Hey hey, y’all!!

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted some engagement photos, but hey, it’s the winter time. Give me a break. I’m so ready for Spring. Aren’t you?? BUT before we change seasons, I did want to post this photo session because it’s a perfect example of what we can achieve in the winter months. I have another one I’m about to post that will also expand on this idea of photos when it’s really brown outside (Brown grass, dead leaves everywhere, and bare trees).

So it’s winter time and you have a summer or fall wedding, which means you NEED to get those Save the Dates out the door PRONTO, baby! But you’re a little nervous because it’s, like, depressing and bleh outside. Yes, the trees are pretty much done. Yes, there may or may not be some Christmas decorations in a few of the photos. (I know, I’ve been sooooooooooooo bad about posting.) But how can we use this to our advantage? Yep, get ready. This post is not only going to be cute photos of Jessie and Matt, but also informational for all of my brides-to-be. 🙂

Here are a few tips for winter engagement sessions!

1. Choose a location where the trees are not as big of a deal. For Jessie and Matt’s engagement session, we started at Collierville Square. This was a great place for a few different reasons. There’s that log cabin and a ton of murals right in that area. Not to mention train tracks! But before all of my photographer friends lose their hair because we photographed on tracks, yes – it’s a thing, these tracks weren’t active. So, yay! Now the focus is more on the tracks and the couple than it is on the foliage, or lack thereof.

2. Insist on sun. The winter sun is GORGEOUS. Without it, you have an empty gray abyss of depression. No leaves, no sun, no thank you. Maybe that’s just me, but I’m pretty ok with rescheduling if it’s going to be an overcast day in the winter months. The sun in the winter is soft and glow-y. I can’t really describe it, but just trust me.

3. Use your location to your advantage. Christmas décor in the your shot? Sometimes, it makes for nice bokeh (blurred out light sources in the foreground or background). The second part of the engagement shoot was in a wheat field. Maybe it wasn’t wheat, maybe it was brown grass…ok, yes – you caught me, it was a field of tall dead grass. But it was perfect for what we were looking for. We had a rustic-cozy theme going by the second half of the shoot. You have to just go with it. Don’t try to have a summer-looking engagement shoot in December or January. It’s just not going to work, and that’s ok. There are a ton of benefits to having fall/winter shoots…one being you’re not ridiculously sweating while trying to change in your car. 🙂

OK, so now that I’ve given you a few tips on winter engagements, let me tell you a little about Jessie and Matt! 🙂

They are…so stinkin’ cute! I loooooved photographing them, and I CANNOT wait for their wedding in June!! The whole session, they were cracking each other up about every other photo and really having fun with it!! I’m going to be honest, when couples are laughing and giggly with each other, it makes my job so much easier. I get these genuine smiles, which ultimately results in me grinning ear to ear as I edit them. I know some photographers go for the dark and moody movie trailer photo, and that’s totally great – I really support that. But I try to capture more of the “here’s all the fun we have together and will have together for the REST of our lives.” I love that Jessie and Matt can laugh together. At each other. Be goofy together. Don’t get me wrong, there’s always a time and place for the sweet and soft moments. But for now, let’s have fun. Check ’em out!