I met Lindsay and Joe just a couple of days before their wedding at Montana De Oro in Los Osos. These photos highlight what a California Engagement session will look like! They live in Southern California and since our schedules didn’t match, we decided on doing their engagement photos when they arrived on Friday afternoon.

Beforehand, these two told me that they were very apprehensive about getting their photo taken. They said they always feel awkward and don’t really enjoy having their photo taken. Honestly, the majority of society feels this way. Unless you are a model, I expect you to feel anxious, have some jitters, and overall feel awkward for the first part of the session. This is NORMAL! Even I feel anxious leading up to a session and need a few minutes to warm up. One trick to help with nerves, alcohol!! So they brought a couple of BuzzBalls and drank them right beforehand.

So how do we get those natural photos, anyway??

I don’t just jump right into photos. First, I spend some time chatting with my couples, getting to know them, and have them get a little more comfortable around me. I typically start with some movement prompts to begin the session. Some prompts include walking together, holding hands, and sharing with one another what they cherish most about the other person.

Here is what Joe said after their engagement and wedding photos.

“It’s a bit of a running joke in my wife’s family now non-photogenic we are. Standing in romantic poses can be awkward and weird! Especially when you’re all dressed up and all eyes are on you. I’m not sure how she did it, but Michelle pulled us right out of our awkwardness and made us feel at ease. Before the wedding, I was legitimately worried that we would get these photos back and I would hate them. But seriously, we couldn’t be happier with them. The quality of the photos are suburb. She was able to capture so many moments that just flew by in the wedding that it was like reliving it for a second time. All the “posed” photos turned out so good!

She starts laughing, then the group starts laughing, then all of us are really enjoying ourselves and she captures that moment. My wife and I wanted to make a photo book but it’s almost impossible to narrow them down to the “good ones” because there are so many of them! She’s seriously amazing. Worth every penny. 10 out of 10. Would absolutely hire her again and recommend her to anyone. Especially those people who need a little encouragement to smile, like myself. She made all the difference.”

Just look how adorable these two are!!

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Check out these other fun engagement sessions!

• Taylor & Peter Engagement at The Jim Green Trail in Atascadero, California
• Tracey & Blake Engagement at Lorianna & Avila Beach
• Kristen & Aaron Engagement at Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande, California