Let me tell you something I hear almost every time a couple arrives at their engagement session: “We are not photogenic.” And every single time, I smile — because by the end of our session, those same couples are laughing in disbelief at how good their images look. How confident. How empowered they walk out of their session feeling. As a photographer, that is my greatest gift.
Here is the truth: being photogenic has almost nothing to do with your face and almost everything to do with feeling comfortable in front of the lens. And feeling comfortable? That is entirely within our control.
After years of guiding couples through engagement sessions across New Jersey, New York City, the Jersey Shore, Charleston, to Florence here are my five most trusted ways to make your session feel completely natural — and to walk through your session feeling completely effortless.
Move Through the Location Like You Belong There
The single biggest shift I see in couples during a session is when they stop posing and start moving. When we walk together through the location — when you are leading your partner somewhere, turning to say something, pausing to take it all in — that is when the magic happens. I am always watching for those in-between moments: the adjustment of a collar, the private laugh, the look over the shoulder. Those are the frames that end up as your favorites.
My job is to create prompts and movement that give those moments room to exist. Yours is simply to trust the process and keep your energy with the love of your life — not the camera.
Give Yourself a Full Morning (or Evening) to Prepare
Rushing to an engagement session is the enemy of feeling relaxed. I always recommend my couples give themselves extra time on the day — a leisurely coffee, time to get dressed without a countdown, a styling session together, maybe a slow walk to the location together. When you arrive unhurried, you arrive open. That openness is everything.
For summer sessions, I almost always schedule for golden hour. The light is extraordinary, the heat of the day has softened, and there is a natural winding-down quality to early evening that tends to bring out a beautiful, relaxed energy in couples.
Talk to Each Other, Not at the Camera
One of my favorite prompts to give couples are a little silly. And that is the point. The laugh that follows? Trust the process. The way one of you buries your face in the other’s shoulder? That is the image that goes on your wall.
My couples produce the best results when they are entirely absorbed in each other and completely forget that I am there with a camera. I do this deliberately. I move quietly, I give prompts that draw attention inward rather than outward, and I wait — patiently — for the real moments to surface.
Dress for Comfort First, Style Second
I know this sounds counterintuitive coming from someone who just wrote an entire style guide (see: What to Wear for Summer Engagement Photos). But here is what I mean: the most beautiful outfit in the world will not save you if you are tugging at a hem, wobbling on shoes that are too high, or sweating through a fabric that does not breathe. Comfort breeds confidence. Confidence breeds beautiful images.
This is why I always spend time with my couples on outfit planning before the session — so that by the time we are actually shooting, they feel amazing in what they are wearing and can focus entirely on each other.
Trust Your Photographer — Fully
The couples who walk away with the most extraordinary galleries are the ones who surrendered fully to the experience. Who said yes to the prompt that felt a little weird. Who walked the extra block even when they were tired. Who stayed in the light five minutes longer than planned and got the image of a lifetime.
I have been doing this for over a decade. I have photographed couples in some of the most beautiful places in the world — from the New Jersey shoreline to rooftops overlooking Manhattan to private estates and Four Seasons in Europe. My entire focus, from the moment we start until the moment we finish, is you. Your comfort, your story, your images.
When you trust that, something beautiful happens. Every time.
Ready to experience an engagement session unlike any other? I would love to be your photographer. Inquire here and let’s create something timeless together.
New Jersey Wedding Photographers
A season as fleeting and full as an engagement deserves to be documented with the same care and intention you are pouring into every detail of what comes next. These are the in-between days — the ones before the vows, before the flowers, before the first dance — and they are some of the most quietly beautiful of your entire love story. Do not let them pass without something to hold onto.
At Michelle Behre Photography, we specialize in capturing this chapter in a way that feels completely natural, refined, and true to who you are as a couple — never staged, only beautifully preserved. From guiding you through location and styling to moving through your session with a quiet, unhurried presence that lets real moments breathe, every part of the experience is curated with deep intention. What you walk away with is not just a gallery of images — it is the first chapter of a bespoke heirloom that will live in your home, in your albums, and in your family for generations.
If you are dreaming of an engagement session that is as effortless as it is extraordinary — images that stop the scroll and make you feel something every time you look at them — we would be truly honored to be part of your story. Inquire within for further details on availability.
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Meet Michelle
I believe in images that remind you of the joy found in the simplest moments. I believe in enjoying the wedding album on the anniversary and creating tradition surrounding this day.
New Jersey Wedding & Portrait Photographer
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