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We are not good at taking pictures. Really not good. Like ultimate Chandler Bing syndrome—a camera comes out, and we’re wincing, squinty, dorky messes. I look at most pictures of myself, and I’m like EW TELL ME I DON’T REALLY LOOK LIKE THAT. We don’t even have pictures of any of the cool scenic places we’ve been because we’re too awkward to ask a stranger for the favor.
Predictably, 99% of the pictures of us are completely unacceptable by any standard. Awkward self-portraits? THAT we can handle.
College pictures…self-explanatory:
There are some pictures that might be cute, if one of us wouldn’t have pulled a face. Or in PDog’s case, instead of posing, he picks me up. Take the one below, where his tactic could have been cute. Instead…there’s me. WHAT is with my face?
We even blink in candid photos:
OR—best case scenario, we are ghostly washed-out, and it appears that I am wearing no makeup.
Again with the last one. PDog managed to look handsome AND not blink…and I look sleep deprived, makeup-less, and facially bloated.
I can’t believe I’m sharing these on the Internet. But I feel like I had to so you can understand the stakes of engagement photos. This is finally a shot at having decent photos to frame or show our future, hypothetical children.
Here is my plan:
1. Hit up the MAC counter for tips on makeup
2. Have a glass of wine pre-shoot
3. Wear comfortable clothes—no sucking in or readjusting
4. Tell our photog if there’s a pose we’re uncomfortable with
5. Study this hilarious “How NOT to Pose in Your Engagement Pictures” session
Any ideas for me? This is a cry for help.
Oh my god, you two are so freaking adorable. But really, I know how you feel. Before our e-pics, we had very few pictures that didn’t have a beer in them…or weren’t self taken.
I can’t wait to see some PD e-pics now!
Awww you two are such a good looking couple that your pictures are awesome by default! Don’t worry about it and be happy and that will show through in your pics. 
glass of WHITE wine def helped before my e pics.. you dont want to have purple teeth!
You guys are wicked cute together! I love the pictures where he’s picking you up. Did I mention how cute you guys are???
You both look adorable! But, I have a degree in tv/film and spent a loooot of time looking at myself on camera/film, so these are some easy ways to make sure you look your best:
- spend some time posing in front of your mirror. nothing crazy, but you want to be familiar with what angles/poses play up your best features (I don’t love my nose, so I tend to pose with my chin tilted slightly down and to the right)
- consciously pull your shoulders down (away from your ears) and stand up straight in your pictures - no hunching over slumping!
-close your eyes right before your photographer takes the picture and then open them - this helps make you look extra “present” in your photos and less glazed over
- ask your photographer to take a break if you start feeling too overwhelmed
i went and got my hair and makeup done professionally. worth the money b/c i could not have done it myself! I am a million times happier with the results this way!
@AprilBride10: those are amazing tips! i’m totally practicing them before the wedding, haha. nerd alert.
We take awful pictures too! Of course you look cute in the ones here but I get that they aren’t the look you want for your epics. I was also pretty worried but I think ours worked out okay. Here’s my advice:
Wear more makeup than you usually do. Not a crazy amount, but it shows up better in pictures if you have more on. MAC is a good source for tips on that.
Wear something that makes you feel beautiful. Comfortable is good, but if you know you look hot its going to make you more confident.
Listen to your photog. We hired a really experienced one because we knew we would need her advice and help with posing. She had tons of ideas and was great about reminding us to adjust little things like feet and bra straps.
Finally, relax and enjoy it! We had so much fun doing ours and even though we’re waiting to get the pics back, we feel really confident that they’ll be great. Good luck!
@AprilBride10: great tips!
@Miss Prairie Dog: I think the photos you posted are super-cute, and I like that they let your personality shine through - isn’t that what e-photos are all about anyway? I think it’s a great idea to get comfortable in front of the camera, but try not to let yourself get too nervous, or practice too hard - you still want to look like yourselves!
We take terrible pictures too. Partly that’s because we get so nervous, particularly FI. He was more nervous during our engagement photo session than I have ever seen him in the 3 years I’ve known him. Unfortunately most of the shots didn’t come out well as a result of our nerves.
However, that’s why our photographer calls it a “getting to know you session” rather than e-pics and said that if we survived that we’ll do great at the wedding. And as a result we learned a lot about how we do and do not look good in pics.
My advice: have photos taken of you in your potential outfits beforehand from all sides (not just you looking at yourself in the mirror from the front). And make sure to be aware of your neck. It’s very easy to lean back and have no neck.
Awww, I think you’re both very photogenic! I love that Mr. PD picks you up in photos; it’s super cute and I agree with Mrs. Husky that it showcases your personality as a couple!
So one of the Bees posted a little tutorial tippy thingy for posing, and I totally read it and re-read it… but I forgot my poses.
However. I think if you have fun, you’ll be great!
I think you look fine in those pics! And once the photog starts snapping the pics, the e-session becomes really fun and not so stressful. For me, it was more the anticipation of taking the pics and wanting them to be perfect that stressed me out.
I totally feel you! I am a paley-palerson myself!
If there’s a Sephora near you: they will do your makeup for free as long as you buy a $50 gift card. They airbrushed my makeup, which felt heavy since I don’t normally wear that much–but looked sooooo good in pics! And the airbrush BLUSH was amazing!!
And DEFINITELY have some wine/champagne beforehand. It was really awkward for me, but after a few minutes, it gets a lot easier!
I am in the exact same boat, but was lucky enough to have an amazing photographer who knew that sometimes quantity is the key! She took hundreds of pics, one right after the next, seriously seconds apart, and although many turned out awful, there was almost always one of each pose (sometimes more) that I loved! Talk to your photog, tell them the prob, and ask them to take a lot. In the end you can pick out the handful that you like and leave the rest behind.
Oh for goodness sakes,
you are very attractive! The photo where you complain that you look like you’re not wearing makeup and have a fat face… YOU LOOK HOT! As in gorgeous. So never fear your engagement pics will be awesome.
Okay what am I missing here?(not being snarky, but serious). You two are perfect for photos. The cute quirkiness that you two have in photos is EXACTLY what you (most) people want. You want to look at the photos and see yourself, in all the genuineness that you are. I rather prefer the silly, quirky engagement photos, as it shows the couple is completely comfortable, lighthearted, fun, and most important themselves. While I do value the serious and romantic shots, I think that you two look fantastic together. No worries fellow bee you will be great as long as you are yourselves
Happy Planning!
K.
Aw, you guys are adorable! Yeah, we’re pretty much the opposite honestly. I love having my picture taken. However, the absolute best pictures the two of us have, including engagement pictures, are the ones where we’re being ourselves. Do things you think are cute, not things you’re uncomfortable with, and you should be fine.
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Mrs. Prairie Dog, Cincinnati Age and Occupation: 24, Program Coordinator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PhD/Biomedical Engineer Engagement Date: December 18, 2009 Wedding Date: May 2011 Venue: Glendale Lyceum About Me: I'm a pilgrim soul of a girl with a house full of books and a coffee addiction that could slay Juan Valdez. My life is a whirl of grammar correction, good music, glue-gunning, and two pets named Hazel and Winston Churchill. I'm marrying my high school boyfriend in a formal-ish spring affair, roughly themed: "Elizabeth Bennet crashes a party co-hosted by Jay Gatsby and Cath Kidston, and loves it."
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