Engagement pictures

I was aiming for wedding Wednesdays...but its evolving into wedding late Thursday nights because I don't work on Friday. We've also got some good updates coming on our week of healthy living, so if you've missed hearing from Sally, be patient! 

For now, I'm sharing some pictures and some picture takin' tips. Engagement pictures weren't something I ever really cared about having. We aren't sending a save-the-date, and I can't figure out what people do with all these pictures of themselves anyway, so we just never really felt the need to make those happen...Until I realized the only good quality pictures that Rob and I have together are in bathing suits and with wet-ish hair, and a wedding website is pretty dull without pictures. So, while we were at the beach over Easter we got our shiz together enough to shower before dark and get my dad to follow us around with his camera for a bit. Turns out, I'm very glad we did this because I discovered some things that will be handy to know before we're getting photographed on our wedding day, when we only have one chance to get it right. 

Along with a whole bunch of pictures (you've been warned), here are some things I'd do differently, and that I would recommend for anyone with an engagement session on the agenda:

Do some research before: Look at others' engagement pics and make note of hand positions, facial expressions, angles, and poses that you like. I, unfortunately, did not do this at all. And Rob and I were awkwardly trying to make our hands and faces look normal in every picture. Thankfully my mom came along to redirect some of our ridiculous attempts.

we're not this awkward in real life

looking off into?!?

this looks...cozy

Practice your smile and serious face: not just in a mirror. Try having someone take a picture of you, as silly as that sounds. I can do a serious face in the mirror (according to anyone who has ever watched me walk by one, I do it every time I look at myself). But without the reflection there to cue a lip adjustment, I just looked like I was in pain or about to be sick whenever I attempted a poker-face pic. I'll be practicing before our wedding, for sure.

happy? or about to throw up?

Dress for the weather: Obviously you want to look cute, but I found that comfort is key when you also want to look lovely and in love. It was windy and probably in the high 40s/low 50s, so I brought a blazer down to the beach that I didn't intend to wear in the pictures. I forgot to take it off at the beginning and put it back on when we thought we were done but then ended up taking more, and those pictures where I wasn't so cold turned out a lot better.

shivering is not flattering

And along those same lines...
Have an outfit for fun pictures: A dress is great when you're just standing there, but it really limits what you can do. I'll spare you the image of my exposed backside that was captured when I had the awesome idea that Rob should spin me around. People standing around or passing by were not so lucky...when I climbed on railings, when Rob picked me up, and when I sat down they all got quite a view. In hindsight, I'd wear a dress with a few more inches or just play it safe with some pants.

I'm sure those sipping wine on the porch behind me enjoyed this pose

Think about the time & light: We were shooting for sunset, but as we packed up to leave the sun was the most brilliant orange color. At this point, we were cold and wind blown so we didn't capitalize on the moment, but better planning may have afforded us this opportunity. I've also heard sunrise is a great time to capture good pictures with artistic lighting -- that most likely won't be happening around here.

Don't kiss so much: Anytime that we weren't sure what to do, we just stuck our lips together. This resulted in about 50 kissing pictures. What in the heck do I do with those?! One or two is sweet, but more than that is just excessive.

You're the only one who's scrutinizing these: So a leg dimple or a second chin sneaks in a couple of pictures. I found that in my most natural poses, i.e. laughing, things like that usually happened. Chances are, no one else will really notice it/care, so if the picture is otherwise a good one, let it be.

Special thanks to my dad for taking these, he's a man of many trades :)