Sep 05, 2022

Alen and Linda Engagement Shoot

Man and woman posing in park at sunset.

Initial Meeting

We meet Alen and Linda-Ann by a referral from another long-time client and friend of ours in the Dallas area who we have done numerous shoots for them, their family and business. From the moment we chatted on the phone I knew we would click. They are some of the sweetest and kindest people you could ever meet. They are full of joy and their love for each other and genuine friendship is immediately apparent when you meet them.

Deciding on a Location

After meeting we set up their shoots and we instructed them to do an inspiration board for the looks and styles of photography that they liked. When time was getting closer Linda would send various images of what they liked, and we decided that a shoot at an outdoor location was ideal for what they were looking for. This was going to be their engagement pictures and what they are using for their invitation or “Save the Date” cards to send out to their friends and family. So, after going over all the location we have shot at that we thought would be ideal, we decided to do it at the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano, Tx. Arbor Hills is one of the best locations for photography anytime you are wanting an outdoor or woodsy look in the Dallas area.

Alen and Linda Engagement-00259

The Process

Alen and Linda wanted a beautiful sunset with the sun setting behind them and, although a few more clouds would have been nice the images turned out great straight out of the camera. After a few quick adjustments in Lightroom to make them pop and, “Walla” absolutely beautiful engagement photos. Getting photos that look this way can be a little tricky for photographers not trained in lighting. Reason being, if you expose for the sky and the surroundings then your subject is going to be far to dark. Then, if you expose for the subject, the sky and surroundings are too dark. You have to expose for the background and then light your subject with a supplemental light source. The light source also has to be powerful enough to overpower the light from the sun in order to balance the exposure between your environment and your subject. On this shoot we used the battery powered, Godox AD600 studio strobe to accomplish this feat. I had my assistant stand at a 45 degree angle and off to one side and angle the light somewhat down and from above. The light also had a softbox attached to shape and soften the light to give it a more beautiful and natural look. Otherwise you end up with really harsh shadows.

Alen and Linda Engagement-00130

End Result – Beautiful Images

As you can see from the pictures, they turned out absolutely beautiful with full rich colors and detail. They loved them and so did we. The key to getting images this like this is having the right gear as well as the experience and knowledge to use it. Lighting is one of the hardest things to learn in photography, but it really makes a huge difference once you master it.

Alen and Linda Engagement-00126

Ready to Print

Once Linda and Alen received their digital images on their personal online gallery. They were able to go into our store and design their own, personalized wedding invitations with our online software. It is super easy to do and there are a ton of options for personalizing the cards and the envelopes. They turned out great and we are super excited to do the Bridal Portraits next and then the wedding. It is going the be held at Ashton Gardens, in Corinth, Tx. A beautiful venue that is going to give us a lot of amazing images. It is going to day they will never forget, and we are happy that they chose us to help memorialize it for them.

Written By: Rick Porier, CEO and Lead Photographer at DFW Pro Photo

You may also like...
Lots of well-dressed people outside of a Dallas Mansion posing for a magazine photo at sunset.
Boost SEO with Location Tagged Photos

Boost Your Business SEO with Location-Tagged Photos In today’s digital landscape, optimizing your online presence is essential for the success of your business. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays a crucial role in improving your website’s

Read More »