Knoxville Engagement Photos at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens

What Photographers Want You To Know About Engagement Photos

Yep. We are talking about engagement photos. Again. Why? Because they are a pretty darn important part of your experience as an engaged couple. Your engagement can be stressful and doesn’t leave much room for learning the ins and outs of planning your engagement photos. As a professional Knoxville engagement photographer, there is a list of things I want couples to know when they come to me. All of these things are really designed for one goal: to make your engagement photography session go as smoothly as possible. I mean, with only one or two drinks post-engagement session! Ha!

Cades Cove Engagement Photos in the Smokies — Planning Tips for Your Cades Cove Engagement Photos

Schedule The Darn Thing

Ok. I know that this may seem like a “duh” section, but trust me when I say this: your engagement will go by faster than you think. And before you know it, days, weeks, and months have flown by. And guess what? You haven’t scheduled your engagement session. Your time may be even more crunched depending on the time between your engagement, selecting your photographer, and your wedding day.

Getting a date early with your photographer will also allow for any rescheduling if needed. Your life is in flux during these years, and you may be graduating from school, getting or changing jobs, or maybe even moving to a new city. You also don’t want to wait until the last minute and then have a surprise thunderstorm pop up and ruin the shoot with no time to reschedule. Because, guys, guess what? It happens. Sometimes, we just can’t fit in an engagement session due to timing.

The smoothest shoots are almost always the ones that are planned. Spontaneity is great in your love life but can lead to complications in your engagement photography session. And we don’t need undue stress (let the in-laws be the cause of that;-)). When a couple is stressed out because of timing issues, then their happy selves do not come through in the photographs. Your special day is going to be forever captured. You want things to go as smoothly as possible when it is.

Petit Jean State Park Couples Session Erin Morrison Photography

Understand the Timeline

Ever heard of Golden Hour? It’s that super yummy time of day right before the sun sets. During this time the sky takes on a nice warm tone that adds warmth to the photo. In addition to a nice natural color grading, the sun’s position also means that much more light comes from indirect sources. This means that the shadows will be softer and more visually appealing. Softer indirect light also reduces the chances of overexposure. Basically, the Golden Hour is a golden opportunity (pun intended) to capture your best moments with the love of your life in the best light.

Planning for The Light

So, guess what? The sun moves. Well, the Earth moves, but I digress. Of course, the hour or two before sunset varies a bit depending on the time of year! Here are some general guidelines for when to shoot.

Winter
In the winter, it seems like you are already driving home in the dark. Outside of the winter months, the golden hour is also after a typical person’s workday. During December through mid-March, you can plan on your engagement session taking place around 3-5pm. However, the time changes in mid-March so that will make the start time one hour later. During this time, I only take engagement photos on the weekends. Once daylight savings changes, I am back shooting on weekdays.
Spring
Once spring is here, we will be off and running on the sessions! The redbuds are blooming, and the grass and trees are finally turning green! The sunset time drastically changes throughout these two months and my shooting times change as well. You can plan on approximately 5:30-7:30 in April and 6:00-8:00 in May.
Summer
Just like all engagements, summer engagements take place two hours before sunset. This will hopefully mean that the shoot will be during the cooler part of the day as it gets super hot during these months. Or, as I like to say, the “Swassy Months.”
Fall
The East Tennessee color is coming out in full display, and Fall is by far my busiest shooting season! The sunset time changes (again) drastically during these three months. In September, you can plan on 5:30-7:30pm until the third week. Starting in mid-October, you can plan on a 5:00-7:00pm shooting time. After the first week of November, we are back to weekend shooting between 3:00-5:00pm.

Adventure Session in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains — Adventure Engagement Session in Cades Cove

Relax!

I have clients come to me where one or both of them are nervous. Some people are camera-shy; I get it. It is impossible, however, to capture your love for each other and give you photographs that you will look upon fondly for years to come if you are stiff, wooden, or otherwise not yourself.

One of the best ways to achieve the perfect engagement session is just to RELAX! When you show up as yourself, and only yourself, the photographs always turn out to be the best. Those are the best moments when you just BE, when you are silly, or cry happy tears. Most importantly, make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime session with their one true love. Relax, let loose, be silly, and be your only self.

