I’ve never been a fan of engagement photos.
To me, they can so easily feel forced, unnatural, cheesy, and they rarely manage to capture any real emotion or the unique connection of the couple. (“Tell us how you really feel, Jess.”)
However, when I stumbled upon these photos from India Earl photography, I absolutely loved them.
Why hadn’t I thought of this before: Engagement photos at home?
To me, there’s nothing more intimate and special than capturing your real life together–a moment in time, in your relationship–preserving it forever.
They capture your lifestyle, and how you felt when you woke up on a Saturday morning. (Something you’ll look back on fondly in 20 years and say, “Sigh. When it was just the two of us!”)
I love the ideas of capturing photos in the kitchen–how you cook dinner together–that thing where you always sit on the counter drinking wine, talking to one another.
Isn’t that so special?
Now–the jury is out. Will we do engagement photos? I don’t know. We’re still pretty on the fence about it. I’m not sure any photos can capture the one’s taken as Neal proposed. But I’ll surely keep you posted 😉
Tell me though, what’s your opinion on at-home engagement photos?
Tell me–what do you think about at-home engagement photos? Would you do them?
Photo credits: India Earl, Once Wed, Once Wed, and Once Wed
Love the idea of at-home engagement sessions! We’ve talked about doing it for an anniversary. They seem so beautiful and intimate.
I think one of the biggest values in engagement photos is getting comfortable with your photographer – I think it helps with having more natural photos on your day. If you already have a photographer you are really comfortable with, they aren’t as necessary. But we used a new photographer and wanted a chance to break the ice with her before our actual wedding.
These are so beautiful! I adore them, and agree that they don’t seem as forced as regular engagement photos.
What a fun and unique idea! They’re so intimate and special!
Aww this is such a fun idea. I agree that engagement photos can look forced and staged, but I still love mine because they’re the only professional photos we have together besides our wedding, and they’re our engagement photos so they always bring me back to that special time in our lives.
Kristina does the Internets
I absolutely LOVE at-home engagement photos. I always said when I get engaged some day, that’s the place I’d do it! My boyfriend and I just moved into our first apartment together, and I think it’s so special to share a home with someone you love. Seems only fitting to shoot engagement pics there, too!
Natalie Was Here
What a great idea! I did engagement photos only because my in-laws paid for the photographer and they paid for a package with an engagement session. And I don’t like them! They are so stiff and posed and awkward. I love my non-posed wedding pictures though! Go for the engagement pictures at home! We were renovating a house when we had ours done and I now think how cute that would have been for pictures!
We pushed the furniture out of the way in our favorite room in the house, set up the camera, and took our own. Barefoot, wearing jeans, and with the cat wandering through. Even after all of the fancy wedding photos, these homemade “engagement” shots are still some of my favorite of us. The house is where we fell in love and are building our life – I love that it gets to be a part of our story, too!
These photos are absolutely gorgeous! I love the idea of the at home engagement session, but I also love traditional engagement pics so much too. I think if you find the right photographer, your pictures don’t feel forced. Ryan hates taking pictures, so our “traditional” engagement pictures are some of my favorites of the two of us together.
We had at home anniversary photos taken, and we love them! You’re so right about capturing this phase of your lives just as it really was on a normal day. That is pretty priceless! Here are ours: http://www.classiccatherine.com/?p=684
xoxo,
Catherine
http://www.classiccatherine.com