What can I say about Dana and Aaron? It was such a dream to be their photographer for this Midwest autumn engagement session. I thought it was so fitting that we met up in October —their wedding will be almost exactly a year after their engagement session! The light in October is golden, soft and dreamy. Perfect to be able to photograph this beautiful couple in love!
Autumn Engagement Photography in Missouri
We began our engagement session at Dana and Aaron’s historic home in Troy, MO. Their house is over 100 years old and has a beautiful wrap-around porch. They moved in shortly after they got engaged in July, and they have put a lot of love into their new home. I loved getting to know this couple better. Dana is an amazing hairstylist at Head 2 Toes Salon in Wentzville, and Aaron is a Missouri State Trooper. They are both fitness buffs and they met at the local gym.
At their wedding consultation, Aaron expressed concern about not liking the way he smiles in photos. This is actually one of the main reasons why I insist on scheduling engagement sessions for all of my wedding couples: I want them to learn to relax in front of the camera! During an engagement session, couples can experience how much fun it is and get over their photo jitters! I have a couple of “secret weapons” to keep couples laughing & having a good time.
Rustic Midwest Engagement Photos
After we took some pictures at Dana and Aaron’s home, we headed over to Dana’s Aunt and Uncle’s farm in Old Monroe. There were beautiful fields and an old barn to use as a backdrop for this engagement session. While Aaron was initially nervous about his smile, it was wonderful to see him relax. The love he and Dana share was easy to photograph. Plus, Dana looked truly gorgeous. She changed into two different stylish outfits and brought several accessories and looked great in everything! Couples like this make my job as a photographer easy!
One of my favorite moments of the day was at the farm. I used a long lens so I could back away far enough to give Dana and Aaron a private moment. I told them to whisper into each other’s ears, which resulted in some very sweet smiles, TONS of giggles and some great big belly-laughs! With the longer lens, I was able to capture this candid, fun moment between the two of them, without intruding.
Staged Candid Moments and Successful Poses
I care very deeply about making sure people look great in their photos! I’m not shy about telling couples that we do lots of poses that I refer to as “staged candids.” I set my couples up for success, then give them some direction to get them to interact naturally. It is very important to me that no one ever looks at their photos and thinks “That’s such a cute shot… but, I wish I didn’t have a double chin there.”
I teach my couples what to do to look great in pictures so that they never have “photo anxiety” again. This makes their wedding day super fun and relaxed! Once Aaron saw these engagement photos, he told me he felt much less nervous about taking pictures on his wedding day.
Mission accomplished!
Thank you, Dana and Aaron, for asking me to be your wedding photographer! I can’t wait to photograph your October wedding next year!
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