November 30, 2019 /

How to get the Best Engagement Pictures

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And, no, we’re not going to say that the only way to get the best engagement pictures is to hire us. (I mean sure we would love that, but we are well aware that we’re not for everyone.)

A picture of an engaged couple holding hands walking on a park just after dusk with Liberty Memorial visible in the background during their Kansas City Engagement Session.

So. How do you get the best engagement pictures ever? No matter who your photographer is or where you’re having them taken? Friends. It’s not as hard as you think. We’re going to break it all down for you today. And, of course, share some of Molly and Mark’s gorgeous engagement pictures along the way. 🙂

How to get the Best Engagement Pictures

1. Drink all the water.

What the heck does drinking water have to do with engagement pictures? Well, we’re assuming that you’re going to be in those pictures, right? And that you actually want to be seen, right? Okay, good. In addition to your normal skincare routine, drink lots and lots of water in the days and weeks leading up to your session. All of that consistent water drinking will help even out your complexion, hydrate your skin, and keep your face nice and clear of blemishes so that you look and feel your absolute best in your photos.

And as my dad likes to say, “when you look good you feel good; when you feel good you do good.” I’m not claiming that it’s all grammatically correct or anything, but it’s good, solid dad advice. You want to be able to relax and have fun during your session, and part of being able to do that is feeling good.

A candid picture of an engaged couple holding hands and laughing together standing on a green lawn with colorful autumn leaves in the background during their engagement session at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City.
An intimate, colorful picture of an engaged couple standing together, holding hands and smiling gently at each other during their engagement session at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City.

2. Wear something you feel good in.

Again, this goes back to “when you look good you feel good; when you feel good you do good.” Your engagement session is not the time or place to try the newest, trendiest look that may or may not fit your personality. Wear clothes and colors that you LOVE and you’ll be so much more confident. We’ll be the first to admit that when we had our photos taken we did allllll the shopping trying to find “the perfect outfit.”

What did we wind up wearing? Clothes that had been in our closet for the last year and that we love so much. Clothes that we felt really, really good in. 🙂

A candid picture taken through the leaves of a red leaf of an engaged couple in fall sweaters holding hands and walking up a hill, laughing together during their fall engagement session at Kansas City's Liberty Memorial.
A distant, black and white portrait of an engaged couple standing on a hill in front of Liberty Memorial during their KC engagement session.
A candid black and white photo of an engaged couple sharing an embrace and laughing together during their engagement session at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City.
I wide portrait of an engaged couple sitting on a set of stairs on the lawn in front of Liberty Memorial during their fall engagement session in Kansas City.

3. Trust your photographer.

I realize this sounds like “duh” thing to say. BUT. All the same. When your photographer suggests starting a little bit earlier or later, or has some crazy idea about a location, trust them. You hired them for a reason, right? Probably because you love their style or aesthetic and the images they produce.  Give them a chance to be them and you’ll be so much happier with the outcome of your images than if you try to micromanage every single backdrop of your session.

A candid black and white photo of an engaged couple sharing an embrace and laughing together during their engagement session at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City.
A candid picture of an engaged couple sharing an embrace and leaning up against a stone wall at Liberty Memorial during their fall engagement session in Kansas city.
A silhouetted image of an engaged couple holding hands and walking across the top of the stairs at Liberty Memorial taking engagement photos.
A candid, close-up picture of an engaged couple sharing a kiss as they stand in front of the Kansas City skyline at Liberty Memorial during their engagement session.

4. No expectations.

This is a really, really hard one, friends. We first learned about “no expectations” last December during a once-in-a-lifetime photography workshop with The Manns in Jamaica.

What exactly is “no expectations?” Well, to be blunt, exactly what it sounds like. Approaching experiences with no expectations. Hang with us for a minute on this one, friends.

There’s absolutely nothing worse than getting your heart broken when something doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would. Especially when you’re so excited about it. But if you keep a level head and just agree to go in with an open mind and not put all kinds of expectations on how you’re “supposed” to feel or how things are “supposed” to go? You’ll feel so much better and will be so much happier with the outcome.

What makes this so hard?

Well, social media for one. All of those Pinterest/Instagram-perfect photos make it really, really hard to live up to expectations set by our society. Often it takes hundreds of tries just to get the “just right” photo. In real life that magic doesn’t happen on the first try, and often, you’ve got to work to build up to those super-special photos and not just dive in head first.

What does this mean for your engagement pictures? Every photographer is different and has their own approach to making their own magic happen. Don’t expect them to do one thing or another just because you think they should or somebody else did. Let them work their magic.

A colorful silhouetted photo of an engaged couple standing in front of the sunset underneath a canopy of vibrant trees at Liberty Memorial during their engagement session in Kansas City.
A candid picture of an engaged couple leaning up against a light pole as the sun sets behind them during their engagement session in Kansas City.
A candid portrait of an engaged couple leaning up against a stone colonnade with the Western Auto sign lit up behind them during their Kansas City engagement session.

5. Let go

Wait… isn’t this the same thing as trusting your photographer? Well, kind of. But, here’s the thing. This is kind of the secret sauce that ties everything that we’ve already talked about together. And again, it’s a lot easier said than done. But let go and let yourself just live in the moment for a little bit. Is your photographer asking you to do something that sounds absolutely ridiculous or downright stupid? It’s okay. Trust them. Let go of your own ego and go with it. Chances are they’re asking for a specific reason.

(I mean… we may or may not ask people to stand in the middle of the street with their eyes closed and spin in circles…..always with one of our eyes on the traffic of course!)

Let go of those expectations, of how you think you look, of what you think you should be doing, and just go with the flow. It may sound silly, or crazy, or feel a little uncomfortable at first, but go with it. Run with it. Embrace the crazy and just know that there’s a reason behind it.

A candid picture of an engaged couple leaning in to share a kiss just after sun set with Liberty Memorial visible behind them during their engagement session in Kansas City.
A barely-there silhouette of an engaged couple sharing a kiss underneath a tree with the Kansas City skyline visible behind them during their engagement session after dark.

Kansas City Engagement Picture Location | Liberty Memorial, Washington Square Park

And when you finally get those engagement pictures back that you’ve been waiting so long to see? Friends. Our guess is that if you look and feel your best, trust your photographer, and let go? You’re going to absolutely love what you see.

Molly and Mark – thank you so, so, SO much for embracing our crazy and letting us create your engagement pictures!! We had so much fun with you both and absolutely cannot wait until your wedding next spring!

Feel like you’re missing something? Check out Molly and Mark’s sneak peek here.

Book us for your Wedding:

To book us for your upcoming engagement session or wedding, please visit our contact page to send us a message. We can't wait to hear about your big day! Having a destination wedding? We LOVE to travel and have the perfect wedding photography package for you. We would LOVE to hear about your adventure!

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