Location Planning for your Engagement Sessions and Wedding Day

Whether it’s for your engagement, first look, or day of portraits, location is a super important part of planning beautiful photos. Here are our best tips for picking your ideal location.

Trust your photographer! Most experienced photographers will be able to recommend a few places based on your vision. If they’ve never shot at a specific location you’re considering, they are usually able to size up a place pretty quickly and know what spots will work best for photos.

Know the lighting situation for the time of day at your preferred location. Shade is your friend. Although professional photographers can manage any lighting situation, pure sun can be a pain for multiple reasons. Not being able to escape the heat during hot days can be super uncomfortable. Squinty eyes and harsh shadows are also a downer.

Be mindful of high traffic locations and times. That goes for cars AND people. Popular photography locations may require you to wait if there is more than 1 photog shooting there. That’s why building in some wiggle room is always a good idea! Weekday evenings are best for engagement sessions.

Take into consideration high traffic dates to avoid if possible (like the PGH Marathon or St. Patrick’s Day) Definitely something to look into!

On your wedding day consider doing the bulk of your photos on location at your beautiful venue! Not only do you have the place all to yourself, but you cut down on travel and can spend more time relaxing or with guests at cocktail hour. Your venue can also be a great place for engagement photos.

Know if your dream photo location requires a permit or fee. Many state/national parks require a photography permit. Also, certain buildings/properties may be private and require a fee.

Limit the amount of location hopping on you do. 2 locations is the max amount we recommend. Factor in travel time when you are planning your timeline.

Do a drive by if possible a few days before your shoot to make sure there isn’t any construction or changes to the backdrop. We also keep an eye on this, but it’s good to keep communication open!

Make a back up rain plan (even if there is a small percent chance on your day). Clear umbrellas help, but a covered location is ideal. Porches, large building overhangs such as a marquee, or inside the ceremony/reception space are all good back up plans. If it’s looking like it’s going to be a washout on the day of your engagement photos we can always reschedule!

Check out this day-to-night engagement session! Lakyn & Jacob wanted a mix of city views and industrial vibes for their engagement photos since they are getting married on a farm later this year. We typically suggest starting engagement sessions 2 hours before sunset, however because of their work schedule, we had to consider other options. Luckily we have a great off-camera flash set up and suggested doing an evening shoot that ended after the sunset so we could get all of the sparkling city lights! They got the best of both worlds, dreamy golden hour and epic night shots. It couldn't have been a better session.