Engagement session: capturing the day after

couple at breakfast during engagement photo session in Venice
A photo session the day after an engagement captures the couple’s serene happiness, full of hope and confident love.

Working as a professional engagement photographer, I am often hired to capture the moment the would-be husband propose to the lady and her reaction. Lately I was  asked to photograph a ‘just-engaged’ couple: the man choose a private moment of their holiday in Venice to deliver his proposal and reserved an engagement photo portrait on the day after.

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Silhouette photographs for couple portraits: shooting the shapes of love

Silhouette of a couple basking in engagement bliss as they face each other in a dimly lit alley. The man, sharp in his suit, and the woman, elegant in high heels, exude romance. A brick wall looms behind them, with daylight hinting at a promising future beyond the alley.
Russian couple kissing under an arcade during an engagement photo shooting in Venice
I shot this silhouette photograph during an engagement photo service in Venice with a young Russian couple.

When I am hired to shoot couple portraits during engagement, wedding or honeymoon photo services, I often use the silhouette technique. By calibrating shadows and lights one can get photographs focused on the bodies’ edges, leaving aside the color of the hair, the facial expressions, the details of the outfit and, in some cases, even the beauty of the surrounding landscape. Continue reading “Silhouette photographs for couple portraits: shooting the shapes of love”

Wells in Venetian squares: nice ‘accessories’ for photo shootings

A couple in black and gold medieval costumes poses with masks in front of a canal, creating a striking portrait. The scene, perfect for a wedding shoot, features colorful historic buildings and bare trees, hinting at a winter or early spring setting.
couple sitting on a well in Venice during steampunk photo reportage
This couple hired me for shooting a steampunk story in Venice and they had a photo portrait shot with a well on the background.

 

There are at least 600 wells in Venice: most of them can be seen in the middle of the squares while others are inside courtyards or gardens. The former were mostly public wells (even if they were often built thanks to the ‘sponsorship’ of rich families), the latter were private ones.

 

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A SURPRISE ENGAGEMENT..UNEXPECTED BY THE PHOTOGRAPHER HIMSELF!

Engagement photo shooting usually implies a certain amount of surprise: the future bride is not informed about the future groom’s intention to propose. On the other hand, the photographer is usually well aware of it, as the future groom agreed with him or her about the time and place of the engagement shots.
Well, I recently experienced a different, curious situation: I was appointed a couple portrait in Venice by a young Russian couple. We were just completing the first half of our informal photo stroll when the young men told me that he wanted to propose that very day to the lady and asked for advice. I had to think a bit about it and then proposed to use a kind of trick.

We arrived by ferry at the picturesque island of San Giorgio and I took some pictures of the young couple with the Canal Grande and Piazza San Marco on the background . Then I pretended to have to answer an urgent call and left the couple alone. My camera had been set to shoot a video in the meanwhile.

And what did the camera catch? The two young people were hugging and exchanging sweet words when the man suddenly fell down on his knees and took a ring out of his pocket. The lady suddenly broke into tears and cried for a long time. He hugged her again, softly talked to her and, just to be sure that her reaction was due to surprise and joy, asked once again if she wanted to marry him. The lady eventually nodded without stopping crying, as you can see in these pictures.

I entered the stage and took the last few shots in that soft, romantic atmosphere of smiles and tears…

Well, in case you need an experienced photographer and a consultant for last-minute wedding proposals, just email me.

For further examples of engagement photography in Venice see my webiste, or read my ebook on photography settings in Venice.