Couples

This Brewery Hopping Engagement Session was one for the books! Let me tell you how this all came to life. Their wedding day was right around the corner, and we still hadn’t done their engagement session yet. This may not sound like a big deal, but I always find engagement photos with your photographer important. Why? Well, it gives us the chance to meet and get to know each other before the big day. More importantly, it allows you to get a feel for my approach to shooting, posing, and how I handle lighting. 

Between our busy schedules, and us living a few states away, they weren’t sure if it could work. Totally understandable, wedding planning can be a lot! I started brainstorming some ideas to find a way for this work. After reviewing their notes from our phone consult, I remembered that they love trying out different breweries. Coincidentally, I had just discovered some breweries and fell in love with their fun aesthetic. Instantly, my creative juices started flowing and piecing together a vision that I low-key dreamt up a few months ago. I messaged them right away proposing that we meet halfway (in Portland) and do their session at these awesome breweries. They immediately loved that idea for a little weekend away in the midst of the wedding planning busyness. To top it off – Jess was able to schedule her wedding hair and makeup trail nearby, on the same day.

Portland, Maine Engagement Photos

We spent the first half of the session at Bissell Brothers in Portland. They had a couple drinks to take the edge off (liquid courage is always encouraged). That made for some cute candids with the brewery as a backdrop. A warm Saturday in November had everyone out and about. So once they finished their drinks we hopped over a few streets to Apres (currently my fav place + drink). We started outside on the artsy streets of downtown Portland. We luckily snagged one of the awesome spots to sit inside so they could set up their game of cribbage. Between little bursts of photos, the three of us just hung out and got to know each other. So many laughs were had! 

Truthfully, I am so glad this session was able to happen. Not only was it refreshing for my creative soul, but I also really got to know Derek and Jess on more of a personal level. They told me their story and let me in on some inside jokes. She shared the sentimental story of her grandfather teaching her how to play cribbage as she casually pulled the whole board out of her purse, and we all laughed about how our dads are so similar when it comes to getting them to cooperate for family photos. When their small, intimate wedding day rolled around a month later, I truly felt like I was there hanging out with friends that I’d known for so long.  

So, if you’re thinking that you don’t really need an engagement session – let this be your sign to just do it! At the very least, it will be worth it to feel relaxed and comfortable with your wedding photographer on your wedding day. 

And also, don’t be afraid to make your session unique and fun!

Ellie + Trevor came dressed to impress and the result left me swooning! Their trendy, yet timeless outfits paired so nicely together – they chose solid colors to pop against the rigid coastal backdrop in Acadia National Park. Her pale blue dress, with minimally textured sleeves, complimented his neutral colored outfit of a long sleeve button up tucked into fitted dress pants. This outfit combination gave an elegant, sophisticated feel for this newly engaged couple. I love being a Bar Harbor Maine Engagement Photographer!

Prior to their session, Ellie informed that they’re usually super awkward in front of the camera and don’t know how to pose. I quickly reminded her that it’s totally normal to feel that way and that’s what I’m there for – to walk you through the entire process, make you feel comfortable, and have lots of fun while we’re doing it!

By the end of their session, they were so relaxed, giggling and their love and excitement was really shining through. Although, even at the start of their session, you would never know they were nervous, these two are natural beauties.

Scroll through to see for yourself!

Looking for a Bar Harbor Maine Engagement Photographer? Contact me today!

This is the perfect example of not needing a specific reason for a photo session. Kelsey and Todd are already married, but wanted to do a session together while they were visiting Acadia from Canada! So they booked an Adventure Session in Acadia National Park with me. The scenery isn’t like what they have at home and it had been a while since they had photos done at their wedding – so what a perfect opportunity! 

Adventure Session in Acadia

Their casual attire represented them perfectly. While still looking nice, they felt comfortable in their everyday clothes because that’s what truly felt like them. Plus, it gave us the opportunity to get moving around on the rocks a little more. I’m convinced that Blundstone boots can go with literally any outfit – but they were perfect for this fun couples session with some adventure vibes on the cliffs of Acadia National Park. 

Check out the fun we had together during this low-key session!

I love photographing adventure sessions! Looking for a photographer to hang out with you on your next adventure? I’m your girl!

Did you enjoy this post? You’ll also love my latest Romantic Cliffside Engagement Session.

A common question that photographers hear – “Do we need to do an engagement session?”

The short answer – it’s not required, but I highly recommend it! Here are FOUR reasons why it’s important:

1. It gives us a chance to meet in person (if we haven’t already). Meeting in person prior to your wedding day is so beneficial and it helps us get to know each other a little bit more!

2. “What if we’ve already done an engagement session with another photographer?” – That’s perfectly fine, but I still recommend doing one with your wedding photographer. Every photographer has a different approach to shooting, posing, lighting, and the overall experience. It gives you some experience in front of my camera! You will be able to get a feel for how I typically shoot, pose, and handle lighting. This will help you know what to expect from me on your wedding day.

3. It will make you feel SO much more comfortable on your wedding day. Like I mentioned above, you will know what to expect from me and my overall experience, it’s basically a practice round for your wedding portraits! Knowing what to expect and having done it before will help ease the anxiety for you and your partner, and you’ll be able to feel more relaxed and comfortable during your wedding portraits! Which in turn, is one less thing for you and your partner to have to worry or think about, it will allow your love and personality to shine through even more in your portraits.

