Engagement session locations and suggestions for planning an awesome photoshoot!
London Ontario Wedding and Engagement Photographer
Usually for many couples the first professional photos they get as a couple is their engagement photos, they usually know where and when they want their wedding day to happen but not always where engagement photos should happen as well! A lot of couples are always looking for suggestions for locations for their engagement images so I thought it would be a good idea to put together a little blog post with some of my favourite places/awesome locations for some lovely photos!
Komoka park is located a couple of minutes right outside of Byron! My favourite part about shooting in this awesome location is that it has fields and forest virtually right beside each other so if you want the nature look but can’t decide between the open field look or the forest look you can have both! The other nice thing is that it is such a lovely location for any season for photos.
I just photographed an engagement session there last May and it was a great choice! The nice thing about Sifton Bog is that it is located right in London off of Oxford street and it super easy to get to. It is a nature reserve located right in town and has two separate sides. You can walk right down the boardwalk area towards the water or up the other side to a more forest area. Even shooting the session in early spring the location was lovely! It has so much greenery to offer, fields, forest and water!
The Civic Gardens is kind of part of Springbank Park but has a greenhouse and actually is a wedding venue itself! The nicest part about this location is that it has a ton of manicured gardens, a small pond and in the spring time also has magnolia trees! This location is nicest for spring or summer sessions in my opinion just because of the gorgeous gardens. If you like this location, I would personally recommend doing a weekday session to avoid interrupting weddings.
This was actually suggested by one of my winter brides as she wanted to do a summer engagement session to balance out her winter wedding! She also knew the area very well and we were able to find a small part of private beach that offered a ton to work with. It was nice to be able to be in a less public place and avoid other people. Mind you Grand Bend is lovely even if you are on the main beach, as it gets less busy at sunset anyways. You could probably guess this but I would recommend summer time at sunset if you choose a session on the beach, it allows for better light and therefore better photos!
Brescia is also a new location I had the pleasure of photographing at last year. It was a beautiful venue if you are looking for a cool older building to incorporate into your photos, this also includes Western Campus as well. I did photograph a wedding on Western Campus in the fall and it was gorgeous with all the fall colours, the spring was also a lovely time for this venue as they also have a magnolia tree on the property.
I have shot plenty of wedding’s at this amazing venue but just recently discovered that it is a beautiful place for engagement photos as well! Their grounds are just gorgeous and there is so much to work with. Aside from the main mansion, they also have such a large property with nature tails all out back!
Springbank Park is a pretty typical place if you are a London native, it is one of the largest and most beautiful parks right in the middle of Byron! It is a very popular place for images as it has a river that goes right through, magnolia trees in the spring and plenty of forested areas so that you can get a lot of diversity into your images in a small area! The nice thing about Springbank Park is that it is also super easy to get to and with so many different places to photograph your images will never look the same as someone else getting images done in the same place!
Last but not least is Downtown London! What makes this area so nice is that it is completely different from all the parks and nature in this post. This area is also pretty diverse as their are plenty of places around downtown to have your images done, from old staircases to graffiti walls! It is for sure worth considering, especially if your wedding will be in a nature filled area for something completely different!
Some extra little engagement session advice:
* Book your session at least 2 months before your wedding date, this allows your photographer time to edit and return your photos to you in time to use them for your wedding day!
* Choose a location that means something to you as a couple! These listed above are just some places I like to shoot and have nice locations for sessions but if you as a couple have a place in mind it means so much more when it has special meaning to you!
* Choose a time of day that compliments the location! I always try to deter my couples from choosing noon as a time of day to shoot, this is because direct sunlight is not super flattering. I always try and suggest doing a session later in the evening as it is the nicest time to shoot!
* I also like to suggest that brides get their hair and makeup professionally done for their engagement session. You could use the opportunity to do your bridal trial or even just to see what type of makeup you prefer!
No matter where or when you decide to do your engagement photos always talk to your photographer, they are there to help you make decisions so that you get the best possible engagement photos for you as a couple!
Sincerely,
**Michelle A Photography is now booking weddings for 2017 and 2018! Contact hello@michelleaphoto.com to book your FREE consultation today!**
