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Beach engagement photography

We’ve photographed many engagement sessions in beautiful and meaningful locations all over Melbourne and beyond. Before the session even starts, we have interviewed you both about your love story so far, so we already know a lot about you and what makes you laugh, cry and show affection.

Couple looking at each other

We’ve chosen a location that means something to you, at the perfect time of day and you’re both looking effortlessly amazing. But no matter how prepared you are, there’s three stages before we get those magical shots… some couples are just quicker than others at moving through the levels!
Outdoor couple photography

1. The giggles.
It’s not a natural thing to be standing in front of a camera with a stranger and even if the location is beautiful and the light is amazing and you’ve picked a perfect pose, it’s still totally normal to be a little awkward at the start. After all, you’re not a model (well probably not) and apart from perhaps some family portraits, you’ve probably never had professional photos taken before.

Sunset engagement photography

2. Comfortable but formal.
Our aim is to get you here as quickly as possible, Iain generally does this by giving you some posing tips and directing you a lot more than he will later in the session. And when we say posing tips, we definitely don’t mean putting your hand on your hip or poking your chin out… it’s very hard to share a real moment with your fiancé while you’re being a teapot!

What we will suggest is to use your hands. Hands look a lot more natural when they are doing something like hugging, tickling or holding another hand. Your favourite person in the world will be next to you, so wrap your arms around them.
Engagement photography

3. The bubble.
You know you’re in the bubble if you find yourself saying things like, “Iain, we got distracted. What are we supposed to be doing again?” This is basically Iain’s favourite phrase to hear at a session. It means we’ve reached the point where you’re relaxed enough in front of the camera to just focus on each other. This is where the best photos happen, this is where people laugh, smile and sometimes even cry.
Engagement photos
We generally like to schedule shoots during the last 90 minutes leading up to sunset so that you’ve got plenty of time to reach the bubble. It’s not something that can be forced and it’s not your job to worry about it either, just enjoy yourselves and let Iain guide you and take charge of capturing the moment.
Beach engagement photography
And the best part is, if we’ve already photographed you for an engagement session, it’s most likely that on your wedding day, you will be able to skip stage one and sometimes stage two as well, and just enjoy the moment for what it is. The day you marry the love of your life.
Couple on a bridge during sunset