When Ken and Mariam approached me to take their Philly engagement photos, I had the idea to take a Super 8 video to go along with their photos and capture a day full of what they love to do. This is the kind of time capsule that you’ll look back on forever, and Mariam and Ken loved the idea. The result is a set of eclectic Philly engagement photos with a cool, nostalgic feel.
As a couple, they spend a lot of time hanging out in the Fishtown neighborhood, so once we settled on that part of town, I came up with a plan for the day. I like to do this for all engagement sessions I shoot: I try to create a day as if the couple was going on a Saturday afternoon date. This way, we have a plan, we know where we’re going, and we have things throughout the session that can ground the couple and help them not feel awkward in front of the camera (if you’re worried about that, check out my engagement session posing guide!)
Authentic Philly Engagement Photos
For these Philly engagement photos, we started at Mulherin’s for a drink. Then, we looked at the vintage furniture at Jinxed, and got ice cream at Jeni’s. The ice cream moments were some of my favorites. It just felt like such a great, authentic representation of Mariam and Ken’s relationship.
When it came to the film style, I got a lot of inspiration from the TV show Euphoria. It’s one of Mariam and Ken’s favorite new watches. I even filmed it on the same kind of film that Season 2 of Euphoria was filmed on: Kodak Ektachrome.
For more ideas on what a Philly engagement shoot could look like, check out this casual engagement shoot I did downtown.
