Like most professional wedding and engagement photographers, we have a well-defined style. We are documentarians who capture the most important moments. We also aim to create art with the portraits we take. Our work is bright and bold, and the more colorful we can make it, the better. If you flip through our portfolio, you’ll also see that many of our pictures also have a sense of intimacy. Certain portraits give you the feeling that the couple are lost in their own little world. That even if there are dozens or hundreds of people around, they only notice each other. That no one and nothing else on Earth matters. This portrait is an excellent example of that. We created an intimate Northern VA engagement image in which all you can see is the love they have for one another.
Intimate engagement portraits don’t happen by accident, of course. We do sometimes capture the little spontaneous moments that transpire between two people who love each other. But frankly, most of the people whom we photograph in an engagement session are nervous. They’ve never had professional portraits of themselves before. So they come to their photoshoot tense and stiff. They don’t feel fully relaxed, even in each other’s arms. And that’s not a good precondition for intimate engagement images.
Does this sound like you and your future spouse? If so, not to worry! We have some very good ways to help create a sense of intimacy when you’re feeling awkward. Here’s how we do that:
One of the most critical elements of an intimate picture is minimal physical separation. It’s not the only thing that matters, of course. But it’s hard to feel that the couple is alone in the world if they are far from each other. So we get you (and more specifically your faces) as close to one another as possible.
In a similar vein, you need to see that there is something binding the two people together. Some force that is pulling them together and drowning out the world around them. That can either be a physical connection – bodies together, hands on each other – or direct eye contact. So we make sure that you’re either touching each other or looking one another in the eyes.
An intimate engagement image is a peaceful engagement image. What do we mean by that? Essentially, the couple should only be focusing on one another. Nothing and no one else is competing for their attention. And over time, we’ve learned that it can take a little time for a couple to get to that place. We’ve also learned that it doesn’t always take much to pull them out of that zone. So we’ll do what is necessary to keep the outside world from disturbing you while we’re getting those intimate shots.
When we do our jobs right, we give our couples intimate engagement photos like this one. These future spouses might as well be the only two people on Earth. Why? Because they are physically close to one another – there is barely any space between them. Because there is an obvious connection – his nose on her forehead and her hand on his chest. And because there is clearly nothing distracting them.
On a completely separate topic, this image also illustrates a point we make with a lot of our couples. Many of them worry if we haven’t photographed at their wedding venue before. We tell them a little secret that only professional wedding photographers know. Namely, that the setting doesn’t matter as much as they think. You could take a qualified professional photographer, blindfold them, plop them down in an unfamiliar place, take off the blindfold and let them go to work, and you’d still love the results. And this photo is a great example of that. Looking at it, would you ever guess that we took it in the basement garage of our condo building in Northern VA? The setting is so incidental to the power of the image that we’re betting that you wouldn’t!
Interested in learning more about our services? Please visit our Wedding Photography FAQ page for answers to all your questions! Ready to inquire about our availability on your wedding date? Contact us now to get the conversation started!
Location: 3835 9th St N, Arlington, VA 22203.
Keywords: Virginia Bride, Virginia Engagement Session (2).© 2023 Potok's World Photography - Husband & Wife Washington DC Wedding Photographers
