Engagement Session in Amsterdam West - Janelle & Mitchell

There is no better way to find locations in any city than walking. Walking gives you the freedom to explore tiny entrances, sides of parks, and in this case, an entire island I haven't been to before. Starting from Westerpark, I followed the recommendations of Ride with me Amsterdam by Roos Stallinga. I bought this book months ago and started to explore it in deep during the last three months. One of her recommended areas in the West included a stop in Prinseneiland.

So, after my morning walk in Westerpark, I started an exploring walk on the area because you can't take clients before knowing the route unless they are willing to get lost with you. At that point, I didn't realize Janelle & Mitchell lived on this island when they first moved to Amsterdam, but during our conversations, they said three things that made me came up with a game plan for their session:

1. What are the pictures made for?: Engagement Session & Save the Date cards

2. Who is the Save the Date for?: Family overseas. Meaning, pictures must portray Amsterdam as well as they as a couple. They wanted Amsterdam in photos: Bridges, bikes, and all. 

3. What is the mood for the session?: Romantic but casual. Autumn colors and leaves.

These are my main three questions I ask every person, a couple of families that I make pictures for. The reason is the more I know about you, the best I will be at reaching my goal to accomplish the images you want. This is about you and for showing the best of you in pictures.

If you are looking for engagement photos, no matter the city you are in, my advice is to talk to your photographer about what you like and even what you do before talking about locations. A photographer is a living library of them, so he/she will advise you for the best ones according to you. The best pictures are the ones that show your personality and emotions, along with the beauty of the place.