Engagement Shoot: Kirralee and Kylle in Brisbane Botanic Gardens:

Date: 17th March 2016

Location: Brisbane Botanic Gardens

 

 

 

Engagement shoots are a fantastic idea in my humble and totally unbiased opinion. Firstly you get to spend a fun afternoon with your loved one. (And me..) Secondly you get some amazing photos for your wedding invites and gift table on your actual wedding day. And thirdly you get to learn some cool and groovy poses so that you can smile and ‘Blue Steel’ the show on your wedding photos!

 

 

 

 

 

I had met Kirralee a few months earlier when she booked me in to be her wedding photographer but I didn’t meet Kylle until two weeks prior to the engagement shoot. He mentioned that he would quite like a dry run before the big day so that he didn’t ruin their wedding photos with awkward stances and fake smiles. Very good plan! We arranged to do an engagement shoot in Brisbane Botanic Gardens one cloudy but pleasant afternoon in March and met by the main entrance on Alice Street.

“Got any thoughts?” I asked,

“Nah,” Kylle answered. Cool, lets begin!

             

 

 

The guys were actually pretty good right from the start. I gave a little guidance but I always feel that too much micro-managing leads to even more awkwardness, so I prefer some gentle initial suggestions and then let the couple take the reins! We started by the lake, trying our best to avoid the ibises that tried valiantly to photobomb our shots and then headed back outside the park to get some photos by the fig tree roots that have reclaimed the park railings.

 

 

 

 

 

             

The good thing about Brisbane Botanic Gardens for couple photography and engagement shoots is that there is such a variety of backgrounds and points of interest. We found a massive banyan tree and posed around the roots, and it wasn’t long before Kylle was up there chilling out and, quite literally, monkeying around!

 

 

 

 

 

I had photographed a wedding here a few months prior and had loved the bamboo groves that dotted the park so we headed there for some nice romantic shots. Bamboo always adds interest and depth to a photograph, and they always give a lot of texture and interest to black and white photos.

 

 

 

 

 

We didn’t just go for smiling-at-the-camera shots, and mixed it up with some moody lighting and Calvin Klein poses. Kylle in particular enjoyed this part!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then headed towards the river and got some shots with the Story Bridge in the background – what a view!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we finished up just as the sun was setting and gave us some beautiful soft light. Kylle thought the engagement shoot was a great idea and had a lot of fun and having just photographed their wedding (as I type) he certainly got some good posing hints from it too! Not that he needed it!