Your Love Story in Puerto Rico: A Guide to Planning the Perfect Engagement Session
Planning a wedding in Puerto Rico? Before the big day, consider taking some time to slow down and celebrate the two of you with a Love Story session in Puerto Rico.
A Love Story is more than a traditional engagement photo session. It is a chance to spend one to three hours together, explore somewhere meaningful, have a date, and let me photograph you naturally while we get to know each other before your wedding day.
Puerto Rico is an incredible place for this. Between the beaches, tropical forests, historic streets of Old San Juan, beautiful haciendas, coffee shops, and countless places with personal meaning, there is no shortage of locations for your Puerto Rico engagement photos.
Here are some of my favorite do's and don'ts when planning your Love Story.
What Is a Love Story?
A Love Story is a short photography session, usually between one and three hours, where we choose a location that fits you as a couple.
It could be a beach in Puerto Rico, a hacienda, the streets of Old San Juan, the rainforest, a coffee shop, or somewhere completely personal to you.
Maybe it is the coffee shop where you first met. Maybe it is the place where you had your first date. Maybe you simply love spending time at the beach together.
The location doesn't have to be traditionally romantic. It just needs to mean something to you.
The goal isn't to spend three hours posing for photographs. The goal is to document a date between two people who love each other.
And, just as importantly, it gives us an opportunity to get comfortable with each other before the wedding day. By the time your wedding arrives, you'll already know how I work, how I photograph you, and what it feels like to have a camera around.
The Do's of Your Puerto Rico Love Story
Do: Take Advantage of Puerto Rico's Weather
One of the best things about having your Love Story in Puerto Rico is something we sometimes take for granted: we have summer-like weather for most of the year.
Whether you are visiting Puerto Rico for your destination wedding or you already live here, there are beautiful outdoor locations available throughout the year.
Of course, Puerto Rico is still a tropical island, so weather can change quickly. But that is part of the beauty of photographing here.
We can take advantage of beaches, tropical greenery, historic architecture, colorful streets, and beautiful natural light all within the same island.
Do: Choose Somewhere That Means Something to You
Don't feel like your Love Story has to happen at a specific "Instagrammable" location.
Puerto Rico has plenty of beautiful places for engagement photos, including Old San Juan, Puerto Rico beaches, haciendas, the rainforest, and other scenic locations.
But sometimes the best location is somewhere much simpler.
- Did you meet at a café?
- Let's photograph you there.
- Do you love going to the beach together?
- Let's go to the beach.
Do you spend your weekends painting, drinking coffee, walking around town, or hanging out with your pets?
Let's photograph that.
Your Love Story should tell your story.
Do: Have Something You Want to Do
This is probably my biggest recommendation.
Don't think of your Love Story as a photo session. Think of it as a date that happens to be photographed.
Have something in mind that you genuinely enjoy doing together.
- Make coffee.
- Go for a walk.
- Paint together.
- Visit your favorite café.
- Play with your pets.
- Explore Old San Juan.
- Have a picnic.
- Go to the beach.
Whatever it is, let me photograph you doing it.
The more comfortable you are doing something you actually enjoy, the more natural your photographs will feel.
I'm not looking for perfect models. I'm looking for you.
The little interactions, the laughs, the awkward moments, the way you look at each other, and everything in between are what make a Love Story feel real.
Do: Ask About Digital and Film Photography
If you are considering a Love Story with me, ask about photographing it on both digital and film.
Film photography has been a huge part of how I approach weddings and couples.
Digital photography allows me to work quickly and react to what is happening around you. Film makes me slow down.
When I photograph a couple on film, I have to think more carefully about the frame, the light, the composition, and the moment before pressing the shutter.
The result has a completely different feeling.
Film photographs can have beautiful colors, grain, softness, and a nostalgic quality that makes the image feel like a memory rather than simply a photograph.
And that's exactly what I love about film.
Color or Black and White Film?
If you have a preference between color film and black and white film, let me know before we begin.
Once a roll of film is loaded into the camera, I can't simply switch between color and black and white whenever I want. Each roll has to be finished before I can change to another type of film.
If you love the timeless look of black and white, we can plan for that.
If you prefer the colorful, nostalgic look of film, we can plan for that too.
Do: Consider Adding Super 8 Film
If you want to take your Love Story even further, we can also talk about Super 8 film.
Super 8 is something I especially love for longer Love Story sessions.
