Basic Preparation for Your Engagement Photos

1. Good timing - Photos in the middle of the day will create harsh shadows on people's faces.  There are ways to avoid that by using artificial lights, but if you want natural airy, romantic, soft looking photos, I would suggest scheduling your photo session during the "golden hour", which is 2 hours before sunset.  In the summer time, in California will be between 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

2. Get your Makeup and hair done by a professional - I know no one knows your skin and hair better than anyone else, but trust me makeup and hair on photos can look different for photography.  Leave it up to the professional to get the best results, for example, they are professionally trained to pick up the correct foundation for your skin to look the best on camera, and they know how to contour and highlight your beautiful face etc.  Most importantly, is that getting your hair and makeup done by a professional makes you feeling very confident about your look for the photo session. 

3. Outfit choices - Keep it simple and coordinate.  There are many articles by photographers on this topic, but I'll narrow it down to keep it simple and coordinate your clothes with each other.  Also make sure you are wearing something you are comfortable with, which will help you feel more confident.  Chose outfits to compliment the location is also a good thing to remember when selecting an outfit for the photo session.