4. Plus, you’ll get some awesome new photos! You can use them for you Save The Dates, around your home, or even as wedding decor.

Check out some of my engagement sessions HERE!

READY TO START PLANNING YOUR SESSION?

It’s wedding weekend for Kayla and Joe so I am reliving their fun engagement session from last fall while I charge up all of my gear, print my shotlist, and triple check that everything is good to go! Last weekend kicked off my first of many events at the Bar Harbor Inn for this season, and I am so pumped to be back there again this weekend celebrating these two!

On their vacation to Bar Harbor last year, we got to document their recent engagement! We started on the cliffs in Acadia National Park – popping some champagne and giggling with some silly poses. For the second half of the session, we headed to their hotel in downtown Bar Harbor so that they could change their outfits and finish up the session there. They were staying at the Bar Harbor Inn, which would soon be their wedding venue too! So it was only fitting that we did some photos there!

I can’t wait to recreate some of these with them this weekend!!

When a session ends, and the strangers I just met feel like my best friends, I am reminded of why I love this job so much. Being a photographer in a small, coastal town in Maine brings me new clients from all over the country while they vacation here on Mount Desert Island.

When Sean reached out to me inquiring about surprising his wife with a 20 year anniversary session on their celebratory vacation, I didn’t realize this wouldn’t be like my typical session. They requested to do their session at the Claremont Inn, in Southwest Harbor, as that was where they’d be spending the majority of their time, and they wanted their photos to truly reflect that. I met them at the hotel and I was immediately greeted with big smiles and their fun energy. They showed me all around the Claremont Inn property (that was just voted one of the best new hotels in the world by Leisure + Travel), I was immediately blown away with all of the photo opportunities that could be had around the hotel.

Sara and Sean were literally up for anything and they were such a blast to hang out with. We started the session by grabbing them a couple of their favorite cocktails at the bar so they could loosen up and be relaxed for our adventure together. From there, we walked down to the pier and they shared a short slow dance on the dock while the golden light lit up the bay behind them. Although there was a bit of a nip in the air, I couldn’t resist having them get cozy in the cutest green and white cabanas by the pool, just for fun. The fall decor that was tastefully sprinkled around the property was a lovely touch to really reflect their time there. After a quick outfit change, we took a couple of bikes for a stroll through the fall foliage. We ended the session on the lawn, where they sipped their cocktails in the Adirondack chairs and watched the final bit of sunlight glisten on the ocean.

Scroll through the photos to see all of the beauty that the Claremont Inn has to offer. If you’re visiting the MDI or Bar Harbor area, I highly recommend considering them for your stay…and don’t forget to plan your photo session with Emily Brianne Photography in advance 😉

Honestly it was our favorite part of the trip”

– Sean

Samantha and Daniel showed up to their session looking like they were straight out of an Eddie Bauer magazine, and I absolutely loved it!! I am all about choosing clothes that feel like YOU. They have a yearly tradition of having anniversary photos taken, and this year they were visiting Bar Harbor to celebrate their anniversary doing lots of hiking, so the outfits fit the occasion…and it’s a good thing too – it was quite windy & chilly for these Texans!

I just love the adventurous vibes of this session, scroll through and check out our fun session.

“We knew we wanted pictures in beautiful Acadia, but weren’t sure exactly where since we weren’t familiar with the area. Emily offered suggestions based on what scenery we were looking for in the photos and even gave some outfit tips (my husband and I actually changed outfits at the last minute due to windy/cold weather that we hadn’t quite anticipated). She did a great job before the shoot of trying to get a feel for our style, which I think really helped us feel comfortable during our shoot.

When we finally got to meet her the day of the shoot, she was friendly and provided great direction (especially to two awkward people who never quite know how to pose in photos). She made sure to ask our input about ideas/suggestions throughout the shoot, but honestly she was confident enough that we trusted her to make many of the calls (and we’re glad we did!).

The final photos were GORGEOUS. Overall we had a great experience with Emily and would highly recommend her to capture your special moments!”

Samantha & Daniel

I had never really heard much about Utah, up until the past couple of years – I kept seeing more and more photos of different places there. With each photo that I saw, I grew more and more of an interest to visit there. Needless to say, it quickly made it’s way to the top of my bucket list!

When I realized that my trip to Colorado was going to be a little bit longer than expected, I immediately knew that I had to use that extra time to take the drive to Utah. I also immediately knew that I needed to reach out to this couple to see if they would model for me! I didn’t care where, as long as I got to shoot somewhere in the Utah beauty. I had been following Caileb on instagram for the past year or so. I always loved seeing his creative videos come up on my feed, usually with his gorgeous wife involved. They seemed like such a fun-loving, adventurous couple – so I just put myself out there and asked. Sure enough, they agreed, and they certainly did not disappoint. We met for the first time while I was staying in Moab. They took me to this super cool double arch in Arches National Park. We immediately connected, had such a great time shooting together, and they even took me out for pasta afterwards. Does it really get much better than that?! I don’t think so.

It’s so crazy that social media helped bring this all together and form a new friendship!

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