Hi friends! Today we are excited to bring you a fun little one-on-one interview we had with KC-based photographer, Alea Lovely. We have had the honor of working with Alea in several capacities and with many different Madison Sanders Events’ couples. She is SO talented! You might also recognize her work from yesterday’s feature on Style Me Pretty with MSE couple, Nikki and Tyler. Without further ado…the interview (and some pretty images from Nikki & Tyler’s engagement session!):

MSE : What locations make for the best engagement photos?

Alea : Anything with natural light and open space is good in my book! I feel that the engagement session should be more focused on the couple than the background. I have shot portraits of couples all over the world – Joshua Tree Park, Tulum, Mexico, Hong Kong, Portugal, Puerto Rico, etc – and my favorites have been those locations where we have been immersed in nature with the gorgeous natural light and scenery that compliment the couple.

MSE : What should a couple consider when scheduling their engagement photos with their photographer?

Alea: Timing – Shooting an hour before sunset is my preference because any photographer knows that that is when you have the best light. Lighting is everything when it comes to beautiful portraits.  

Clothing- Many times couples will ask me what to wear for an engagement session and I think the simpler, the better. Pastels and solid colors tend to work well. You want for the people in the image to be the focus, not necessarily the attire.  This is also a time to really have the couple’s personal style shine.

MSE: What tips do you have for couples to make the most of their engagement session?

Alea: It may sound silly, but maybe consider having a glass of wine before our session!? Haha! But in all seriousness you need to feel relaxed and trust your photographer. Allow them to truly capture YOU and let your personalities shine. If you are too nervous or too contrived it will show in your photos. If you can come feeling confident that the photographer is doing the best job they can and you are having fun, more of your true personality will show in the photos. Many times people think they need to imitate something they have seen another couple do or something they’ve seen on Pinterest…but again, they need to focus more on being THEMSELVES instead of trying to recreate something someone else has done. Have fun, be you!

Images in this post provided by Alea Lovely. Blush gown by Marlo Ford Gowns. White Gown is “Revolve” by Privacy Please.