The good news is that just by reading this post, you are on the right track to ensuring you are as prepared for your session as possible. Eliminating unwanted surprises and knowing precisely what to expect is one of the best ways to ensure you show up to your session as relaxed as possible. And if you have any questions about the process that may make you apprehensive, by all means, don’t be afraid to ask! Photographers don’t bite!

man leading woman in pink off-the-shoulder dress along pathway — UT Gardens Engagement Photos

Choose a Meaningful Location

I don’t mean this to be a section on deep, meaningful locations. If you have one in mind for your engagement session, then that is great! If not, then photographers want one thing: for you to be purposeful with your choice. It can be something that speaks to you, whether it be your favorite downtown spot, living room, summer lakehouse, or local park. Heck, even your street! Going to a location that you are familiar with will lend a hand in helping you act naturally in a common space. Remember, having a beautiful backdrop can add to a photo, but if it stops you from being yourself, the location is not doing its job.

Think About Your Outfits

So, here is the deal on this. Photographers got it in their head that your engagement outfits have to be curated, styled, and freaking to the nines. They don’t. Unless you want it to be. They are, after all, YOUR photos about YOUR engagement. Your engagement photos are about capturing the real you and not some fake version. Don’t worry about impressing the camera or anyone else. Be yourself.

But I do want to mention a single concept to make engagement photos look purposeful (there is that word again). You’ll want to match your attire to the location. A summer session in the Little River of the Smokies in a turtleneck is as out of place as a lace dress in the middle of Starbucks. If what you want to show is a Fall, outdoor session, then aim to schedule a session at peak of foliage (late October-early November here in East Tennessee), and head into the woods wearing plaid and jackets. If the photos are going to be taken at the old abandoned windmill that you used to sneak off to meet each other, then dress like the sneaky bad-a**es that you are. Just remember: don’t overthink things and think yourself out of who you are as a couple and into some bland, cliche, free-with-the-frame couple.

A Few Notes

This is a side note applicable to this section: Dear Ladies, don’t wear stupid shoes. I say that with all the love in the world. Some locations photographers take you to require a lot of walking (such as Seven Islands State Birding Park). It takes effort, and those cute high-heel shoes are not up to the task. If you dream of wearing those heels in the woods, then I’m all for it. We aren’t walking to the location in them.

Total second side note: I have written a way-too-long article for my good about what to wear for engagement photos. If you want to read more pretty text, please check it out! If you are looking for outfit suggestions, don’t forget to see my Pinterest Board.

What Photographers Want You To Know About Engagement Photos — Spring Engagement Photo at Heartland Meadows

Preparing Your Fiance’

If you’re a little anxious about how your fiance will react to this whole “picture” thing, you’re not alone. My husband is the same way. I receive so many emails from couples who are worried that their partner won’t be into it or I have great news for you: you are more photogenic than you think. And guess what? I have prompts and games for you two to enjoy so that you will be focused on each other instead of the big black box in front of my face.

Your engagement session is supposed to be fun and relaxed, not forced or awkward. As you prepare for your shoot, there are a few things that you can do to help your partner know what to expect. First, I highly recommend sitting down with them and showing them my blog! Spend some time together scrolling through a few posts. Or better yet, take a look at this little video we made! This will allow them to gauge what their expectations should be.

I also recommend allowing plenty of time to get to your shoot! There is nothing worse than when a couple shows up late and they have been arguing in the car. I’m not kidding. It happens. It happened to me and the hubby over a wrinkled shirt – him, not me!

Last but not least, remember to be patient with your partner and don’t assume that he or she will not have a good time. And that’s OK! We are not born the same, and that makes the world we live in even better.

A couple sits on a grassy field during sunset at Melton Hill Park. The man, wearing a dark shirt and light pants, sits with a relaxed posture. The woman, in a brown jacket and jeans with a beanie, leans closer. Both smile warmly at the camera, capturing the essence of Knoxville engagement photography. — Melton Hill Park Engagement Photos

Trust Me!

Thou shalt have no decision-making in regard to your photos! Er, um, nope. I want your input. I want your questions. But I don’t want shot lists. Trust your photographer. While looking at inspiration on Pinterest can be fun, you don’t want your photographer to spend the entire session recreating many photos that have already been done. You are a new work of art and not for replicating. You hired your professional photographer because you love their work, and if you let your photographer have creative freedom, your photos will turn out 1,000 times better! I promise.

Knoxville Engagement Photographer

My name is Erin Morrison, and I am a Knoxville Engagement Photographer. Nice to meet ya! Feel free to view my engagement portfolio and contact me at any time! I would love to meet you and your fiance’!