Engagements and couples sessions
St. Augustine Couples & Engagement Photographer
Most couples tell me, in the first two minutes, that they are awkward in front of a camera. Almost nobody is. What people actually are is unsure what to do with their hands.
So I give you something to do instead of something to hold. We walk, you talk to each other, and I photograph the parts in between. It stops feeling like a photoshoot surprisingly fast.
Why an engagement session is worth doing
Beyond the photographs, it is a rehearsal. You find out what it feels like to be photographed together, and I find out how you two actually are with each other, which makes the wedding day faster and better.
Couples who do a session first are visibly more relaxed in their wedding portraits. It is the single easiest thing you can do to improve them.
Where to shoot around St. Augustine
The historic district and the water are the two directions, and you can have both in one session if the timing is right.
Downtown gives you narrow streets, coquina and warm stone at the end of the day. The beaches give you space and sky. If you cannot decide, take the hour and we will do both.
- The historic district, late afternoon, when the stone goes gold
- Vilano Beach for open sand without the crowd
- Anastasia Island for dunes, grass and shade together
- Somewhere that means something to you, which beats all of the above
What to wear and when to go
Two outfits at most, and nothing you have to keep adjusting. If you are even slightly unsure, wear the thing you feel good in rather than the thing that photographs well in theory.
Go an hour before sunset. Every piece of advice on this page is secondary to that one.
Proposals
If you are planning to propose, I can photograph it from a distance and then move into a short session once it has happened. These need planning and a backup plan, so get in touch early rather than the week before.
How to prepare without overthinking it
Eat something. Sort out whatever small argument is happening on the drive. Those two things do more for a couples session than any amount of outfit planning.
If one of you is dreading it, tell me when you book rather than on the day. I will start somewhere quiet and keep the first stretch easy, and it almost always turns around within fifteen minutes.
Anniversary and just because sessions
Engagement is the common reason to book, but it is not the only one. Couples photograph themselves for anniversaries, before a move, after a hard year, or because the last decent photograph of the two of them is from someone else's wedding.
Those sessions are the same price and the same length. You do not need an occasion to justify one.
Session pricing
$50 deposit reserves your date. Every option includes a private digital gallery.
Mini Session
$199
30 minutes, up to 1 location, around 15 edited photos, private digital gallery
Full Session
$299
1 hour, up to 2 locations, around 40 edited photos, private digital gallery
Extended Session
$450
2 hours, up to 3 locations, around 80 edited photos, private digital gallery
Common questions
How soon before the wedding should we do engagement photographs?
Three to six months ahead works well. That leaves time to use them for save the dates and it is close enough that you still look like yourselves on the day.
How long should an engagement session be?
An hour suits most couples and allows two locations or an outfit change. Thirty minutes is enough if you want one location and one look.
What does it cost?
Sessions start at $199 for thirty minutes, $299 for an hour, and $450 for two hours. A $50 deposit books the date.
We are genuinely bad at this. Will it show?
Almost certainly not. The first ten minutes are always the stiffest, which is why I do not use them for anything important.
Can we bring our dog?
Yes, and most people should. Bring somebody who can hold the lead when the dog is not in the frame.
Do you photograph proposals?
Yes. Contact me well ahead of the date so we can plan where I will be standing and what happens if the weather or the location does not cooperate.
Keep looking
Let’s create something beautiful
Tell me your date and what you have in mind. If I am free, I will tell you straight away.
Or call 904-710-4560