Alec and Rhiannon’s Northeast Minneapolis engagement shoot was the stuff of a cinematic photographer’s DREAMS. It was cutesy, it was moody, it was vintage-y… and it was everything you would expect from a love-done-right. 

It was important to Alec and Rhiannon that their engagement photos felt distinctly like them and celebrated the period of life that they were actually in. We focused on capturing the ‘right now-ness’ of them– young, engaged, and so totally in love.

And what better way to capture your real life love story than in the places where you most frequently are doing the whole ‘real-life’ thing? 

Here are four engagement photography ideas for staging a session, right in your own backyard:

#1: Make the most of the sidewalks (and curbs and parking lots and streets)

As you may or may not (but probably and most definitely do) know by now, there’s nothing I love more than a good old fashioned vibe. I mean, I live for it. 

And while you probably don’t look at the curb in the parking lot of your local Trader Joe’s and think, ‘You know what? That curb? Totally a vibe.’ … I do.

Because here’s the thing:

Concrete (in all of its mediums) can actually be a vibe. Especially when you’re as out-of-your-minds-in-love as Alec and Rhiannon. 

Think: Mark Darcy chasing Bridget Jones (and her ‘absolutely! enormous! panties!’) through the snowy lanes of Central London in Bridget Jones’ Diary. Benjamin Barry speeding his motorcycle across the streets of New York City to get to Andie Anderson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Richard Gere sprinting after Julia Roberts (and, notably, the FedEx driver) through her tiny hometown backroads in Runaway Bride… or literally whatever chasing-after-love rom-com scene speaks the most to you. 

You get the picture. Concrete? EVERYWHERE.

Alec and Rhiannon’s engagement shoot through their Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood is the definition of that same main character energy. They are the timeless, rom com ‘it’ couple: skipping like little kids on the sidewalk, belly-laughing in the parking lot, and even tripping (sorry, Alec; it was just too good) across the pedestrian crossings. 

Authentically themselves, asphalt and all.

#2: The idea to end all engagement photography ideas: Utilize your own backyard… LITERALLY.

One of the best places to capture engagement photos in your own figurative backyard is also to capture photos in your literal backyard because it’s, well… your own backyard.

It’s a place where you feel at home. A place without any pressure. A place where you two can romp around in your own personal playground, documenting those organic, pinch-me-am-I-dreaming moments. 

Casting a glance over your shoulder when you hear your favorite person in the whole wide world emerging from behind the slam of your screen door? Stolen, fleeting kisses over the fence before your almost hubby goes to work in the morning? Picking veggies from your slightly overgrown but nothing-if-not-a-labor-of-love garden to send home with your engagement photographer? 

To diiiie for. (No, seriously, my two little girls LOVED the cucumbers that Alec and Rhiannon sent me home with).

It was simple. It was sweet. It was straight out of a movie scene. And it was unequivocally Alec and Rhiannon. 

3. Use my signature Movie Mindset to create cinematic magic

A big part of my signature movie mindset is shooting in a location that is special to your love story and utilizing movement to capture you in your most natural element: dynamic, fluid, and soooo in love. 

Alec and Rhiannon choosing to stay close to home in their Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood helped them feel that much more at ease. It allowed them to really lean into their playfulness as a couple and embrace the spontaneity of every moment, which, in turn, created these lightweight, comfortable, feeling-aaaaall-the-feels photos. 

From whipping out their perfectly choreographed first dance rehearsal under the sparkling bulbs of their local theatre to tippy-toe kisses under the lamppost and subtle spins in the prettiest stairway, you can see just how tender their love really, truly is. 

When you can be authentically yourselves, your photos may as well be a time machine, where you can feel it all, once again:

The sheer giddiness that shot your Converse-ridden feet straight up into the air. The little foot pops when you kiss because you just can’t help yourself. (My Princess Diaries girlies know. I mean, are we KIDDING?!). The genuine joy that causes your nose to scrunch and your cheeks to hurt from smiling oh-so-wide.

4. Hit your all-time favorite hangs to top off your engagement photography ideas

One of my top recommendations for engagement photography ideas that will get those cinematic shots is to choose locations that mean something to you, spots where you are free to be yourselves. What better place to start than with your all-time favorite hangs?

Your engagement pictures are meant to be handed down through generations. They’re meant for your grandkids to show off to their friends and say: ‘How totally cool and in love are my grandma and grandpa?’ 

They’re meant to relive those younger days when you would frequent Uncle Franky’s because nothing hits harder than a hot dog after a night out. They’re intended to show them that you actually did the iconic Jack-and-Rose Titanic pose over the Minneapolis skyline better than the OG Jack and Rose (don’t tell Leo and Kate).

So, yeah, Future Grandkids: Your grandparents ARE pretty freaking cool, thanks very much.

All in all, as a cinematic, documentary-style photographer, I can’t stress enough how magical of a setting your everyday life can be for telling your love story.

Ready to make some magic in your own backyard? Let’s do it!