Last week Geoff Wright asked me (along with Ashley Thalman & Leah Wright) to come to the Video Production & Photography class he teaches at BYU. After presenting some of my work and answering a few questions about the way I approach photography, we each got the chance to demonstrate what an actual shoot by us looks like. While I love to actually talk about and exhibit my work, I was a little nervous to have to actually create work while students watched. It’s one thing to make a couple feel comfortable in front of me & my camera, but it’s another to make them feel like looking cute and in love in front of me, my camera and a rotating cast of students (each with their own camera.)

Lucky for me this shoot went off without a hitch. In fact, it went so well that I thought I’d post what I talked about with Geoff’s students.

Before I go any further I want to give a special thanks to my engaged couple, Jessica Shumway and Brent Froberg. They were a dream to shoot. Congratulations you two.

Engagement School: Three Thoughts by Trevor Christensen.

1. A Portrait of Love

First of all, I like to use a very specific term when I talk about engagement photography. To me, a great engagement photo is not just an image with two people smiling in it. A great engagement photo is a a portrait of love. A portrait of love can be happy or solemn or playful or serious. It doesn’t have to mean that you can see the couples faces or that they’re looking deep into each others eyes or totally making out. A portrait of love simply means that the photo conveys that those two people are in love. However you choose to portray that love is up to you.

What a portrait of love is not is silly props or gratuitous photos of the ring. Portraits of love are about the subjects and their relationship. Make sure that is your main focus. Everything you do should be about illustrating how your subjects feel about each other.

2. Relax

The second thing that is very important to the way I work is making my subjects comfortable. Most people have a hard time getting their picture taken, so it’s my job as a photographer to make them feel at ease. This is done by simply talking to them. Be engaging and be curious. Soon they’ll be talking about what they’re passionate about they’ll forget that they were ever worried about you taking their picture in the first place.

Helping your subjects feel relaxed wont come all at once. I typically spend the first 10-20 minutes of the session talking to my subjects. No cameras, just us. Get to know the people you’re shooting. Once you do, you’ll find that they’ll naturally open up.

3. Focus on Each Other

So having your client talk about themselves, their work and their passions will put them at ease, but you know what makes someone happy? Talking about the person they’re in love with. The people you’re shooting really can’t not smile as they relive their first date or how nervous he was when he proposed. Ask them about each other, your subjects will naturally forget you & your camera and start to think about the person that they’re in love with. This is the time to capitalize on those cute laughing/smiling/kissing moments.

Have your camera ready, they come quick.

Each couple will express love and affection differently. Some are passionate, some are peaceful. Figure out how they like to show love for each other and illustrate it. It’s not your job to tell them how act, it is your job to help bring out their natural chemistry.

Remember: If you want to make a portrait of love, remind the couple that they’re in love.

After receiving these photos, Jessica sent me this email:

Thank you so much!!!

You really did such a good job capturing moments with us. They’re very real too, which I love. Also, side note, thanks so much for being so easy to work with. Brent was dreading doing this and he actually really enjoyed it and thought you were pretty cool. It was so therapeutic to do this shoot and you helped us remember life is good. So thank you, life changer!

Thanks again!

Jessica

That email made my day.

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