Engagement Photography in York
Pre-wedding portrait sessions across York and Yorkshire
An easy afternoon with your favourite person, a walk somewhere you both like, and photographs that look like the two of you rather than a catalogue.
An engagement session is a relaxed portrait shoot for the two of you, taken before the wedding day. Most couples book one after they have booked their wedding photography, although it works perfectly well on its own. We pick a location that means something to you, walk about, talk, and I photograph the two of you together as you actually are. There is no set list of poses and nothing about it needs to feel formal.
Who an engagement session is for
It suits couples who feel awkward in front of a camera, which is most people. By the time the wedding comes round you already know how I work, where I tend to stand and how little direction I give, and that shows in the pictures on the day. The images are also useful in their own right. Couples use them for save the date cards, invitations, an order of service, a guest book, or simply a framed print at home.
Choosing where to shoot
Before the session we talk about where you would like to go and what time of day gives the best light there. York has plenty to choose from, the city centre streets and St Helen’s Square, Museum Gardens, the open ground by York Racecourse, or somewhere quieter out in North Yorkshire such as Knaresborough, Flaxton or the fields around Deighton. If the place where you met or got engaged sits elsewhere in Yorkshire, we can go there instead. We also talk about clothing, keeping it to things you feel comfortable in rather than anything you would need to break in.
What to expect on the day
Expect a lot of walking and chatting and very little standing still. I will suggest where to put your feet, then leave the rest to you and photograph what happens between the two of you. British weather gets a vote, so we always have a back up in mind and a dry spot to duck into. Afterwards you get a set of edited photographs from the session, and if I am also your wedding photographer in York, we treat the shoot as a dry run for the couple portraits on the wedding day itself.
Common questions
Do we have to be getting married to book one?
No. Plenty of couples book a session simply because they want decent photographs of themselves together. It runs exactly the same way whether there is a wedding in the diary or not.
Where can we have our engagement photographs taken?
Anywhere in York or the wider Yorkshire area that suits the two of you, from city centre streets and gardens to open countryside. If you are stuck for ideas I will suggest a few spots I know well and we can pick between them.
What should we wear?
Clothes you would happily wear on a day out, in colours that sit together rather than match exactly. Bring shoes you can walk in, and a coat if we are heading somewhere exposed.
Fancy an engagement session?
Give me a ring and tell me where you fancy going, or drop me a message and we can sort the details from there.
Or use the contact page and I will get back to you.