I love shooting in Vancouver!!!!!!!!!  Lauren and Tyler live in Kitsilano and they asked if I’d be willing to travel to Vancouver to photograph their engagement session. Absolutely!!  We were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day, and we took full advantage of it!  The plan was to shoot for a couple hours, but we ended up traipsing all over the city, breaking for dinner and then catching the lovely sunset over English Bay for the grand finale.

There is SO MUCH MORE of this session to come, but this session really epitomizes everything I love about e-sessions and why I feel they are so important.  Here are just a few reasons:

Benefits of an Engagement Session

1. Comfortability – more often than not, my couples will tell me they have never had professional photos done, and that they’re a bit afraid (or a lot afraid, haha) of being in front of the camera.  Truthfully, often one or both of them really don’t want to be there at all when we start.  My approach to photography is very casual, and my mission is always twofold… to put couples at ease and to create incredible imagery for them.  By the end of the session, and without fail, I am told that it wasn’t painful after all, and that they had so much fun.  Music to my ears!!!!
2. Familiarity – we get to know each other during the session.  I learned a lot about Lauren and Ty during our session, and they learned some things about me as well 🙂  We drove around the city together, strolled the Sea Wall and meandered along beaches, shooting and talking.  When I get to the wedding, I already know how they are in front of the camera, and they already know what to expect from me behind it. I’m not a stranger with a camera, I’m a friend documenting their day, and I love that!!
3. Trust – I have a way of seeing a scene that is unique to me.  I don’t just look at a space at its face value, instead I see the finished image.  I enjoy taking in the raised eyebrows and skeptical expressions, saying “Trust me, it’s going to look great!” KNOWING they have no idea how amazing it’s going to look.  The image above is one of those scenes.  The tide was out, leaving the underside of the docks open.  They were smelly and crusty and a bit slimy… oh and there were flies.  It took a bit of convincing to get Tyler to concede the shot, but I knew that this would be the result, and I LOVE this image.  Once couples see the finished product, they know they can trust my weird ideas, which is a huge benefit on the wedding day!
4. Tell your story – Make plans to have your engagement session in a location that’s important to you or that has sentimental value.  Lauren and Tyler chose to have their session close to home, and in places that showcase the beautiful Vancouver views.
5. Wedding Website – wedding websites, complete with wedding information and gift registries, are getting more and more popular.  Your beautiful engagement photos are a perfect fit for the website.
6. Time to Play – seriously, though.  We took a bit of extra time and had dinner while we waited for sunset.  Because we did that, we were able to make this image over the Bay.  The sun had set, the barges were waiting in the bay, a whole group of paddle boarders were still playing out in the water… it was picture perfect!