Andrea and CJ asked if their engagement session could involve paint. I said yes before they finished the sentence.
So we booked a studio in Atlanta, set up an easel, bought way too much blue paint, and spent an afternoon making a mess. Andrea brought a tiny pink film camera. CJ brought his hair. Both were excellent decisions.
This one is for every couple who's told me "we're not really photo people." You don't have to be. You just have to bring something you actually like doing together and let me follow you around while you do it.
Why a studio engagement session?
I shoot a lot of engagement sessions on Tybee beaches and in downtown Savannah, and I love them. But a studio gives you three things the outdoors can't.
No weather drama. No rain plan, no 95-degree July sweat, no squinting into the sun. We pick the light and it stays put.
No audience. Nobody wandering through the frame, nobody watching you kiss. Couples relax so much faster when it's just the three of us.
A blank canvas, literally. White walls and a few plants mean whatever you bring in becomes the whole story. For Andrea and CJ, that was paint.
The paint, the camera and the easel
We started slow. Andrea at the easel, CJ hugging her from behind, an actual painting coming together on the canvas. Those are the quiet frames, and I always want a few of them in a gallery.
Then Andrea pulled out the little pink camera and started photographing CJ from above while he lay on the floor. I didn't prompt any of it. I just moved around them and shot. Props don't have to be cheesy, they just have to give you something to do with your hands.
And then the paint went where paint goes. Hands first, then arms, then CJ's beard. By the end they were kissing with blue all over their faces and neither of them cared, which is exactly the point.
We finished against a brick wall with one window and the lights off. Moody, close, a little slower. If the first half was the party, this was the walk home.
What they wore (and why it worked)
Andrea's denim overalls might be my favorite engagement outfit of the year. Easy to move in, looks good from every angle, and the paint only made them better. CJ kept it simple in black, which let her tattoos and the paint carry the color.
If your session involves anything messy, wear denim, black, and things you don't mind ruining. If you'll be on the floor a lot, pick overalls, jeans, or a dress you can sit cross-legged in. In a plain white studio, one pop of color (tattoos count!) and lots of texture beats head-to-toe white or tiny busy patterns.
Want to plan your own? The quick version
Plan on about an hour and a half. Bring one activity you actually love doing together: paint, a record player, takeout, a puzzle, your dog. I bring the prompts, a lot of moving around, and zero stiff poses. Everything you see here came from one or two words of direction. Studio rentals vary by city and I'm happy to send you a few I like.
Engagement sessions are $400, and they're an easy add-on to wedding coverage. Full details are on the experience page at savphotoandfilm.com/experience.
Let's make a mess
If you've been putting off engagement photos because the idea of posing in a field makes you want to crawl out of your skin, this is your sign. Bring the thing you love. I'll handle the rest.
I'm Savannah, a wedding and engagement photographer based in Savannah and Tybee Island, GA, and I travel for the fun ones. Share as much or as little as you'd like and I'll reply asap with availability.
