An Indiana Summer Engagement Session
This engagement session took place at the Wildcat Creek Reservoir Park in Kokomo Indiana. This park is one of the most underrated parks to get your photos at in Kokomo. At first sight it might not look much but don’t let it fool you, it is beautiful and it is especially good at golden hour. Because everything is better at golden hour.
The Wildcat Creek Reservoir Park has a wide variety of background choices for your photos. There is a nicely made trail that goes through the woods that follows the water. The trail is 2.8 miles out and back. The trails are great for a mid day hike in the shade.
Then there is a nice wooden pier that always makes for some romantic photos of you and your partner taking in the scenery.
Last but not least there is a ridge around the water with some shade that makes for the perfect location for a picnic and that is just what we did here with Blair and Ryan.
Why Have an Engagement Session?
It is common now that I have couples think about not having an engagement session but I would like to offer some points to why an engagement session is a great idea.
We are all awkward in front of the camera so I suggest an engagement session so that you can get some good practice for being in front of the camera. It is not only a good time to see what it feels like but it is also a good time to see what it feels like to be led through a photo session by your photographer.
Another reason I suggest an engagement session is because it is a great time to meet and greet with your photographer before your wedding and get used to each other. Because after all you will most likely spend more time with your photographer on your wedding day than anyone else so having some bonding time during an engagement session is a good idea.
Last but not least...you get some banger photos. Engagement sessions to me are the most relaxed environment to get some photos for your save the dates and invites to your wedding.
These points to me are more than enough of an excuse to do an engagement session. At the end of the day it is up to you to take advantage of an engagement session but I just wanted to provide you with some pros that you would miss out on if you chose not to do one.
Engagement Session Tips
Now for some tips for your engagement session if you choose to do one. Make sure to make your session special to you. I am always open to anything creative that is more special to you. Like doing your photos at the house you grew up at, your grandma’s greenhouse, the coffee shop you met at, the park of your first date.
Choosing locations that are special to you are an absolute game changer when it comes to the outcome of the photos. This is because to me photography is about capturing emotion and sometimes that is harder to do with random locations.
But when the location already means so so much to you then you and your partner are already more interested in getting photos at that spot. Therefore making you so much more excited to get your photos taken.
Another tip is to not focus too hard on your outfits. Just dress casual and something that you are comfortable and feel like yourself in. Photoshoots are already outside of most peoples comfort zones so at least try to make your self feel at home with your clothing choices.
Most the time to me outfits that are neutral colors work best because you want the focus to be more on your emotion than your outfits.
These photos are about you being you. The photo industry is focused on making your photos look like someone else's "cute" photos but that is not how I think it should be. These photos should be based on you and who you are, the best engagement photos to me are the ones that truly capture who the couple is.
For instance in this engagement session Blair and Ryan read their bibles to each other during the picnic portion of their session and to me those photos are the best photos from this session because the photos are different than everyone else's photos.
My last tip is timing! For the best photos possible I suggest the best lighting possible and to get the best lighting you either need to have your session near sunrise or sunset to get those sun flairs and golden hour vibes in your photos. I suggest to most my couples to start their session about 45 minutes before sunset so we can take some photos as the sun is going down and then some photos after the sun is going down.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Heya! I am Isaac Beachy, I am a wedding and portrait photographer based in Kokomo, Indiana but traveling everywhere.
In between moments, big laughs, lots of emotion are the types of images I live to capture.
Check out my work or inquire here to get started.
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