Baton Rouge Lifestyle Engagement Session at Rosedown

Hey Everybody!!! 

I hope the Christmas rush is not getting the best of everyone!! I for one am done with the shopping and my "work" after this evening's wedding and will be kicking back till next Tuesday when it's back to some sessions :) 

I HAD to blog this session though!! I was slightly obsessed with the amazing couple and their sweet disposition and absolute love for one another! It made for a very easy, fun and relaxed session!!! Here's some pretty little sneaks! 

When photographing a lifestyle session one thing comes to mind for me... it's is there "mojo" with you and your significant other or your family? That's what makes for those beautiful and yet ever so lovely images capturing what you would naturally be doing on a normal day. Morgan and Josh simply had "that". 

We might have hopped a 10 foot fence... we might have.... just maybe... but looking at these images and seeing the love on these two has made every single second worth it. There are truly some things in life that are priceless and these two have it! 

Happy Almost Christmas <3

Baton Rouge + New Orleans, Plantation Lifestyle Wedding Photography

When prayer trumps everything... 

Baton Rouge Lifestyle Wedding Photography- Engagement Session

Hey there world! 

How to have the best Engagement Session: St Francisville Rosedown

How to make your Engagement Session perfect! 

I have been writing about this topic of having the best engagement session because it seems to be such a source of conflict for couples. Whether they do not know what to wear or whether they think they are not going to be photogenic enough it always seems that people second guess themselves when it comes to having their photos taken. 

I understand this because 1. I work with couples every day to compose their best looking selves for their engagement sessions, weddings and family sessions. 2. I was also that person!! I was so super nervous at our engagement session and I remember what it's like to feel uncomfortable in your own skin. 3. And now I document love for a living and I would like to say that I have learned a thing or two working with all these amazing (sometimes not photogenic groups). 

So to begin, get this... 90% of the couples I work with on a daily basis show up feeling uncomfortable or saying things like- I am awkward, I am not photogenic, etc... So YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! There's a whole world of people out there that don't feel 100% comfortable in front of a camera. So know it's not just you! 

Secondly... it's MY JOB as the PHOTOGRAPHER to make beautiful images! Did you get that? Yes...  it's MY JOB to make sure we are getting images that exemplify you guys as a couple and yalls love story. So the pressure is off!!! 

Everyone walks into sessions or situations in general with an expectation to preform well guess what... NOT at your engagement session, a bridal session, a family portrait session or your wedding!! Nope! This is the job for your photographer! Me! Well, possibly me! Haha.... But seriously, take that expectation off you and your boo and y'all walk in with the expectation to just have a great time and your photographer should do the rest!

The things I DO tell my people is come and expect to have a good time with each other!! Sometimes I tell them, if they are very introverted, to bring a beer or something to help them lighten up the mood. I also play my wifi jams sometimes to help with this need for a comfortable setting. 

But if you guys can come and just enjoy one another, trust your photographer and come to have a blast then I promise, promise ALL will be well in your world!! And we will make absolutely beautiful pictures! Like Glynn and Christopher so did here! 

Another thing I like to remind my couples' is that I am very lifestyle oriented with a touch of posed and a touch of candid. I really try to have some of all three in my session and galleries delivered to couples. The thing is what I find is in most cases couple's really tend to do great with a little of each. I do have the exception where a couple is very pose oriented or very candid oriented but in 90% of the cases, they are a good mix of all three in which I tend to deliver great images to. 

Now if you know beforehand what you flow best in that's even better so you can share with your photographer and they can work their magic to produce the most beautiful images within those bounds. For instance Christopher and Glynn were very posed oriented but they loved the idea of having more candid shots. In which they told me and I was able to tailor the session to accommodate getting a good mix of all. 

As a photographer, I think we would love to have ALL OUR CLIENTS be "X" oriented but I have found that this is not actually the case for how life happens. And it doesn't bother me because I do feel as a photographer you should be able to document any situation that arises. On the other hand though, some photographers might aim to only shoot a certain kind of client to which I say more power to you! Do you and do it well! 

