How to Plan Your Boise Engagement Session (2024)

Before we jump unto planning your session, I want to touch on a few reasons why engagement photos are important:

Now that we have talked about why you should have engagement photos done let’s jump into how to plan a Boise engagement session!

If you’re reading this I hope I am your photographer 😉. But if I am not, here are a few tips for choosing an engagement photographer for your session.

My biggest tip is to choose your wedding photographer and then do an engagement session with that photographer. The main reason for engagement photos is to document this amazing season in your relationship but they are also an opportunity to have a ‘trial-run’ with your photographer before your wedding day. This gives you a chance to get to know each other and also gives you some practice being photographed before your big day.

If you are looking for a wedding photographer make sure you look through multiple photographers websites, Instagram and Pinterest to get a feel for what you like. Once you have found a style and photographer you like, inquire with them and schedule a phone consultation. I am a firm believer that you need to connect with your photographer on a deeper level than just emails and a website. Your wedding photographer is the vendor you will spend the most time with on your wedding day, so you really need to make sure your personalities vibe and you genuinely like each other.

It’s so much easier to relax and enjoy having your photo taken when you’re not in a ‘photo shoot’. My number one tip for having an amazing engagement session is planning an activity to do with your photographer instead of just meeting somewhere and taking an hour of photos. Doing an activity removes ‘photo stress’ because it focuses your attention on your partner and the experience you are having instead of worrying about posing or looking good together.

Doing an activity as part of your engagement session is important to the relationship you are building with your photographer as well. It gives you time to relax and get to know each other before the ‘client-photographer’ relationship begins. I like to spend the first 30 minutes of a session just hanging out or doing an activity (hiking, snowshoeing, etc.) before my camera comes out. This ensures we are comfortable with each other before a camera is added to the dynamic. Cameras make everyone nervous but the more comfortable you are with the person behind the camera the better your photos will look.

When you are thinking about choosing an activity for your session, think about what you love to do as a couple. Do you love hiking, kayaking, or going out for coffee? The biggest thing here is to choose an activity that has meaning to you! Not just something that might be pretty for photos! It should be something you would enjoy doing even if you aren’t accompanied by a photographer.

After you have decided what you would like to do for your Boise engagement session you can pick a location and choose a time of day. This is the fun part and something your engagement photographer should be involved in.

How to Choosing Your Location

Your photographer is a big resource here because finding cool places is part of our job. I help my couples find locations that are inline with their vision for their engagement photos by spending time on my own exploring and checking out cool looking spots I find on Google Earth. If your photographer doesn’t offer help with choosing a location you can always go check out hikes on Alltrails.

My number one tip is to choose a location that will have few people in it. Having to share your location with others just isn’t a relaxing and comfortable time. Some of the best engagement sessions I have photographed have been in locations we had to ‘work’ to get too. When you get off the beaten path you won’t see others and you will have a fun experience adventuring together.

Whether you are planning to hike or head to your favorite park for your engagement session, do some research and pick a time of day and a location that will allow you to have a more private experience.

Best Time of Day for an Engagement Session

Locations and time of day go hand-in-hand. Some locations are better at sunrise and some are better at sunset, but in general any location is going to be pretty around dawn and dusk. The sun during this time of day is low to the horizon and this makes long shadows, soft lighting, and deep color tones. Generally speaking, you want to start taking sunrise photos 30 minutes before the sun rises and sunset photos 60-90 minutes before the sun sets.

I encourage you to schedule your session when your location will have the best lighting AND when you will be at your best. If you’re not a morning person don’t signup for a sunrise engagement session, instead stick to the evening when you’ll have a better time.

If you look around on Pinterest you will see a lot of cute styled engagement session ideas. If this is you, then totally style the heck out of your session! But don’t feel pressured to bring a bunch of stuff to your engagement. Your favorite can of beer or the donuts you love to eat say a lot more about you than any prop idea on Pinterest. Just be yourself and don’t stress!

Here are a few simple things you can bring to you session that make cute photos: