A lovely, relaxed afternoon engagement photo session in the beautiful Wilverley Inclosure, in the heart of The New Forest.
Those who follow me regularly, i'm sure have worked out by now that I really love the New Forest, and that my favourite spot to photograph couples in the forest is Wilverley Inclosure. I always use the same spot, which is where 3 paths meet (so it doesn't matter what time of day it is or which direction the sun is pointing). It just looks great in every season - leafy and green like in these lovely, late-summer photos. New places are great, but sometimes, I think, why on Earth would I go out and find other spots in the forest for photos, when I know exactly what i'm doing at Wilverley?!
Engagement shoots are part of all of my wedding photography packages, so couples can choose to have their 'practice session' wherever they like. Some couples like to go for their wedding location, to get to know the spots a bit better; some like to go to the place they got engaged; some like the beach and some like the forest. If it's dealers (or photographers!) choice, I will always recommend the forest. It's my happy place - and why wouldn't it be?! Just look at how beautiful it is!
Last weekend's engaged couple, ready to practice their wedding day posing, were the lovely Netty and Chris. We met a couple of months ago after they found me online and liked the fact that I have photos of my cats on my website! They even got engaged at a cat sanctuary! We bonded over our mutual love of felines, and so here we are now, all ready to go for their big day at the end of the month.
Lots of people get nervous before their engagement shoot. It's perfectly normal to feel a bit uncomfortable having someone point a camera in your face and asking you to hold hands or even share a chaste kiss! At first, every time I said they could relax fro a pose, both Netty and Chris sprung apart from each other, so that they weren't touching any more, but it didn't take long for them to get comfortable in front of the camera. By the end of the session, they weren't even bothered by the few curious hikers seeing what they were up to while out for their Saturday afternoon walk.
I think they absolutely nailed it on their practice shoot; looking like they had been modelling for years. They had fun and kept bursting out laughing - which looks GREAT in photos, even if it starts out as an awkward laugh!
Everyone feels somewhat awkward in front of a camera, but if you throw yourself into it, and you have the person you love by your side, you can end up with gorgeous, natural-looking photos like these. I love these photos, and can't wait for the wedding!
