Let the Adventure Begin!

It’s time to get pumped for an amazing engagement session! Seriously, you are going to have so much fun! And it will make being in front of the camera on your wedding day even easier. So not only will you get to enjoy an afternoon spending time together at some beautiful locations getting absolutely gorgeous images, but you’ll also be preparing yourselves for a super smooth, seamless, and even more enjoyable wedding day experience at the same time! Sound awesome? Cool! I’m so excited to work with you! Lets get started!

Selecting a date & time.

I love the dreamy look of natural light, especially during the last hour of daylight, which is called the golden hour! To maximize our time together, allow us time to hike (if necessary) to various spots during our adventure, and make use of the best light possible, we’ll generally want to meet about 4-5 hours before sunset. This can be as early as around 11:30am during the first days of winter and as late as 5:00pm in the early days of summer. For adventure sessions in the mountains (where more hiking is involved), or if our location closes early, we’ll want to modify our start time accordingly, usually starting an hour or two earlier than we otherwise would (to avoid hiking back in the dark, for example).

Please do your best to arrive a few minutes early so that we don’t lose photography time! Once the sun goes down, that’s pretty much it, especially if we are out in nature! If you are wearing 2 or more outfits, plan to save your best for last! If you are wearing one outfit, please arrive in that. And there’s actually a reason why we save the best outfit for last… Of course, we’ll be rocking the entire shoot, but during that golden hour (the last hour of our shoot and the best light of the day), we’ll want to be in the best location of the day, in the best outfits, ready to capture those epic images that we’ve been building towards! Sunlight is absolutely beautiful this time of day! If there is a scenic view, this is when we’ll capture it. This is our grand finale – it’s go time!

Choosing the right location.

First and foremost, the location should, in some way represent you as a couple. Make sure you choose a location that has meaning to both of you – whether it is a place you like to visit or go for hikes, or maybe it is a place you’ve always dreamed of visiting, but never had a chance to. Maybe it is where he proposed or where you went on one of your first dates. Maybe its a scenic lake in the mountains you’ve always wanted to hike to… If you’re always heading to the city and there is a great café there or area you like to shop or take walks in, lets go there! If you love nature, being outdoors, and the beautiful mountains and bodies of water that are part of the Pacific Northwest, then lets plan an adventure session and capture both of you in some epic nature scenes! For sessions in nature, we’ll want locations that offer some variety such as areas with trees, views, possibly water, and open spaces. If you need some help, I know plenty of great locations in the Seattle area and Cascade Mountains. We are so luck here to have mountains so readily accessible, including Mount Rainier! Plus I’m always scouting for new ones as well. If you’ve already got something in mind, just let me know – I’d love to hear it! And I love shooting in the snow too, so don’t let cold, snowy weather deter you from doing something out of the ordinary for your engagement session!

When it comes to locations, don’t be afraid to think outside the box – maybe your job or social network allows you access to something really unique that might otherwise be off-limits. I once had a couple ask a small private airport if they could have engagement photographs there. The owner of the airport not only gave us permission, but also had the crew pull out a private jet and allow us to take some photographs with the private jet! He also gave us access to the hangar and runway area! Seriously, I was blown away and the shoot was absolutely incredible! It just goes to show that you never know until you ask! You’ll be surprised by what actually is feasible; after all, it is hard to say no to a couple getting married! 😉

I love destination engagement sessions too! Want to have your engagement session at an exotic location outside of the Seattle area? Destination engagement sessions are a super fun way to explore new areas and challenge yourselves a bit (venturing outside your comfort zones a little can be a great thing to experience together). I’ve travelled to a bunch of really cool places for engagement sessions, whether it’s heading up to Mount Rainier here in WA or flying down to San Francisco or Yosemite. If planning your session outside the Seattle area, please keep in mind that travel costs money and time, so travel fees will likely apply. I do regularly visit the San Francisco area for weddings, so if you’re interested in a photography session there, we may be able to fit your session into an existing trip and save on travel in the process.

