Happy Friday!!! And welcome to another installment of Thank Goodness it’s Foto Friday. Today I wanted to talk about using props in engagement and wedding photos.
Quick Tips for Using Props
When it comes to adding props to an engagement session or during the bride and groom’s portrait session during a wedding I like to operate on a couple principles…
Is the prop personal? Or somehow represents the couple?
Keep it simple – (too many props can end up being chaotic and out of place)
Plan ahead
Long before the engagement session or wedding has even begun I meet with my couple and talk with them…About what they love to do, what their hobbies are, separately and together? How they met. What their style is. Do they have any favorite, magazines, tv shows or blogs? And even something as simple as a favorite color. From chatting with them I get a feel of their personalities individually and as a couple.
An example – My couple Casey & Michelle loooooves rustic chic, barns, and really wants to incorporate their wedding colors in the shoot. They also love spending time together at their local Starbucks where the baristas know them by name and have their favorite drink waiting for them. From that information I have my locations that I will be looking for and …. a simple prop, a Starbucks coffee mug.
It may be simple, but it was personal to them (which is huge to me). I NEVER want to introduce a prop for prop sake. (You can see more of Michelle & Casey’s engagement session – here.)
Planning ahead – If I know the couple I’m working with has spent a lot of time finding and making a particular DIY prop, especially if it is for a wedding, I make sure I have time to really play up that prop. I love when couples make their own. It adds again – a personal touch.
Wrap Up
I absolutely adore when couples add personal items to their photo sessions. It adds another layer of depth…Another way to really communicate who they are as a couple. This is why I never impose props just because it may look cute, because if it doesn’t fit my couple then ultimately it’s taking away from the emotion. It’s about their love and who they are as people.
