Scheduling
When
Choosing the time of year, day of the week, and time of day for your engagement session
Time of Year
When choosing what season to do your engagement session in, there are a few things to keep in mind.
1) Do you want the pictures to have the same season and vibe as your wedding photos, or do you want them to be different?
Some people look to the engagement session as an extension of their wedding day photos and may want their engagement photos to have a similar feeling to the ones we will be taking on your wedding day. However, some people like to choose a time of the year that has a much different feeling than their wedding will have. The good news is that there is no wrong answer for your preference!
2) The next thing to remember when making this decision is your personal weather preferences.
Unless you request a specific indoor location that means a lot to you, we will most likely be outdoors for the engagement session. If you are often cold and dislike being outside in the winter, we suggest avoiding the colder months for your session. Alternatively, sticking to more moderate months may be a better bet if you don't do well in the heat and tend to sweat a lot.
3) We will also want to monitor your preferred location and any restrictions/complications that may occur at different times of the year. For example, some locations may be closed in the winter.
Day of the Week
Depending on your chosen season, we may have limited availability on weekends. If you need a weekend date, we highly recommend you schedule a time with us as soon as possible to ensure we have availability.
Please keep in mind that depending on the location and the time of year, we will also want to discuss the popularity of your location, which may impact backgrounds and parking. For example, the Botanical Gardens by Skylands Manor in Ringwood, NJ, is often a top pick for many of our wedding clients (with good reason!). However, on a weekend in the autumn, the lots are usually full by the afternoon, and we may have trouble finding parking.
Weekdays are often easier for us to schedule as there are more of them available, and weekdays usually offer fewer people at most locations (making it a quieter and more intimate experience for you to pay attention to each other).
Similar to choosing your season, we also need to check the days your preferred location is open and their hours.
Time of Day
Ultimately, we will be the ones to set the actual time for you, but there are some things to remember when we ask if you prefer morning or afternoon.
1) Keep in mind your chosen location. There may be restrictions on when certain locations are open and on when the best lighting would be.
For example, if you are looking for pictures down the shore and want the bright and airy feeling, you won't want to do an afternoon session since we're on the East Coast. Ocean-side pictures down the shore are best for our clean and classic bright look when the sun is behind the subject, which would mean starting the session about 30 minutes after sunrise. If you're looking for your photos to be more vibrant in color with direct lighting (limiting how much you'll be able to look at the camera), then an afternoon session on the beach would work. There are also location options that allow us to fake things a little bit, such as working on the bay side down at Sandy Hook. Let us know if you're looking for a beach session, and we'll discuss your best options. (Also, check out some samples below!)
2) Ideal lighting times for outside portraits are when the sun is lower in the sky (1-2 hours after sunrise, 1-2 hours before sunset), which offers more flattering light and less harsh shadows.
Since sunrise and sunset times change throughout the year, it is crucial to remember that when deciding whether you want a morning or afternoon session. For example, in Ringwood, NJ, in January, the ideal times would be 8:30 a.m. or 3:00 p.m., while in July, they would be 6:30 a.m. or 7:00 p.m.
3) Also, consider whether you're a morning person and how that could impact your decision for a morning or afternoon session.
Remember to factor in time to get ready and travel to your location. For example, while we love doing early morning shore photos in the summer, that does mean being at the beach and ready to start by 6:30-7:00 in the morning. What time would you have to wake up to do hair/makeup and travel to the location from where you would be coming for that?
 Asbury Park, April, 5:30pm Facing ocean |  Asbury Park, April, 6:00pm Facing shore |  Sandy Hook, May, 6:00am Ocean side |
|---|---|---|
 Sandy Hook, June, 6:30pm Bay side |  Sandy Hook, June, 7:00pm Bay side |