A Softer Image

Before delving in, hunt around the internet for engagement portraits. Find a whole bunch you like and then study them. That’ll help you pick from the following aspects of photos and give you a better understanding of what you like!

Style

Urban, rustic, edgy, classic, saturated, vintage, green. Those are words I’ve used to define various styles I do for engagement portraits. Many photographers will have a variation of these and more, so think about what you’re looking for. Examine photos you’ve seen online that you like to figure out what about them interests you. Do you typically pick really brightly-colored engagement portraits? Do you definitely want flowers and trees?

Composition

Do you want closeups of your heads together, or a wide shot showing the whole street and both of your entire bodies? Do you want photos that show your head to your hands folded on his knee, and nothing below so you don’t have to worry about which footwear to choose? :) Think about the purpose of the photo - if it’s going in a newspaper, you should probably choose a photo that’s tight on your faces (or at least bust and up).

Also consider whether or not you want to make the enagement ring visible in the photos. Some don’t care, some really want it to be a star.

Candid vs. Posed

Ah, the age-old question. People ask for candids but in the end pick the posed photos to print. Think about your use of the photos - is it for a website, or to go in a mat for people to sign at the reception, or a newspaper? The best idea is to get a variation. Definitely examine the photos that you like online to see whether you pick more candid or posed.

A combination of them all

Vintage (old polaroid) + wide shot + candid:

Green + wide shot + candid:

Vintage (sepia, bled black) + rustic + tight shot + candid:

Polaroidish + medium shot + posed:

Saturated + medium shot + candid:

Classic + medium shot + candid:

Saturated + tight shot + candid:

Picking a photographer

Poke around a bunch of photog’s websites to see if their style fits what you’re looking for in the aspects above. Some might have the poses you like but not the post-processing, or vice-versa. Also, decide whether you want prints or a CD (or both). A CD is typically the best so you can make prints later, but make sure that the images won’t come watermarked and that you have permission to print from the photographer.