A Guide to Planning a Detroit Engagement Session
Engagement photos are one of my favorite parts of the process. They’re about slowing down for a minute and documenting what your relationship actually feels like right now in the exciting in-between season before everything changes.
Choosing a location
When we start planning your engagement session, the first thing I ask you to think about is location. I want you to choose a place that feels like you. That might be the place you first met, your neighborhood, your favorite park, or just somewhere that matches your energy as a couple. I loved how Lindsay and Connor took his vintage Mercedes out for a spin down a dirt road during their engagement session, documenting an ordinary act for the two of them.
If you don’t have a particular location in mind, but know there’s a feeling or an energy you want to convey with the session, I’m always happy to make a suggestion. Looking to stay outside of the summer heat and shoot indoors? Let’s take a spin around the Fisher Building or the DIA. Want dynamic light and lines that make your engagement session feel like modern art? Let’s shoot downtown in the afternoon, when the glass buildings throw the sun around in delightful and unexpected ways. Love the outdoors and being in the woods? Palmer Park is 296 acres of meadows and historic woodlands right in the city. Want an epic and undeniably Detroit sunset? Then we’re headed to Belle Isle where you can watch the best view of the sun setting the city has to offer.
Timing the light
Light matters a lot, so I typically guide you toward shooting during golden hour. That soft, low light just before sunset (or just after sunrise, if you’re an early bird and feeling ambitious) gives everything a warmth that’s hard to fake and honestly makes you look like a million bucks (90% of flattering photography is good light and good angles).
What You Two Bring
During the session, I’m not looking for you to perform. I’ll give you direction when you need it, but what I’m really after is how you naturally interact. We’ll walk, talk, laugh, and wander a bit. The goal is to create space for real moments to happen, not force them.
We’ll always get a mix of both composed portraits that you can frame for your grandma, and a lot of candid, in-between moments for you to come back to.
If there’s something meaningful you want to bring along, I’m always open to it. A second outfit, an object, your dog (please bring your dog), whatever feels like part of your life together. But it’s never required. The most important thing is you two showing up as yourselves.
At the end of the day, engagement photos aren’t about perfection. They’re about your connection. If you’re looking for a photographer for your Detroit engagement session or proposal, reach out.
