Harvinder and Chintan's Engagement Session

Harvinder and Chintan did their e-session where they took their first vacation together (how romantic!) – downtown Carmel/Monterey. This self proclaimed sentimental couple, goes back to revisit those sweet memories every year! Harvinder shares her e-session experience and wisdom as inspiration for you!

{What To Expect at An Engagement Shoot}

Leading up to the shoot we were both really anxious. We kept looking for ideas online and even though we knew we wanted to go to Carmel we didn’t know exactly where we wanted to take the photos. Luckily we didn’t have the added stress of shopping for new clothes. We wore items we already owned.

Despite our anxiety leading up to the day of the shoot, the day itself was soooo fun!

After the initial awkwardness, we started to loosen up and get comfortable in front of the camera. On the way home I told our photographer that had been the most fun day throughout the wedding planning process.

{Decisions, Decisions…What to Wear?}

The photographer was really helpful. A great suggestion he made was for both of us to dress at the same level – meaning, sometimes one person dresses more formally than the other and the photos look awkward. They also suggested that we select 3 outfits each. We chose semi-formal, casual, and beach-y looks. Once we had decided on the styles it was much easier to pick our outfits. For the more formal outfit I wore a dress and jewelry that Chintan had given me as gifts and coincidentally he ended up wearing a blazer I had given him. Little things like that really made the shoot feel sentimental for both of us. The most important thing is to be yourself, in how you dress, pose and style the shoot.

{Working With Your Photographer}

Throughout the day, we got more and more comfortable in front of the camera. At first the photographer directed us and styled poses. Once we got the hang of it, Chintan and I came up with our own ideas too. I’m really happy we did the engagement shoot as it really prepared us for the wedding – knowing what to expect, how to pose, which poses we like etc.

As I mentioned before posing in a shoot is different than just posing for regular pictures, it was something I had to get used to. As the shoot progressed we started posing in our own styles as we got more comfortable with the photographer. Posing also got easier as we got the hang of it.

It’s a good idea to have the same photographer for your shoot and your wedding. After spending the day together working in the shoot you’ll get to know how they work and they’ll understand how you want your pictures. After spending the day together, we got to know each other.

E-sessions are also your chance to evaluate how well you work with a photographer. We were lucky, we liked our photographer from day 1. We felt relaxed during the shoot and were sure they’d capture the wedding well.

{Shoot Location Advice}

I think the best choice would be to go somewhere you feel natural getting your picture taken. Normally when I get my photo taken I tend to smile and pose every time but it’s different when you have to hold a pose. If you pick a place you love, you’ll feel more comfortable during the session.