Engagement portraits
All engagement portraits should be unique to your relationships and personality, they should definitely be fun. From start to finish, we’ll collaborate with you in creating stylized engagement shots that reflect who you are.
Your engagement session begins with a complimentary consultation. Through this conversation, we learn more about you and your style. We work together to select one or two locations for your engagement portrait sessions. We will help you choose what to bring and what to wear.
At your engagement session, expect to have fun. Your true personalities and natural affection will be captured on camera. We work at an easy pace, leaving you time to enjoy the experience. You can choose to change your outfits between pictures or locations.
We often work with an assistant at our engagement sessions. This person works closely with Ron in setting up shots, checking for details, and working with any lighting equipment we might be using. You might consider using a stylist for your hair and makeup. Often, a stylist will work with you before the session, but we also see stylists join us for sessions to assist with your look.
After your session, your photos will posted at an online gallery. You can review the photos and share these pictures with family and friends.
Engagement sessions are included in many of our wedding collections. For an independent engagement session, contact Beth at beth@ronmkinneystudios.com.
Whether you’re taking engagement photos for your own home art, a Save the Date card, or for your wedding website, taking them should be fun and you should love the results.
1) Choose a location. Don’t settle for boring studio portraits. Work outdoors at a public park, forest preserve, urban landmark, or on an ordinary street. We live in a world-class city and you can seldom go wrong when selecting a place to take engagement photos. Some of our favorites? Inside the Chicago Cultural Center, atop the LaSalle Street Bridge, at Busse Woods, and Independence Grove. The famous places make for more dramatic shots and the places with everyday beauty provide backdrops for you to shine. Trees, barns, bridges, fountains, brick walls, stairs — all of these are great places to take your portrait.
2) Have fun. Work with someone who takes their work seriously, but not themselves. Someone who helps you relax and smile in a way that’s natural and authentic. Some of the best shots come from moments when you weren’t posing.
3) Bring props. Jenn and Jeff are movie fans, so they brought popcorn buckets and a clapboard. Caroline and Jon brought their puppy, who helped them announce the date of their wedding.
4) Don’t limit yourself. Most of our couples have their engagement sessions taken in more than one location. We might begin at Goebbert’s Farm and head over to downtown Palatine afterwards so that we have a nice collection of city pictures and photos take in a more natural environment. We have also taken photos inside coffeeshops and also outside on the street or in a public park.
5) Dress like yourself. Your best bet is wear clothes you feel good in. When we feel good, that confidence radiates into our photos. Yes, we do recommend that you use solid colors and coordinate. But that’s all. There is not one best color. And you do not have to dress formally. If you have a couple of outfits to choose among, we do like to see couples compliment each other. A statement piece like a red wool coat can look great in winter and fall. And blue looks good on everyone.
Still can’t decide? Go for two looks. We always encourage couples make a quick change between two nearby locations.
And don’t forget that manicure. Your hands will be in the pictures.
6) Be inventive. Your photographer can take the photos you expect — and often you do want those. However, you should also trust your photographer to find unexpected places or creative camera angles. Often, these are the shots you end up framing and hanging on the wall.
Check out our engagement photo gallery here for cool ideas. Read about our Save the Date cards on our blog!
