The engagement session is a relaxed session before the wedding, to spend some time with the camera and build confidence. It is included in the Alma and Eternidad packs when done in Asturias. The first thing to decide is where.
Start with a place where you feel like yourselves
My advice is to first think of a place you really like. It can be the coast, a forest, a mountain or a garden near home. If you would like to stay there for a long while, the photos show it.
If you do not know the area well, I will help you choose. What matters is that the session is a time to switch off and laugh, without watching the clock.
Asturias offers a choice of mountains, forests or the sea. Together we choose a corner of the coast, a village or a forest and do the session calmly, just the two of you and the light of the place.
You do not need to know how to pose. I guide you a little, only when needed. The photos come in black and white or in colour.
Types of location for an engagement session
These are the types of location that appear in my engagement and after-wedding photos.
A beach at sunset gives a warm, low light. In my photos there are couples sitting on the sand watching the sun go down and silhouettes in the sea. It is a simple setting, with few distractions.
A cliff with a blue-watered cove behind gives a lot of landscape. The couple look small and the sea fills much of the image. With the low sun even the veil in the wind shows.
A stone house covered in ivy, with its balcony or sunny wall, gives a background with character. Every corner works as a setting without us having to complicate anything.
Gardens and parks are a good option if the camera intimidates you. A garden with rose bushes or a willow, or a park with a picnic table, are close and comfortable places. You can sit, laugh and move without feeling that you are posing.
Light and time of day
The place matters, but the light changes the result as much as the location. With the low sun, at the end of the afternoon, the photos come out warm and backlit, like the ones on the cliff and the beach. With the high sun the light is harsher and it helps to look for shade, for example in a garden with trees.
Fog helps too. I have photos of a couple in the fog with a tower in the background, where the soft light blends the silhouettes with the landscape.
That is why the time counts as much as the place. When we choose the location, we also choose the moment of day when the light suits it best.
Engagement or after-wedding session
You can do the session before or after the wedding. With the engagement session you arrive at the wedding already comfortable with the camera. The after-wedding session follows the same idea, some unhurried time for the two of you. In Asturias it is also included in Alma and Eternidad. If you want to see the full packs, you can find them on weddings.
If you come from abroad and are getting married in Asturias, I help you choose where to do the portraits and the engagement session. It is explained in destination weddings. And in a real wedding you can see more photos of beach, cliff and park.
If you already have an idea of a place, tell me and we will see how the light falls.
