Ok, let’s talk engagement photos today! Such a fun part of your engagement period…that special time for the two of you before you become husband + wife. A key element to great engagement photos, aside from a loving couple and a great photographer, is a setting that makes you feel comfortable, reflects your personality and photographs well. So, today it’s all about finding unique locations for engagement photos – oh, and we have a fun giveaway at the end of the post too! (photo above by Priscila Valentina)
I just love how creative couples are getting with their engagement photos! I never tire of looking at them, but since many of you haven’t scouted shoot locations before, I thought it would be fun to highlight some unique locations for you to consider for your own engagement photos. Hopefully some of these ideas will inspire the two of you to get creative + have as much fun selecting your location as you do picking out your wardrobe for the shoot.
Also, your photographer will thank you. It’s fun for photographers to shoot in new areas and that excitement will carry over into your photos.
Go Outside!
There’s just something so fitting to see a couple in love surrounded by the beauty of nature….simple, pure and beautiful.
Find a location that has meaning for you – This couple met in Africa, but a trip back for their engagement photos wasn’t in the cards. So they were resourceful and found these great sand dunes in Cali that reminded them of Africa. Photo by Tyler Branch Photo.
Find beauty in uncommon things – The height, texture and colors of this overgrown field create a great backdrop and make the couple really pop against it. Photo by Clayton Austin
Find your favorite colors in nature – I love the little pops of color this orchard of persimmon trees adds to this photo. Photo by This Modern Romance
Find a venue that plays with scale – How about this forrest of tall white trees in Santa Fe, Spain captured by Sean Flanigan?
Let the seasons help you decorate – If you love the outdoors, but are a bit of a snowbird….don’t wait until summer, just brave the elements and take advantage of the clean white palette nature offers you. These snowy engagement photos by Sara K Byrne Photography are pretty dreamy…
Rolling on a river – There something about a river that makes you feel like a kid again, which helps to create a playful setting for the couple and will get you some memorable shots. As a bonus for this lucky couple, mother nature decided to add an element of romance by dropping some rain as Logan Cole captured this lovely photo…
Even if the river’s gone dry – I love when couples are willing to get into places that may not be the most comfortable to get a great photo. Lying in this dry riverbed may not be relaxing, but the temporary discomfort is all worth it when you see the beautiful colors and shapes of the riverbed beneath them that Priscila Valentina captured.
Consider your favorite hobby – This couple loves boating + being out on the water, so they took their photos at Stiltsville (a group of wood stilt houses located over the water near Miami). Photo by Becca Borge
Find a childhood memory – If you’re from the east coast, what’s a more fun summer memory than grabbing a Nathan’s hot dog at Coney Island? Find your own spot of significance, perhaps at your local fair, and select a nice graphic element and snap some great photos like this one captured by Jen Huang.
Make the Ordinary Romantic
Under the bridge – You typically don’t even think about what’s under a bridge, it’s just a way to get from point A to B. However, sometimes a place you never look at twice can be the perfect setting for a photo. From the description, under the bridge doesn’t seem like very romantic location for a shoot, but look below to see rad photos that play with scale and lighting and you just may change your mind!
Photo above by Sweet Little Photographs and below by Amelia Lyon Photography.
The old ball and chain – Dana + Pete wanted a location that was the total opposite of their romantic wedding – a backdrop that was a bit more hard and grungy….so they settled on the Eastern State Penitentiary. Yep, you read that right…..and it ended up being the perfect spot for some great photos by With Love and Embers.
You can’t go wrong with great architecture – Buildings with cool architecture make for a great spot as seen in this photo below by Priscila Valentina.
Think different – Who knew photos in a stairwell could be so rad?! Also by Priscila Valentina.
Take the stairs – As is the case with bridges, stairs aren’t just about getting around, they can be artistic too. Photo below at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art captured by Milou + Olin
Use elements in unintended ways – These architectural window sills aren’t meant to hold people, but they sure do make for a unique photo nicely capture by Sloan Photographers
Don’t Be Afraid to Use Lots Color
A whole new world – The colorful + fun backdrops at Salvation Mountain make for great photos and seem to be from either another world or your favorite cartoon. Photo by Closer to Love.
City Love – If you both love the city, check out your local arts district (below from Las Vegas) for some colorful + unique backdrops. Photo by Sara K Byrne Photography.
