Here Are Some Great Engagement Session Ideas!
One of the first things an engaged couple often, after celebrating, is Googling Austin engagement session ideas, especially if you don’t want to be cookie-cutter with your images. Anyone can go to Zilker Park, but can you play with explosive paint or trek into a cave for your engagement photos?
Every day, as I drive around, I find new spots that give me eureka! moments, but this blog will help give you a starting point of ideas. Here is an inspiring list of Austin engagement session ideas! Make your engagement portraits reflect who you are as a person, and you’ll be able to look back on your art with a fondness that is unparalleled!
Here are some questions to ask yourself to get the brain juices swirlin’:
- What do we like to do for fun
- Do we want an urban feel or greenery?
- Is there a meaningful location that would make us comfortable? This could be a restaurant, a park, or even your home!
- What will you wear? These are images that will last a lifetime, so it’s worth some thought!
Some locations of spots are only given to paying clients. Thank you for understanding!
Somewhere Creative
We offer a different kind of session if you’re looking to skip the norm, called Adventum sessions. Be creative and express your relationship in a different way than everyone else! This amazing session with Austin and Daniel started in a field, and then we drove to their home for backyard paint and rain shots. We photographed for around 3-4 hours, but the images were totally worth it!
Your Home
Of course, this is a fabulous idea!! You’re in your comfort zone, the place you spend the majority of your life. Why wouldn’t you want to photograph here?
I ONLY recommend this if there isn’t any clutter. As I always say, consider what you want to remember in twenty years. Clutter isn’t one of them! I loved this session with Erika and Davide because we were able to photograph in their garden as well as their home. Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it!
A Cave!
One of my favorite Austin engagement session ideas! I’ve photographed inside caves a few times, like Ally and Toby’s amazing wedding at Longhorn Caverns or Lindsey and David’s at Natural Bridge Caverns. Most photographers can’t actually handle these kinds of conditions but I’ve worked really hard to learn how to work with so many different lighting challenges and locations. If you can handle walking up and down, while waiting for the perfect shot, this is a fabulous idea for you!
Tiled Checkered Wall
This is a tried and true favorite for an engagement session in Downtown Austin. It looks good as a background, even for headshots. Downtown Austin is an amazing backdrop in general for portraits. We can drive around (or walk, if you’re feelin’ froggy) and find what moves you/me.
Tau Ceti Mural
Not only is there no mural gayer than this mural, but it’s also just stunning at any time of day! This could be the perfect finishing touch to a downtown Austin engagement session.
A Local Park
Of course, a part is always a fabulous choice, especially if it has a special meaning for you and your partner! I have lots of different parks I love to shoot at, especially if you want to have your dog at the engagement session. If you want to bring your doggo, I just require a handle to be brought, so we can get some images sans your puppers.
A Thicket Of Flowers
Everyone knows I call my photography style a “creeper style, like some creepy dude watching you around the corner, except you know I’m here.” I’m a big fan of things in the foreground and flowers always make an incredible and colorful way to make this happen! The best months in Austin for flowers is April and May.
South Congress Murals
Even though this is a seriously bustling location (took me thirty minutes to find parking on this particular day for this photo), South Congress has so much variety to be had! If you’re wanting things a bit more chill, sunrise is a good time to stop at Jo’s Coffee, get a snap in front of the I Love You So Much sign, and then take a leisurely walk around the beautiful Austinite location.
Inside A Coffee Shop
I love this idea. Drew and Dawnielle did this session at Genuine Joe’s Coffee House. It’s such a fun and cozy way to spend time together. Not all coffee shops allow this and for Genuine Joe’s, they do have a fee. Make sure you check up on what that fee might be!
A Hike To Somewhere Beautiful
If you’re super outdoorsy, you should consider a fun hike, like the one at Lost Maples below. We trekked through the long trails, finding amazing locations. When Tori and Chris offered to climb this huge boulder, I was thrilled. Clients that want something unique and willing to literally climb for it always makes my damn day!
When it comes to amazing sessions like this, if it’s less than 2 hours away, I don’t often charge for travel, because I get incredible images for my portfolio. Make sure to contact me to discover different ways we can show your adventurous side!
A Stunning Venue
Some venues actually let you come in for a fee to take advantage of the scenery. This Barr Mansion engagement session made me so happy. We were blessed with a wondrous sunset. If you know me, you know I have a running joke: “Is it a nice sunset? Great, you know I’m not working. So this was a real treat!
Anyway, lots of venues will allow you to shoot there if you pay the fee (fees range from $100-$500, dependent on location and time allotted). Sometimes your own venue will allow this, but I strongly recommend not doing this, the reason being that few couples continue getting professional photos after their wedding, so it’s awesome to get some real background variety for your images!
The Domain
Oh gosh, I practically live here. It has oodles of Pokestops, restaurants, and a great spot to walk the dogs. In Austin, TX, you’ll find the Domain to be really pretty. There are always new and amazing murals being put up that would be a fantastic backdrop for all sorts of images! Be prepared to walk around, and honestly, the absolute best time for The Domain is morning time. It’s very crowded in the evening!
A Distillery Or Bar
I mean, does this need further explanation? Most places will just let you come and maybe even give you a free drink. Just make sure you contact them ahead of time to get permission. We can’t just show up for your engagement session without asking! Otherwise, we’re going to have an incredible time together!
Dress Up In Costume
DRESS UP IN COSTUME. Wear a mask. Get into a dino suit. Just have some serious fun with it all! I doubt you’ll regret it! We can absolutely do some “normal” images and then some super quirky ones! You can see this dinosaur engagement session was just SO FUN!
An Arcade
An arcade is an ultimate playground for me, aside from a carnival. Lots of shapes and colors to work with. These kinds of sessions are definitely quality over quantity with images, so keep that in mind. Pinballz lets you do this for a small fee!
Somewhere Utterly Unique and Amazing
With Chris and Christine, we loaded up in the car, armed with a custom Chex mix that Christine made, and we headed to Monahan Sands. It was quite the experience and even though it didn’t quite work out the way we wanted (we had hoped for galaxy photos), we still had such an incredible experience.
Wrapping Up
No matter what kind of engagement session you have, I can promise that it’ll be a good time! As long as you and your honey agree to just have a good time with it, it’s going to be such a great experience. Remember: the session should reflect how the two of you are together.
As I always say, don’t be afraid to walk away from tradition!