Styling Tips For Her:

If you’ve ever dreamed of wearing a long, flowy, romantic gown, a tulle skirt, a flower crown, or maybe wearing a dress inspired by the Medieval Renaissance or Victorian era, then this is your chance to make your dream come true! When it comes to your engagement session, there is really no such thing as “too dressed up,” so get out there and have some fun with it! Wear something dreamy, exotic, or even over the top! Rock that long red gown you’ve always wanted to wear! Rental companies, such as Rent the Runway are available too if you’d rather not spend the money on a new dress.

Say “Yes” to the dress or skirt!

There is nothing that looks more dramatic than a long, flowy dress or skirt! Dresses and skirts tend to look more stunning on camera than pants because they really flatter the female form. I’m trying to remember the last time I saw a star show up on the red carpet wearing pants and can’t think of any… For this reason, we recommend that you avoid pants or shorts for your session. Instead, say yes to a dress or two! Long flowy dresses and skirts bring extra movement to the photographs, so they always look amazing on camera, especially in nature settings. Just imagine your long dress billowing out in a gentle breeze… Cute, shorter-length dresses photograph nicely too, but for something truly epic, you’ll want long and flowy for at least one of your outfits. For sessions in nature, you want to make sure your dress falls well below the knee to ensure it has some room for movement. If we’ll be hiking, even longer is better because then your dress can cover up your hiking boots! Look for natural fabrics and avoid something too synthetic if you can. Going a little boho/sherpa in with your dress or skirt ensemble works really well if you’re going up in the alpine wilderness. Colorful, natural fibers and linens work super well near and above the tree-line. For lower elevations, casual summer dresses work well in nature, possibly combined with boots and additional layers if it is a bit chilly. For urban shoots, you can go with a shorter dress, but it is a good idea to have at least one dress you can wear that is long and dramatic.

Shoot for one or two looks

Many brides-to-be bring one casual dress or skirt outfit and one “wow” dress for their engagement session. This way, they can have the more casual “us on a date” look to start things off and transition to something more epic and spectacular for later during the golden hour. This works well if we’re hiking some trails in nature too. Once we reach our final destination, you can change into your second long and flowy outfit and we’ll be ready those for epic, jaw-dropping images!

But you are welcome to switch things up! You could wear two “wow” dresses, or if we are doing some more rugged hiking in the mountains, you could wear two casual dresses or even have one of your outfits be jeans for more flexibility, or just wear one outfit the whole time. It is up to you! Adventure sessions in nature/mountains are really the only times when we would ever say it is ok to wear pants for part of the session. The reason? When you are hiking through terrain that is a bit rough, jeans or jean shorts can actually fit the setting too. Which brings us to a super quick tip:

Whatever you wear, make sure it “fits” your setting! Avoid super shiny or overly synthetic fabrics in alpine territory because it just tends to look a bit out of place. Wear something colorful to pop against the trees and mountains and bring along a colorful mountain blanket to wrap you and your sweetheart in! Natural bright color dies look really good in the mountains and nature! Also, think about what you might be doing during the session and make sure at least one of your outfits will allow you to do it! And don’t forget to make sure you bring at least one flowy skirt or dress!

Accessorize!

Flower crowns, hats, scarves, etc. all can create some visual interest and lend dimension and variety to your photographs. I especially love flower crowns as they help create an absolutely beautiful ethereal look to images in nature. Contact your florist for your wedding to have them create something for you, or if you’re heading out this way (towards Snoqualmie), I can point to an incredible local florist who does really beautiful natural-looking arrangements. The two sisters that run the shop are super, super nice too!

Creating the best look for you.

Putting together the most flattering outfits requires addressing a few more details. First, every woman, regardless of her shape has an area of her body that she’s maybe a little self-conscious about, so it is important to recognize what that area is before finalizing your outfit ensemble. This way, you can choose silhouettes and colors that will complement your natural features and help ensure you love the way you look in your photographs.

