Lake Sacajawea is the perfect engagement session location! Longview Washington has some amazing spots for photos but the lake is probably one of my favorites!

You get a ton of variety of style around the park and it has beautiful old trees throughout. Jordan & Matthew chose their engagement session so well. It was an amazing session.

The evening glow was so beautiful, as was their outfits! Be sure to save some of their images for later on Pinterest for outfit inspiration. White & blue are classic colors and so complimentary for skin tones.

This was another fun session hanging out with them again. We’ve had a few sessions together in the past & I’m so excited to finally get them on the blog!

When we first met, they had recently moved to the PNW from the other side of the country, it was such a big move for them.

Of course, I am so thankful they did because I got to meet them! They are the most kind people, so easy to photograph, and of course impeccable taste. Jordan and Matthew are amazing clients!

Speaking of their beautiful style, here are the jewelry & makeup artist credits from the session:

Bracelets : @hazenandco

Ring: @spicergreene

Hair and makeup: @glambeauty_bar

They are all so talented!

Engagement sessions can be the most fun, and here’s a few tips to make the most of yours:

1. Plan your outfits out in advance. Lay out your outfit with all accessories next to your partners. Look over it and make sure the colors you picked won’t blend into the background, for example if you are shooting at a location with lots of greenery, don’t choose green for your outfits. White & blue in their outfits really pop at the park and the second location down below.
2. Bring along walking shoes (like flipflops instead of long walking in heels), water, a blanket, makeup kit for touch-ups, extra outfits, and any other fun props that you think would be fun! Examples of props for engagement sessions: charcuterie boards, champange or sparkling cider or hot cocoa, pizza, a blanket, or other fun things you like to eat or do as a couple!
3. Don’t stress out! It’ll be really fun and the main focus is you two! Your photographer will lead you through the session so you won’t have to worry about your hair or outfit looking weird, etc. Just focus on having fun & spending time together.

BONUS TIP: Plan to get there 15 minutes early to make sure you don’t have additional stress like traffic or makeup touch-ups, etc. Being early gives you a second to breathe & relax before your session.

If you want to be extra prepared for your session, order some thing like this: https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Temporary-Mascara-Color-Stick/dp/B01MZ2OJ6Y

This is called hair mascara and it helps maintain flyaways & will be easy to bring along to your session if needed.

Jordan and Matthew are so silly & so much fun to photograph. We always have to snag a funny photo!

In Longview, Washington they have really beautiful old buildings and this one is no exception!

This is right next to Lake Sacajawea, it’s actually a high school. Probably one of the prettiest high schools I’ve seen!

While the lake has a beautiful greenery and water scene, this location has a clean even background with perfect light. East Coast style, on the West Coast!

The columns at the school near Lake Sacajawea has these tall regal columns giving their session a real classy feel. Bringing in beautiful architecture to your session is a great way to bring a unique look, and usually, great lighting!

Check out the top of this building, such a beautiful style for a school!

After going to the school area, we went back over to Lake Sacajawea. The beautiful lamp posts surrounding the park are very whimsical and have a Central Park feel.

At the end of their session, we hardly had enough light for my camera to focus without flash. But we got some fine art, grainy shots from them! Even though the shots aren’t perfect, technically, they are some of my favorites! I’ll always love to get photos that have a film-look to them. The emotion & realness the film-style has adds an extra bit to them I can’t explain!

Again, if you made it all the way to the bottom of this post, thank you! I appreciate you.

Lake Sacajawea was a perfect location and I can’t wait to shoot here again. Be sure to comment and let me know which set of photos was your favorite. My favorites are the ones by the school! But of course I love the other ones too.

Thank you, Natalie