Shelby and Neil’s St. Paul engagement photo shoot was everything. The stuff of fairy tales, I tell you! Between the pups, the park, and their full commitment to my signature movie mindset, Shelby and Neil’s engagement photos were something straight out of a storybook.

I still can’t get over them.

And guess what? Having your own engagement photo shoot look like Walt Disney himself had a hand in it isn’t all that hard. You, too, can end up with engagement photos that look every bit the fairy tale and feel unequivocally like YOU. 

And here’s how:

1. Choose an engagement photo shoot location that is special to your love story. 

More often than not, I choose the location(s) for my couples. When you are an engagement photographer who knows every nook and cranny of the Twin Cities like the back of your camera-toting hands, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles… You tell me about your story in your engagement session questionnaire, and I make it happen!

But in this case, it was important to Shelby and Neil that their engagement photo shoot take place somewhere near and dear to their hearts: The park in St. Paul where they walk their two pups together, every single evening. 

Because they chose somewhere that not only resonates with them, but that they frequent on a daily basis, Shelby and Neil were able to feel more uninhibited, more free to be themselves. They were in a place that has become something of a second home for them, and their dreamy, walk in the park engagement photos were that much more authentic for it. 

When you’re somewhere you feel at home (hey, maybe we even photograph your engagement photos in your home, who knows?!), you’re more likely to lean in for an extra kiss or twelve, or to sprawl across the park bench like you own the place. You’re at ease enough to balance along the fountain ledge, hand in hand with your fiancé. You make the whole darn place your playground because you’re comfortable there, standing next to your soon-to-be-forever-and-ever-after human.

2. If you have the pups, bring the pups.

ALWAYS bring the pups to the engagement photo shoot. Not only are they sure to compete for the Star of the Show title, but they’re such a fun, playful addition to the crew. (And also… I selfishly am going to enjoy the snuggles.) 

Shelby and Neil crossed the engagement photos and the routine dog walk off of their to do list in one fell swoop, but they had a darn good time doing it, too. As you can see from the photos, the pups were more than happy to let their own main character energy take center stage while their proud pup-parents looked on with adoration.

3. Stay in the movie mindset for your engagement photo shoot.

If you become a Tayler Dumas Photography couple, you will quickly learn about my signature movie mindset as the ticket to cinematic, timeless imagery that emphasizes your story. 

Instead of thinking of it as your standard engagement photo shoot, which can lend itself to feeling a bit stiff and awkward, picture you and your partner as the main characters in a romantic comedy. Envision that I’m filming your love story moment for moment, kiss for kiss, grin for grin on old-timey 8mm film.

Even though I’m not filming the next blockbuster rom com, your engagement photos will sure look the part if you adopt my movie mindset. Shelby and Neil really took that hot tip and ran (literally!), and that’s the reason what you see in this gallery is playful and genuine and goofy and fluid, from start to finish. They took me up on my advice and became a fairytale couple the moment I first clicked my shutter.

If you’re reading this and feeling like it has you and your fiancé written all over it, you know where to find me… patiently waiting to capture your love story in all of its movie magic.