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Engagement photo at Bear Mountain | © Jen Steele Photo & Film
You’re engaged! Congratulations!
Now that you have “made it official” it’s a great time to start thinking about your engagement photos — before your wedding planning begins to get hectic.
Since so much of this is new to most brides, just like wedding planning — your choices can quickly become overwhelming.
Not to worry!
We’ve invited one of our favorite Victoria area photographers, Jen Steele of Jen Steele Photo & Film, to pass along a few of her best pro tips to help you get the most from your Victoria engagement photos. Jen is also sharing gorgeous images from some of her most inspirational locations.
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Victoria Engagement Photo Inspiration | © Jen Steele Photo & Film
Engagement Photos Are A Great Way To Get Comfortable In Front Of The Camera.
Many wedding photographers include engagement photo sessions as a complimentary addition to their wedding photography packages. Take advantage of this. Turn your engagement session into a wedding day trial-run for you and your fiance to get relaxed in front of the camera. Get rid of those butterflies and get comfortable posing together. Your “e-session” is also an opportunity for you to develop a rapport with your photographer, and for your photographer to get to know you better. All of which makes for even better wedding day images.
“The engagement session is such a great time for me as a photographer to see how my clients interact with each other and how comfortable they are in front of the camera and with me. If my clients are freaked out in front of the camera and freeze I will guide them, gently posing them through the whole session.“, says Jen.
Also, since you’re not working against the tight timelines of a wedding, you gain the advantage of easing into the session with more chances for those fabulous intimate moments to be captured.
According to Jen, “It’s all about the “posed candids”. I put my couples in great light or a fabulous location and then see what they do, letting them talk with each other to ease into the session. The key is to let them simply be themselves and get them feeling like I’m not even there. Then I can capture their energy together to get those magical, intimate moments.“
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St. Anne’s Engagement Photo Session | © Jen Steele Photo & Film
Engagement Photos Are Ideal For Announcements, Save-The-Dates, Gifts, and More.
It’s surprising how many great uses there are for professional engagement photos. Use your favorite engagement images for your announcement in your local paper, add them to your wedding website, share them on social media as informal announcements, incorporate them into printed save-the-date cards.
Many couples also include engagement photos into signing albums at the wedding to give them an even more personally customized feel.
Engagement photos also make great gifts for parents, grandparents, and close friends. And don’t forget prints for each other for office desktops and home.
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Victoria Engagement Photo In Bastion Square | © Jen Steele Photo & Filme
The Big Question. What To Wear?
The simple answer — wear what you feel your best and most comfortable in. Your good vibes will show up on camera.
More advice from Jen, “I always encourage couples to bring a couple outfits. Casual and dressy. Mix it up. You can coordinate your outfits, but don’t get too “matchy-matchy”. Bring comfy shoes to walk from location to location through wet fields or rocky beaches. And bring something warm. Remember, it’s the west coast, it’s unpredictable.”
Makeup Tips
Professional makeup is always a good idea, with an additional pro tip from Jen, “Try to coordinate your wedding day “makeup trial” with your makeup artist the same day as the engagement session. It’s a great trial-run to see how your makeup behaves on camera.”
Location. Location. Location. Where To Shoot Your Victoria Engagement Photos.
There are so many gorgeous locations for Victoria engagement photos, from the mountains and beaches to all the wonderful urban backdrops downtown.
Here’s a sampling of inspirational engagement session photos and a few details from some of Jen’s favorite locations.
“I love to let my clients choose where they would like to go because they usually have a special spot. But I also provide them with a locations guide to get them inspired if they aren’t too sure where they would like to go,” says Jen.
“Sticking to one area that provides some diversity is also a good idea,” says Jen, “That way you’re not spending too much extra time driving around when you could be shooting.”
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Dallas Rd. Beach Engagement Photo | © Jen Steele Photo & Film
Top Spots For Your Victoria Engagement Photo Shoot
West Coast Beaches
- Anywhere. We have some of the most diverse beaches in the west, so almost any beach is going to provide some great backdrops.
- Willows. Beautiful white fine sand with views of the Oak Bay Marina and Mt. Baker
- Island View. A long stretch of beach, views of the distant Mt. Baker and neighbouring Gulf and the San Juan Islands.
- Dallas Rd. The cliffs, the iconic Olympic Mountain Range and Trial Island, sandy or rocky beaches complete with driftwood, rocky outcrops surrounded by clusters of trees and fields of long grass and Beacon Hill Park.
- Hill Park. Any beach on the way to Port Renfrew.
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Mt. Doug forest engagement photo session. | © Jen Steele Photo & Film
Mountain Tops
- Mt. Doug. 360 vistas, easy (ish) access,( wear good shoes), surrounding amazing tall douglas fir trees/forest and arbutus trees and the beach is just down the hill and short car ride away. Moody beautiful, grand, epic, west coast.
- Gonzales Hill. The Old Weather Station
- Bear Mountain
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Bastion Square Engagement Photo | © Jen Steele Photo & Film
Downtown Victoria
- Bastion Square. That blue arch, the ivy wall, that cool brick building and the parkade. Maybe over-shot but still requested by many a bride and groom, for their wedding day or engagement session.
- Fisgard St. Colour. Texture. Brick. Neon Lanterns. Great for an early evening /night shoot COMPLETE with its own soundtrack… they play music on a loudspeaker in the day.
- Runners up. The Museum, St Ann’s Academy, Humbolt St. for the tall buildings.
More Inspiration For Your Victoria Engagement Photos
Inspiration Gallery • Click Any Image For A Larger View
Now that you’ve “made it official” — ready to start planning your wedding?
We would love to hear all about your plans! Schedule a free consultation or contact us with questions.
