If you’re planning an engagement session, maternity photos, maternity session, or really any couples photography session and wondering whether Saturday or Sunday is best, I’m going to hold your hand and encourage you to think beyond the restrictions of those two days:
Pick a week day. Take a day off if you have to.
Your experience—and your photos—are going to be infinitely better if they’re taken in a scenario where you were able to be your most comfortable self during your engagement photos, maternity photos, or couples photo session.
Environment and the energy of a session can absolutely shape the final gallery. I know that I am very good at making people feel comfortable, but if we’re surrounded by a crowd at a popular San Diego photo location, there’s really only so much that I can do.
I get this request all the time: what’s the least crowded spot for engagement photos, maternity photos, or couples photography sessions in San Diego?
Unfortunately in California, particularly on a weekend, there isn’t going to be any spot that isn’t crowded. This is especially true during summer and the tourist season. California is full of sunset lovers, and of course, the best time to take golden hour photos, beach maternity photos, and sunset engagement photos at most outdoor locations is sunset.
The truth About San Diego’s Most Iconic Spots
Most locations you are seeing online or on instagram in California are incredibly crowded on the weekend evenings, especially at the most popular San Diego engagement photo locations and San Diego maternity photo locations.
The beach? The park? The cliffs? They’re full of tourists, other photographers, locals, and even families.
These are all public spaces so of course this is a good thing, but it can make it a lot more difficult to relax during your engagement photos, maternity session, or couples photos. I can edit people out pretty easily
When couples feel like people are watching them during their engagement session, maternity session, or couples photography session, it can make you become a lot more self-aware.
When you opt for the less busy times during week days, the best moments happen because you’re able to feel the most like yourself during your San Diego couples photos, engagement photos, or maternity photos.
Your Photographer’s Availability
There are times that I am booking 6+ months out for a simple maternity photography session or couples session, which means that my weekends can fill up rather fast, since those are the most-booked days for engagement photography, maternity photography, and couples photography. Sometimes I receive inquiries asking for my next available weekend, and I have to unfortunately tell people that I don’t have any weekend availability for the next 2-3 months.
Being open to a week day engagement session, maternity session, or couples photo session means that you have the ability to get on my calendar sooner.
Additionally, my turnaround time for galleries is currently 4 weeks. The sooner you do your session, the sooner you have your photos back—and if you need the photos for something particular such as a social media announcement, pregnancy announcement, engagement announcement, save the dates, or wedding invites, being limited to only weekends can make it an even longer process.
Intimacy = Authenticity
While locations are indeed a huge part of a couples photography session, engagement session, or maternity photography session, it isn’t the most important element of a session: you are. My goal as a photographer is to capture you exactly as you are together—not just in public, but how you are together when nobody is looking, too.
I’m a Cinematic Photographer, which means I take a director’s approach to all of my engagement sessions, maternity sessions, and couples photography sessions and utilize prompts and actions over still and stiff poses. My entire goal is to get you both belly laughing, to have you look at each other’s eyes and remember the first time you realized you were in love. I want to blend into the background of your movie as much as possible—in fact, I don’t even want you to remember that I was there. I just want you to remember your day together, whether that’s on the beach during your San Diego beach maternity session, at the cliffs during your sunset engagement photos, or in the park during a couples photo session.
When a location is quieter, you’re able to really just think about each other in those moments.
My goal is when you get this gallery later and you look at these photos, you remember what you were thinking about in that moment, and I don’t want that to be anything other than each other.
I don’t want you thinking about me, the crowd, whether someone is judging you, etc. I just want you to remember each other.
This isn’t something that most people realize until after the engagement session, maternity photos, or couples photo session when they have their gallery back. The experience isn’t just the session, but also how you remember it.
And speaking of experiences…
Your Sessions Becomes an Experience, Not a Chore
When a couples photography session, engagement session, or maternity photography session happens after a hectic week at work, couples often arrive feeling mentally distracted, rushed, tired, etc. But when you take the day off in the middle of the week, or even just the afternoon, the session has the ability to become a memory.
Instead of squeezing your engagement photos, maternity photos, or couples photos into your schedule, I encourage you to adjust your typical schedule for your session.
Photography is an investment, and you owe it to yourself to be your best self for it.
Comfort is Everything in Maternity Photography Sessions
All of this is especially true for maternity photography sessions and pregnancy photos.
Pregnancy is such a tender and transformative experience, and the best maternity session or maternity photos happen when you feel fully present and comfortable. Picking a location that not only means a lot to you but also gives you the freedom to focus on your growing family makes for the best maternity photography experience.
Years From Now...
You aren’t going to remember what day your engagement session, maternity session, or couples photos took place on years from now.
You aren’t going to remember having the request the day off work, or having to make tweaks to your schedule to make it happen.
You’re just going to remember how the session felt, and you’re going to remember the memories we created together. Your gallery will be your own little movie trailer to what came next in your life.
So Take the Day Off — Pick a Weekday!