Planes, Trains….
There’s something inherently romantic about travel, so why not include your favorite method of transportation into your shoot.
If you love vintage, photos by old planes at the Opa-Locka Airport make for a stunning backdrop. Photo by Jonathan Connolly
or maybe on a train… photo by w. scott chester
HOME
And sometimes, the best place is home…photo by Merari Photography
So, to sum it all up, remember these tips for great engagement photos:
1. Get pretty. Have your hair + makeup done by a professional. You’ll look + feel great, plus who doesn’t love getting their hair + makeup done?!
2. Style your outfits. Coordinate your outfits, but don’t be too matchy matchy.
3. Make it meaningful. Pick a location that has meaning for the two of you or just go with a backdrop you both love!
Special Giveway for GWS readers!
We have prizes for 50 readers to help get your smiles ready for your photo shoot!! You’ll win a $50 Target gift card (maybe something new for your engagement photos?) and one pack of Target Exclusive Crest 3D Whitestrips Shimmer White (this is the perfect time to get your smile extra white – Jason + I actually both used these before our wedding, they really do work!)
Just fill out the form and you’ll be entered to win. Prize value is $85. Contest ends on Sunday, June 16, 2013.
The giveaway is now closed, click here to see if you’re one of our 50 winners!
Brought to you by Crest 3D Whitestrips. All content, ideas, and words are by GWS. Thanks for supporting our sponsors that allow us to bring GWS to you each day!
We took pictures where we had our first date – a tapas bar, which has now become a vital part of our relationship: http://www.sundinphotography.com/from-coffee-to-beer-from-lace-to-jeans-from-now-to-ever-after-university-heights-engagement-part-two/
Part one: http://www.sundinphotography.com/from-coffee-to-beer-from-lace-to-jeans-from-now-to-ever-after-university-heights-engagement/
I loved this post! My fiancé and I are Canadian political nerds so we had our photos taken in our capital city, Ottawa. The picture of us with the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill holding our blackberries is my personal fav: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.909727203393.2242112.116202576&type=1&l=5765fd8c98
I love how creative all these photos are.. amazing!
xo
http://www.PlumPrettySugar.blogspot.com
It would be nice if Orlando had unique places like this.
These are all amazing!! Will be sharing this.
Love these! We recently took ours on a pier, not so original but you can never go wrong with the ocean!
xx
Michaela
http://hemingwayandhandbags.blogspot.com
So many amazing artists and locations!!!! Thank you so so much for allowing us to be apart of this beautiful blog post and with some truly inspiring and amazing artists <3
Thank you for your brilliant ideas! I love the one about the couple meeting in Africa but finding a similar looking background for their photos. We desire to do something like that. Thanks!
As a photographer, I ADORE this post! Thank you so much for sharing so many wonderful tips for brides & grooms to be out there.
Perfection!
This is such a great post, we’re going to have to send this to all our couples! Thanks for this, Jen :)
So many great ideas! I love inspiration, thank you so much.
We are getting ours done this Tuesday at Coney Island. It is where we had our first date. I am so exited. :-)
oh my God! I adore those photos in the water, I don’t know, maybe they just seem a little more intimate than the rest of them, exactly what I want! Now I’ll have to figure out how to make mine have the same intimacy without copying the full photo *sigh* – beautifully well done on all of them.
I love that staircase photo – absolutely amazing!
Great post! I have been looking forever for a place in miami where there are vintage planes. I have a client who is a pilot and has asked me to do their engagement photos. Thank you Jonathan Connolly for sharing one of your miami treasures.
These are all great locations. And I LOVE shooting outdoors. It makes people so much more natural.
This is such a great post, all pics is very beautiful engagement photography
Thanks for the tips. They will be useful during my next engagement sessions in Jelenia Gora and Wroclaw. It is very important to have such ideas!
location is so important for such a vital part of your relationship! my friend lucked out and got picked for an engagement shoot giveaway in lake tahoe!! such an amazing location! she got such gorgeous photos. i would highly recommend checking out the site to sign up for their monthly giveaway….I know I’m going to keep trying :D http://www.engagedtahoe.com
What a beautiful set. Love all the locations. Gorgeous!
fantastic
Wow such artistic photos very impressive. Really like your use of colors and style of shooting. Thanks for sharing.
The photos by the desert and the one by the water are stunning. Great job
so sweet