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Proud pup mom, type A creative, lover of the outdoors, Top Chef fan girl, and wedding and portrait photographer. Welcome to the blog!
HI, I'M RACHEL!
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micro WEDDINGS
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Yesterday I shared some of my favorite wedding photography from 2018, and today I’m excited to share my best of Washington D.C. engagement sessions with you!
I love engagement sessions so much, y’all! And I’ve really realized that so much more in the past year. Engagement sessions give you the opportunity take photos in your regular clothes, looking like the selves who fell in love with each other (versus you wedding clothes where you’ll be looking your tippy top best!), and document who you are as a couple in your every day lives. While I encourage folks to get a little more dressed up than usual and throw on some extra makeup for the camera, essentially this is the time to document your love story as you are and I really love the vibe that sets for engagement sessions.
Engagement sessions are also a great time to get in some practice before your wedding day. I hear so often that one or both people in a couple *hate* having their photo taken, so they’re hesitant to sign on for more photography than they ‘have’ to. The solution to hating to have your photo taken isn’t actually to have your picture taken less often; it’s to have your photo taken before your wedding day and by a professional photographer whose focus is on making you feel your best. I love encouraging my clients throughout our sessions and my number one goal is to make you feel great in front of the camera! That way, once your wedding day rolls around, you’ll be comfortable with me and at ease in front of the camera, ready to rock it during your wedding portraits when it really counts!
This is turning into a PSA for engagement sessions (haha!), so I’ll just share one last thing: at a recent wedding my couple kept commenting on how glad they were they did an engagement session with me before their wedding! They kept relaying how much more comfortable they felt having me there during their quiet moments, how much more natural they felt in front of the camera, and how they knew exactly what to do because they had practice during their engagement session.
OK, back to these Washington D.C. engagement photos from 2018! Another thing I personally love about engagement sessions from like a selfish, job satisfaction stand point, is the variety in locations I get to go to! I love being outdoors and exploring new places, so location scouting for engagement sessions is always fun! Plus, getting to go to new spots keeps me inspired creatively, and even if I go to the same spot more than once, I know there will always be different weather and lighting conditions. An inspired photographer is a great photographer, I always say!
So THANK YOU to all my couples last year who kept me inspired, who kept me laughing, and who I had so much fun with!
Did this post get you excited to book your own wedding, elopement, or engagement session?! If yes, send me a note and we can chat about what you have in mind: Contact Rachel
Hey – I’m Rachel! A wedding, engagements, and headshots photographer in Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia. I love taking photos of elegant people who love to laugh, as well as of much in-love couples. If you’re a dog owner, that’s a plus! I’m currently booking 2019 portrait sessions, as well as 2019 and 2020 weddings.
HELLO@RACHELEHPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
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Rachel is a wedding and portrait photographer
Serving brilliant, elegant couples in Washington D.C. + Beyond
Copyright 2022 Rachel E.H. Photography | Website by Alex Collier Design
she / her