Looking for some engagement photo inspiration? Not sure what types of poses or compositions you want? Over the past few years I have shot engagement and couple photos around Hawaii, California, and Mainland Mexico, and I have found a couple tricks to getting the best out of our sessions. The most important thing when concepting your own shoot is make sure it speaks to who you are. Below are some tips and advice for getting the most out of your engagement session, hope you can find some things here that might spark an idea.

1. Coordinate outfits

First, having outfits that look good together helps the structure of the composition. The colors could be the same between the two, or they can be different colors/patterns as long as they go well together. Bonus points if the outfits also fits wit the environment you're shooting in. In this case, the white outfits sit well with the deep green environment.

2. Multiple looks in one scenario

When you have an idea of what kind of images you're looking for, it's best to do several different poses in each scenario to get a range to choose from. When I take a couple out for a shoot, in each location I usually ask for 3 poses: smiling at the camera, smiling at each other, and kissing. This gives them a range to choose from, and it lets me see how comfortable they are to help decide what to do next.

3. Book at least an hour photo session

Some photographers book half-hour sessions and 45-minute sessions, but if you want to get the most bang for your buck, get a 1-hour photo session. Anything shorter and you tend to only get photos in one scenario. In contrast, the above images were taken during a 1 hour session, where we were able to get some jungle photos, some photos with the mountains, and photos down by the beach. If we were on a shorter schedule, we might have gotten 2 of those 3 scenarios, so

4. Tight crops

Depending on your vision, it is nice to sometimes get cropped images of those "in-between" moments. Less structured, more in-the-moment, these tend to be a little more artsy and can help balance the traditioinal poses if you're looking for a more candid photo session.

5. Let nature do the work

If you have a beautiful location, make sure to get some pulled-back images to soak in the scenery. Not every photo has to be a traditional portrait where the couple fills most of the frame, so having compositions that captures the surrounding landscape/seascape lets the viewer enjoy your love and the beauty that surrounds you.

6. Loosen Up

More often than not, the photos you enjoy the most are the ones you look most comfortable in. If you are a quirky couple, let it shine. There is no right or wrong when it comes to poses and composition for engagement photos, just what feels good and what doesn't :)

7. Hire the right photographer

Knowing the best locations is one thing, but knowing the best time of day for lighting, the best tides to shoot certain locations, and best locations based on weather is what an experienced photographer (like me!) brings to the table.

And there you have it, everything you should know about a Hawaii elopement! Engagement photos on any of Hawaii’s beautiful islands will be nothing short of amazing, and I highly recommend shooting on any of our beautiful beaches or mountains. If there’s anything I missed in this article I’d love to answer any of your questions, please don’t hesitate to email or call. And if you’re looking for a Hawaii wedding photographer, I’d love to connect with you to help build your dream engagement photo session in Hawaii!

7 Tips For The Perfect Hawaii Engagement Photos