Arms. Because our arms are so close to our faces and because they’ll be used quite a bit in the session (when you hold each other, for example), you’ll want to decide whether you’d like to cover them or not, or both. Regardless, it is important to note that uncovered arms can draw lots of attention. Our eyes are often naturally drawn to skin – faces, arms, and legs, for example. Because our arms can have more skin than our faces and they are located relatively close to our faces as well, uncovered arms can sometimes draw attention away from our faces. One great way to put the attention back on your face where it belongs (and achieve slimmer-looking arms in the process) is by wearing three-quarter length sleeves. In contrast, strapless and sleeveless dresses generally place more emphasis on the arms and in so doing, have the opposite effect, making arms appear larger on camera. If the dress you want to wear shows your whole arms, one option is to bring some layers, such as a cute jacket, shrug, or sweater to wear as well for some of the photographs. On the other hand, if you love your arms or have spent hours sculpting them at the gym, then by all means, show them off too!

 

Footwear.

There’s no denying that heels do create an elongating effect on the legs. And for an urban shoot where we would be on pavement, they can work beautifully! But for an adventure engagement session, they are not so practical and can even look out of place in rugged, mountainous terrain. Heels work best in more urban spaces or traditional parks with paths, landscaping, etc. such as Country Clubs, city parks, downtown areas, urban decay shoots, etc. For nature, comfort rules! You can add height with some hiking boots or even some medium-heel casual boots, cowboy boots, etc. Just keep in mind the kind of terrain we’ll be in before you try and bring those $800 Jimmy Choos along. Your feet (and bank account) will thank you later! Save those Jimmy Choos for your wedding day!

Quick tip: For an adventure engagement session, be sure to bring something comfortable to hike in that you don’t mind getting dirty or muddy. Wearing hiking boots underneath your long flowy dress (or casual summer dress) is actually a really great way to show off who you are and they fit the setting! Long dresses will cover them up well anyway.

Hair & Makeup.

Professional hair & makeup are absolutely essential!!! From lash extensions to blown-out hair, they photograph extremely well. Please do not try to do these yourself! (the only exception here is if you are a profession stylist or makeup artist yourself!) Treat yourself to the care of a professional stylist and makeup artist! To cut costs, you might be able to schedule your hair & makeup trials with the same artists who will be doing your hair and makeup on your wedding day, which is a great way to preview how they’ll look on camera as well. Lastly, disregard that old saying, “less is more” here because when it comes to hair and makeup and how they photograph, pretty much the opposite is true. Light makeup won’t show up at all in photographs, so you might find that your artist applies more makeup than you would use on a normal day. Trust your makeup artist. A professional makeup artist knows this and will work with you to ensure you look absolutely amazing! Need any recommendations? Just let us know and we’d be happy to point you in the direction of some talented makeup artists and stylists in the area!

Quick tip: Get professional hair and makeup done, but avoid getting a spray tan.

Finally, since your engagement ring will be in the photographs (on your hand and potentially by itself too), have it professionally cleaned (many jewelers do it for free) and don’t forget to have your nails done! If you’ll be wearing open-toed shoes, then you’ll need to have your toes camera-ready too!

Colors and Coordinating Outfits.

Every time I try to recommend colors, I find myself thinking of so many exceptions to the rules, so I’ll keep this brief because, really, just about any colors that look great on you will look great on camera too, as long as you follow this one single extremely important piece of advice: be mindful of our location and the colors we’ll see there so that you can select colors that pop or contrast well. Yes, we want to avoid blending with the scenery! Usually, this means selecting lighter, softer, muted tones. For example, if we’ll be in an area full of green trees, you’ll want to avoid green and any darker shades of colors as these will blend too much with the scenery. Instead, go for lighter shades if we’ll be in with the trees. You want to stand out against your surroundings! Don’t be afraid to try something bold too! For example, if we’re in the snow, there’s nothing more dramatic than a red dress. But lighter, softer, more muted tones also work well against snow, especially if you don’t want your outfit to draw too much of the attention. If we’re in a forest of green, lighter pinks, salmon, light blues, yellows, gold, silver, off-whites, etc. all work well because they are light against a primarily darker background, so when we view the images, our eyes will go straight to you. If you wear dark in nature, our eyes will have to search for you…. So wear light tones!!! Similar color palettes work well against dark cement and brick buildings in urban shoots as well.