Unlike a traditional video where everything can feel immediate and polished, Super 8 has a nostalgic, imperfect quality that makes it feel like a memory from another time.
It can be especially beautiful during a three-hour Love Story because we have more time to slow down, explore, and let things happen naturally.
A Super 8 Love Story requires some additional planning and will increase the investment, but the result is something completely different from your photographs.
You aren't just getting pictures of your relationship.
You're getting a little moving memory of it.
Do: Schedule Your Love Story During the Week
If possible, I strongly recommend scheduling your Puerto Rico engagement session during a weekday.
Mondays and Tuesdays are some of my favorite days for Love Stories.
Why?
Because popular locations can become much busier on weekends.
A café might be packed. A particular street might have tourists everywhere. A beach might be crowded. A restaurant or bar that you wanted to incorporate into your session may be much busier than expected.
Weekdays generally give us more breathing room and fewer distractions.
And when we're photographing something intimate and personal, having a little extra space can make a huge difference.
Do: Plan Around the Light
For most Love Stories, I prefer starting in the late afternoon, generally around 4 p.m. and onward depending on the season and location.
This gives us the opportunity to work with softer, more flattering light as the sun gets lower.
Puerto Rico has beautiful sunlight, and I want to use it.
The exact start time will depend on the time of year, the location, and what we're planning to photograph, but the goal is always the same:
Beautiful light without rushing.
The Don'ts of Your Puerto Rico Love Story
Don't: Schedule Your Session in the Middle of the Day
Midday is usually my least favorite time for a Love Story.
The tropical sun can be extremely strong, creating harsh shadows underneath your eyes, nose, and chin.
Instead of soft, romantic light, you can end up with very strong contrast and shadows that aren't particularly flattering.
That's why I generally prefer starting Love Stories around 4 p.m. or later, depending on the season.
We can let the sunlight become softer as the afternoon progresses and finish with that beautiful golden light Puerto Rico is known for.
Don't: Plan Your Love Story Too Late at Night
A nighttime Love Story can certainly look incredible, but there are practical considerations when we're walking around with professional photography equipment.
There are also safety concerns when photographing in certain areas after dark.
For that reason, I generally prefer keeping Love Stories during the afternoon and early evening. If you have a specific nighttime idea, we can always talk about it and determine whether it makes sense for your location and plans.
Don't: Ignore Your Outfits
Your Love Story is something you may look back on for decades.
So dress like you care about the photographs. That doesn't mean you have to wear designer clothing or dress like someone you're not. Your outfits should reflect who you are while also being something you feel great wearing. Think about colors, textures, silhouettes, and how your outfits work together. This is a great opportunity to wear something you love but might not normally have an excuse to wear. You don't have to look like models. You just want to look like the best version of yourselves. And please—if possible—leave the supermarket sneakers at home.
Most Importantly: Be Yourselves
This might sound obvious, but it's the most important advice I can give you. You don't need to know how to pose. You don't need to be models. You don't need to know what to do with your hands. That's my job. Your job is simply to spend time with the person you love.
- Talk to each other.
- Laugh.
- Walk.
- Kiss.
- Make coffee.
- Explore.
- Be weird.
- Be romantic.
- Be yourselves.
I'll guide you when necessary, but I want your photographs to feel like you, not like two people pretending to be professional models. That's what makes a Love Story meaningful.
Why I Love Photographing Love Stories in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico gives us an incredible backdrop for this kind of photography. We can photograph your relationship on a beach, in the rainforest, through the streets of Old San Juan, at a beautiful hacienda, or somewhere that has personal meaning to you. We can photograph it digitally. We can photograph it on film. We can even create a Super 8 film of the experience. But regardless of the location or format, my favorite part is the same: getting to know my couples before their wedding day. Your Love Story gives us time to slow down, spend time together, and create something that feels personal to you. And when your wedding day finally arrives, I'm no longer a stranger with a camera. We've already spent time together. You already know how I photograph. And I already know a little more about what makes the two of you you.
Planning Your Love Story in Puerto Rico?
If you're planning a wedding in Puerto Rico and want something more personal than a traditional engagement session, let's plan a Love Story together.
Whether you're dreaming of engagement photos in Old San Juan, a beach engagement session in Puerto Rico, a romantic hacienda session, film engagement photography, or a Super 8 Love Story, we can create something that feels like you. There are countless places we can explore. The only limit is what we're willing to experience together.
Coming to Puerto Rico for your wedding? Let's make your Love Story part of the experience.
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