So when it comes to scheduling your engagement session with your wedding photographer be sure to know what style you and your soon to be spouse are and relay that to your photographer. Also be perfectly content with walking into the session fully prepared to just show up and have a blast!! This is truly the only thing you should have to show up and do! 

Thanks for reading, 

Natty 

Making a Great Engagement Photo Session Happen

Hey there Ladies and Gentlemen!! 

Let's talk about Engagement Sessions! As a wedding photographer I get asked a lot of the same questions pre-engagement session and I have vowed to sit down and write all the ins and outs for couples down. What do we wear? How many outfits? How many images will we get back? All of these are legitimate concerns however I would dare say they are some of the smaller issues to tackle when it comes to the making of a great engagement session. 

To me there are some vital key ingredients for making a session awesome! Not matching clothing is certainly high on the list but there are plenty more higher. First off, I tell my people to wear what they are MOST comfortable in! For one, most people don't like being photographed but then to be photographed while you are wearing the most uncomfortable clothing just takes it to a whole new level. So first off, get cozy!!! Like find what you feel absolutely awesome in and wear that! And just make sure it "blends" well with your partners choice of clothing. Again, no matching, just blending. Say it with me now, "no matching, just blending". Perfect-o! 

I heard once a quote by a football player or something that if you look good you feel good and if you feel good, you sell good. Maybe he wasn't a football player. Maybe he sold stuff but the point is, the better you feel, the better you will show up to the occasion. So focus on that!

So my next point is probably my most repeated request, "me and my soon to be aren't photogenic people at all. Will we be able to get good pictures?" And to this I say, "if you come ready to flirt and have a fun time, we will make all the pretty pictures your heart can desire. See, I absolutely 100% have a job to do and that job entails making you guys look fabulous!! BUT your job is to show up and be ready to engage, interact and have fun. I have had the opposite on every range of the spectrum-- the fiancé is ready to go watch the football game, the could isn't PDA kind PDA kind of people, on and on the list can go. 

So if I had a word of advice it would be to relax and make the most of your hour long session with your favorite person on Earth- your soon to be spouse! If you can come into the session with this outlook then I guarantee you will be able to see a beautiful gallery on the other end of that engagement session. Have fun, do things that you normally wouldn't, make the most of your time and invest in these memories that will forever be yours.

Another piece of practical advice I always give is, 'what's signature to you guys as a couple"... this question is one rarely thought of but to me is one of the MOST important for crafting an awesome session. Do you guys love the outdoors? Do you guys have a favorite activity you do together on the weekends? A favorite spot y'all go to enjoy? Once they start thinking of this, we are getting somewhere. 

I want couples to feel their best and that means doing the things they love. I mean who is already NOT loving being in front of the camera? Lots of people!! So why make it more difficult by doing things that are foreign to you and being places that mean nothing to you. 

For instance, I have some couples that love playing video games together. So what did I tell them? I asked them to bring their game players and we would incorporate that into the session. They had a blast and we got beautiful shots of them enjoying one another and what they would NORMALLY be doing on a weekend together. 

For these two lovebirds, they loved the lakefront in this certain part of town. We drove a hour away for them to play in the water, chase their pup around and frolic under the oaks. This was what they would normally do with their spare time and it lent for a great session because they felt very comfortable doing anything out there where they loved so much. So if you are already thinking, we are boring. We don't have anything we do together, etc... I would challenge you to think a little longer and find a space or activity that you might be overlooking because it is so ordinary to you guys. 

Now that I am thinking of it- I photographed one of my couples eating tacos and drinking margaritas because THAT IS WHAT they loved to do together!! So definitely just take a minute and think of what's signature to you guys and roll from there!

And that might just entail kicking off your shoes and playing ball with your pups. And to me, that is picture perfect memories to be captured!