As you’re coordinating your outfit with your fiancé’s outfit, have him wear a different, but coordinating dominant color (don’t match!). He can then select accessories/details that tie into your color palette more (bowtie, pocket square, etc.). He can even go mostly neutral (gray suit, for example) and then add a touch of your color palette through accessories. As you put together your outfits, we recommend that you choose your dress first and then put together your fiancé’s outfit to coordinate with your own.

Tip: be careful with super bold, bright colors. To play it safe, stick with lighter, softer, muted tones for dresses to keep the focus on both of you and your connection to each other. Avoid too much in the way of dark colors in nature.

Styling tips for him:

Lets face it, for guys, it’s really hard to beat a well-tailored suit, especially with suspenders and a bowtie. When in doubt about color, gray (light or medium) works well and will be easy to coordinate with most dresses. Again, be careful about going too dark with the suit, as it will start to get lost in the darker trees and darker tones in nature. Another great thing about suits is that they work great in just about any setting, whether it’s an urban shoot or we’re up in the mountains somewhere. If it’s the latter, I recommend having him hike in a more casual outfit and then put the suit on later when we get to our final destination, if possible. For a great casual look, jeans, flannel, sweaters, and lots of layers all work great. For example, a flannel shirt not tucked in with the sleeves rolled up part way has a casual look that will pair nicely with a casual dress or jeans for his fiancé.

Tip: avoid shorts or sandals. We’ll want the attention on that face you fell in love with, not his legs!

How to prep your husband-to-be.

Lets face it, chances are he probably won’t be quite as excited as you are about your engagement session. But getting him onboard doesn’t take a whole ton of effort. In fact, it just comes down to educating him a little about what it will be like and why it’s important to you. Show him a few of your favorite images on my website that I’ve created (2-3 should be sufficient) and explain why you love them. Chances are he’ll start to see the possibilities and maybe even start having some cool ideas of his own for the shoot. Tell him how much all of this means to you. Once he knows how important it is and how it’s really about the two of you having fun together in an insanely beautiful place, he’ll be ready to rock it with you! And afterwards, he won’t be able to stop raving about how much fun he had!

Final words.

It’s a lot of information to take in, for sure. And while we recommend that you try and follow the advice as much as possible, the most important thing will be the memories you make together on your way towards becoming husband and wife. The outfits and location you choose won’t matter nearly as much, so don’t overly stress about those. Rain, shine, overcast, or snow, I’ll make sure you both look amazing in whatever you show up in or wherever we happen to be. You’re in very good hands, so relax, be yourselves, laugh a lot, and above all, have fun!

Fun tip: Plan a dinner date afterwards! You’ll already be dressed up, so why not treat yourself to a well-deserved time to relax together over a nice meal.

 

Engagement Session Checklist:

To keep you on track as we plan for your engagement session, you can refer to this checklist. Remember, as you do each part of the checklist, don’t forget to review the corresponding parts of this guide as well! The first 3 items on the list you’ll want to do well in advance, if possible. The remainder (items 4-7) can be done during the week before your session.

 

• Get in touch with me to set the date, time and location(s) for your session:
  • james@jamesthomaslong.com
  • phone: 425.200.2167
• Schedule hair & makeup appointments
• Choose your outfits
• Get your nails done (toes too if they’ll be showing)
• Clean your ring
• Choose a fun post-session date night spot
• Pack for your session:
• Flats, hiking shoes, or flip-flops for walking between photo spots
• (Optional) Outfit two for each of you (including shoes and accessories)
• Touch-up makeup (usually for when you change outfits)
• Water bottles and snacks.
• Something warm to throw over your dress in-between shots if it is cold
• Umbrella(s) if there is a chance of rain
• Towel if we’ll be going in/near water