8 Tips for a City Engagement Session
The city is a dynamic environment. It is a story all in its own right. Movement, chatter, the sounds of the street, building reflections, shadows, alleyways, zips, zaps, and the hums of window box units, plus, the unexpected bonus of food carts, cocktails on patios, ice cream trucks, and street vendor interactions.
Much like a walking tour in a new urban neighborhood, shooting your engagement session in your city can be like exploring it for the first time. Or maybe, it is a new city for you, in which case, you will likely fall in love with it and your partner all over again while we do some urban exploring and let the path take us where it wants.
Here are 8 tips to help you plan for your city engagement session.
8 Tips for a City Engagement Session
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8 Tips for a City Engagement Session •
1. Choose one neighborhood or area to keep the session contained and accessible.
Narrowing down to a particular neighborhood or range of city blocks will allow us to focus more on the story and the moments rather than attempting to race all over town (and battle traffic).
It might help if you choose an area that means something to you - maybe it’s that Soho Italian restaurant where you have date night dinner every Tuesday, or maybe it’s the string of pubs you tend to frequent together.
It can also just be an area that is especially pretty - maybe you love the architecture of the historic homes, or the iconic Rainbow Row, or the brownstones and their cozy stoops.
Keeping it contained means we can explore on foot and discover what the city has to offer us.
2. Choose a location where you can find parking easily or public transportation.
Finding a place to park is simply a hassle no one wants to deal with. Small stressors like this can ultimately impact the entire mood of your session if you can’t recover from the bickering that took place inside the car moments before meeting your photographer.
Remember too, that your photographer also will likely need to find a parking spot. Consider taking public transportation or a ride-share to avoid this altogether, and choose a central meeting location with your photographer.
Don’t forget though, that you want to carry as little as possible with you during the session, so having your car nearby might be helpful.
3. Be prepared to walk and explore on foot.
During a city engagement session, be prepared to walk. We will be exploring the neighborhood and busy streets, pausing often in front of pretty backdrops and getting lots of on-the-move, in-the-moment candid shots.
While I definitely want you to look as stylish as possible and totally believe that you should opt for those iconic heels, I suggest breaking them in prior to the session. If you know they are uncomfortable but definitely worth the photo, purchase a set of cushion or gel sole inserts. Do the shoes rub in a certain spot? Try moleskin tape instead of bandaids - the texture is similar to skin and ultra-velvety.
If you arrived in your own car, throw in a comfier pair of shoes to switch out to as soon as we’re done.
4. Bring as few things as possible.
You may be tempted to stuff a backpack with makeup, wallet, cell phones, keys, water bottles, an umbrella, etc. While this is okay if it’s left in the car, ideally, I don’t want you to carry it around while we are photographing. Our style lends to those candid moments and street walking captures, and a backpack isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing.
While I might be able to tuck a cell phone away into my pocket for you, my hands will be quite full with cameras… several of them!
Instead, we can stop for drinks, snacks, cocktails, and refreshments during our session, and *bonus* these pitstops make for great photo ops!
5. There will be people, vehicles, signs, and other street life in your photos.
One of the best parts of a city engagement session is the story of the city itself. The life, the hustle and bustle, the crowds, the quick jaunts across the street - all of this makes for a dynamic and fast-paced story.
There will undoubtedly be other people, vehicles parked and moving, street signs, and possibly even trash bags or bins all around us. While I will do my best not to include the trash bags in the photos (unless, of course, it’s actually fitting 😉), I love incorporating the environment of the city in your session.
6. Your outfit choices often heavily influence the story and impression of your session.
As part of my process as your wedding photographer, I work closely with you to create vision boards for your engagement session and design the session with your personal style in mind. Keeping me in the loop about what you are considering wearing will help us nail down the perfect location to compliment your taste and vision.
For a city engagement session, streetwear would be more laid-back, casual, and breezy. Our location might be a bit more off-beat or gritty, we might go for beers instead of cocktails or street pizza instead of espressos.
On the other side, choosing outfits that are more chic and posh will mean a more mod and editorial session. We might seek a more minimal background to allow the fashion to stand out. Grand buildings with texture or columns also photograph beautifully.
7. Choose a time of day that highlights the atmosphere and mood you’re wanting.
Midday light, golden hour, blue hour or twilight, and night. Each of these periods of time throughout the day will greatly enhance whatever ambiance you are hoping to achieve. We will determine what works best for your vision ahead of time.
Midday light often casts a harsh light where your shadow is mostly directly beneath you. It can cause deep, contrasting shadows and brilliant reflections from surrounding buildings. Harsh light is often paired with editorial sessions.
Golden hour is our romantic light. It will backlight you, set your hair ablaze, and cast long arms of light trails between buildings. If you want that romantic, whimsical city vision, this is the light for you.
Blue hour or twilight will quickly give way to night light, but this can also be extraordinarily fun to experiment with. Most of our lighting will come from what’s available - street lamps, headlights, neon signs, building lights, and the glow of convenience stores and restaurants. It feels intimate and fuzzy like an indie film.
8. Be open-minded.
It is a good idea to be prepared with a good plan when shooting your engagement session in the city. Map out where you want to start, what locations you want to include, where you would like to end up, as well as strategies for traveling to and from.
However, ultimately, being open-minded and flexible to what might be around the corner - even if it’s in the opposite direction - might lead to incredible photo magic. Take detours, follow the light, follow the music, maybe even follow the scent of delicious food.
Your engagement session should be as much an experience and a memory in itself to remember and look back on.
