Engagements · Proposals · Just because
Nearly every couple tells me they are awkward in front of a camera. An engagement session is where that stops being true, which is why I would rather shoot one before your wedding than after it.
“Nearly every couple tells me they are awkward in front of a camera. An engagement session is where that stops being true, which is why I would rather shoot one before your wedding than after it.”
One relaxed hour teaches you what being photographed feels like, and teaches me how you two actually are with each other. On the wedding day that hour pays for itself in the first five minutes.
A walk somewhere you like, a bit of laughing, a bit of standing still. No prom poses and nobody asking you to gaze wistfully into the middle distance. If you are still enjoying it at the end, we did it right.
If you are proposing and want it photographed without them knowing, that is a stakeout, not a session. I will be further away than you expect, with a longer lens, and we will agree a signal beforehand. Then I come and say hello, and the next twenty minutes are the first photographs of you engaged.
Two different bookings
They sound similar and they run nothing alike. Here is the difference in practice.
You both know it is happening. We pick somewhere with good light and some meaning, usually late afternoon, and spend an hour walking around it. Bring a change of clothes if you want two looks out of it. Most couples book this first, before the wedding is anywhere near planned.
Only one of you knows. You tell me where and when, I get there early and find a position, and I photograph the whole thing from a distance without being spotted. Then introductions, then a short session while the adrenaline is still going.
You have been together nine years, you are not getting married, and nobody has taken a decent photograph of the two of you since a phone in 2019. This is a completely legitimate reason to book and I love these sessions.
Timing
There is a right answer to this and it is earlier than most people think.
Book the session for six to twelve months before the wedding, in the same season you are marrying in, at roughly the same time of day. You get to see how you photograph in that light before the day that matters, and you get a set of photographs to use on the invitations. Melbourne in February and Melbourne in July are two completely different cities to photograph in, and it is worth knowing which one you are getting. Ask about a session
Good to know
Something you already own and already like. The photographs where people look most themselves are the ones where they are not thinking about their clothes. Bring a second option if you want variety, and avoid anything you will spend the hour adjusting.
Somewhere that means something to you beats somewhere that photographs well, every time. If you have no idea, tell me the suburb you spend most of your time in and I will suggest three spots within walking distance of each other.
Yes, and it is one of my favourite jobs. Tell me where and when, and I will be there early and further away than you expect. We agree a signal in advance, I stay hidden until it is done, then I come and say hello.
No. Plenty of couples book a session on its own, including couples who are not getting married at all. If you do go on to book your wedding, the session is the best preparation for it either of us could ask for.
Keep reading
The Victorian Marriage Registry at the Old Treasury Building, photographed from the walk up to the lunch after.
Just the two of you, or a handful of favourite people, anywhere from the city to the coast.
Where to actually get married around Melbourne, with light, permits and drive times sorted out.
No obligation, no spam, just a real reply
Tell me roughly when and where, or ask me to suggest somewhere. I’ll reply within one business day.
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