph Katie and Allan’s engagement session around their home in Astoria. I honestly think that photos taken around your home and neighborhood can be some of the most meaningful, and I encourage all my couples and families to think about that when planning their sessions. While Katie and Allan live in Astoria, they’ll be having their wedding next summer in Katie’s hometown of Pittsburgh at the Mattress Factory Museum. I’m so looking forward to catching up with them again.

Here are a few favorites from their engagement session. Of course, I knew we’d have a great time when I was greeted by this adorable doggy face.

Art Museum Engagement Photos | Lara and Henry

mary — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:02:43 +0000

On a hot day last week, I joined Lara and Henry for their engagement session at some of their favorite Pittsburgh places. Our first stop was the (air-conditioned) and beautiful Carnegie Museum of Natural History. This is one of Henry’s favorite places to visit, and I thought it was a perfect place to start their engagement photos. Following the coolness of the museum, we braved the heat for some outdoor photos around Phipps Conservatory, later stopping at the church where Lara and Henry first met. (They both had a mutual friend who lived at the church at the time). Finally, we finished the warm afternoon at a classic Pittsburgh landmark: Mt. Washington.

Thanks guys for braving the heat with me, and I’m so looking forward to your wedding this October (where it should be much cooler!).

Pittsburgh Engagement Photos | Lauren and Matt

mary — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:42:47 +0000

After weeks of rain, rain, and more rain, we finally got a nice evening for Lauren and Matt’s engagement session. We started out in Highland Park, a place close to them both, and later headed to Oakland where Lauren and Matt enjoyed some yummy ice cream and meandered around Oakland’s nice parks. I must admit, if I didn’t have a camera in my hand, I would have partaken of some of that ice cream, too. For you ice cream aficionados, the place was Dave and Andy’s Homemade Ice Cream, which is located here in Oakland. But be warned, once you walk in, you won’t want to walk out with a heaping ice cream cone.

Thanks Lauren and Matt for a fun session! I’m looking forward to your wedding this October!

Philadelphia Engagement Photos | Katie and Brent

mary — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:57:25 +0000

I must admit, my first impressions of Philadelphia weren’t the greatest when I visited several years ago, but my recent engagement session with Katie and Brent has changed all that. Katie and Brent, who met at Penn State (and where they’ll be getting married this summer), love Philadelphia, and their enthusiasm for the city definitely rubbed off on me as we adventured around its streets last Saturday.

It was definitely a whirlwind tour, visiting some of Katie and Brent’s most favorite places–a neat garden restaurant and bar, a sweet view of the city, a microbrewery where Katie and Brent celebrated their engagement, a cool indoor market, and another yummy restaurant. I must say I would definitely be up for visiting Philly again sometime.

Besides all the neat places we visited, it was also fun to hang out with Katie and Brent, whose love and affection for each other is evident in all their interactions. I’m so looking forward to photographing their wedding this July. Thanks guys for showing me and Jay around Philly! We had a great time!

Ice Hockey Engagement Photos | Caroline and Darius

mary — Fri, 20 May 2011 19:47:21 +0000

If it weren’t for hockey, Caroline and Darius would have never met. But as fate would have it, a girl from a small-town in Canada met a boy from Connecticut through a local roller hockey team. While Caroline came to Connecticut to study English in high school, she ended up meeting the man she would one day marry.

Since hockey played such an integral role in how Caroline and Darius met, and since it’s something they both still enjoy playing, we knew we had to start the engagement session in an ice rink. I must say this was a first for me. Although I had photographed a couple ice skating together before, I myself had never ventured onto the ice with cameras in hand. It was definitely exciting!

Oh, and one more little fun thing–Caroline and Darius brought their new puppy, Riley, to the rink to play, too. After hanging out on the ice for a bit, we headed over to a nearby park for some more classic engagement photos (Riley appreciated being able to walk on her own four paws). Thanks guys for the fun session! I’m looking forward to your wedding this July!