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My mission as a wedding photographer in Philadelphia is to help happy couples celebrate life's biggest joys with high quality photos and a dang good time. I believe the experience is just as important as the photos and that you deserve beautiful, lasting memories.

Hey!! I'm Gabriella.

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9 Engagement Photo Tips to have the Best Photoshoot Ever

Engagement sessions are incredible for SO many reasons. Not only do you get super high quality photos of you and your favorite person being all cute and in love, but they give you and your partner an opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera BEFORE your wedding day!! As a couples photographer, I guide my clients through the whole photoshoot with prompts and poses, directing their focus onto each other instead of the camera to get truly authentic emotions and giant, natural smiles. BUT there are also some things you can do to prepare for your engagement photos ahead of time! So here are some engagement photo tips to make your engagement session even more amazing than it already will be:

Engagement Photo Tips

1. Polish your ring(s) beforehand so they sparkle & shine in the photos!! ✨

2. Use your engagement session as a test run for your wedding day makeup!! Just be careful – if you’ve never had your makeup done professionally then I would tread with caution since you might not know what to expect, BUT if you’ve had experience with a makeup artist before this is a great opportunity to do your bridal test run 🙂

3. Make sure any clothes that need to be ironed are, in fact, ironed 👕

4. If you’re wearing a button down shirt in the warmer months, please wear an undershirt so your sweat doesn’t show!!

5. Do a “spin test” and a “jump test” in your clothes – if they don’t pass but you’re set on wearing that outfit, communicate with your photographer that you’re limited with movement!

6. Wear two outfits (if time allows) – I recommend something more formal and something more casual. It’s like having two different sessions in one and provides lots more uses for the photos!

7. Incorporate an activity that you both love into your session – think less props, more action! If you both love wine, bring a bottle of wine and cute glasses and a picnic blanket and have a little picnic. If you both love rollerblading, bring your freakin’ roller blades to the session!! This also goes a long way to helping the photos feel true to your relationship AND helping you feel comfortable in front of the camera since you’re focused on another activity.

8. Schedule a dinner reservation or plan a date night for after your session!! 🫶🏼

9. Talk to your partner beforehand and make sure you’re on the same page with what you want out of your session – everyone’s preferences & comfortability level with photos & PDA 😘

More Resources

I hope you learned something from this that you will be able to take away and use for your own engagement session!! If you want more tips like this, check out my blog 10 Questions To Ask Vendors Before Booking or How To Include Pets In Your Wedding. Or listen to my wedding tip podcast, The Busy Bride!!

Resources

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- kristen & jared

“Hiring Gabriella as our photographer was the single best decision we made on wedding day. Because we had an intimate elopement at town hall, it was important to us to capture the small details and intimate moments in a way that we could look back on our day and feel like we are reliving it. Well, Gabriella’s work does just that. She exceeded our expectations and we could not be happier with our gallery. She gave updates and clear expectations along the way so that we were never left wondering what next steps were, and was timely with getting sneak peaks and the full gallery back to us. We are an introverted couple who is not used to being in front of the camera, and Gabriella was super patient and made us feel at ease throughout the whole day. Her communication style is to be seriously commended. She also went above and beyond to scope out of the venue and found the perfect spot for us to do our private vows in. We don’t have a single negative thing to say about our experience. If you are considering working with Gabriella for your special day, do it!!

"THE SINGLE BEST DECISION"

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- RYlie & ryan kelliher

We LOVED working with Gabriella for our Wedding photography! From our first video call, she made us feel totally at ease about the whole process, and it was clear she had a ton of experience. We do not consider ourselves very photogenic, but Gabriella got AMAZING pictures from our Wedding and an Engagement shoot. She’s fun, friendly, professional, and everything you need in a Wedding photographer (or for any other event). Cannot recommend her highly enough!

"SHE MADE US FEEL TOTALLY AT EASE"

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- AARON & LYDIA

“Gabriella is the BEST photographer and we could not have asked for anyone better to capture our proposal! I had intentions of interviewing multiple photographers, but after seeing her work and talking to her over the phone, I immediately booked with her. Her passion for photography is so evident. She goes above and beyond to make your shoot about YOU. She does a great job of taking control and guiding you with poses that you will love, and her candid shots are unbelievable. She had a smile on her face the entire time and we felt like a close friend was there doing this for us. Would recommend her 100 times out of 100!

Gabriella was absolutely amazing. She made the photography session so easy and effortless. Her personality is so warm and inviting, she made us feel so so comfortable during these pictures. Gabriella went above and beyond for us and I’m so grateful my significant other found her as a photographer. I would highly recommend!”

"SHE GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND"

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