About Belle Isle
Belle Isle is a 982 acre island park located right in Detroit Michigan. This island is the perfect place for weddings and engagement sessions. With a giant elegant water fountain, the Detroit skyline, gardens filled with flowers, and the recently renovated conservatory this is such a diverse space to have your engagement photos taken.
As a Southeast Michigan wedding photographer, I’ve worked on Belle Isle quite a bit for weddings and engagements and each time is unique to the couple. For the best engagement photos on Belle Isle, I get to know my couple and their personality before picking an area to photograph in.
Detroit Engagement
Alexis & Daniel’s engagement session was the best day. We traveled down to Belle Isle, Detroit area to celebrate their engagement. This session was the first time I had ever been to Belle Isle but I will definitely be back! It was also my first time seeing the Detroit Skyline, and it was simply stunning. There’s so much versatility around the island, but we stayed mainly by the fountain this time due to construction in the area (Michigan summer, am I right?). At this point in time, the casino and conservatory areas were under construction so my permit for photography was only good for the fountain location- at least according to the permit office!
Alexis and Daniel’s was the first of two Detroit engagement sessions I had on Belle Isle that day. When I do have multiple sessions at a single location I really strive to make them different. I use different prompts and poses, the outfits are different, and sometimes I’ll try new angles and perspectives. With the backgrounds being the same, I really didn’t want anyone to see images from both sessions and say “wow, those are really similar”. I want every person’s photos to be unique to them.
Once I got to Belle Isle it was smooth sailing. The area wasn’t heavily populated, which was a surprise for how nice a day it was. We ended up being able to avoid the people that were there and some vehicles in the background. The fountain was absolutely beautiful and I’m glad Alexis and Daniel chose to use it for their session! We also utilized a little pond in the area and the trees for a nice pop of green.
Choosing an Engagement Session Outfit
For their engagement session, Alexis and Daniel chose to keep their outfits simple. Alexis was stunning in a little white dress with a very bridal-esque bow in her hair. Daniel kept it simple with khakis and a polo shirt. Choosing an outfit for any photo session can be difficult. I like to suggest to all my clients to keep it simple. I offer my clients the chance to bring two outfits for hour long sessions. Usually any more than that can make you feel rushed to change during our time together, and that’s the last thing we want. In the summer I’ve started keeping a pop-up tent in my car if there is no public space to change outfits.
When choosing clothing though it’s important to make sure the outfits don’t clash! I suggest avoiding patterns on multiple pieces of clothing. For example, my husband wore a plaid shirt for our engagement session and I wore a solid, white sweater with no patterns on it. If I had also worn a shirt with stripes, it would have looked a little weird. It’s also important to make sure the colors chosen work together. Wearing a black suit with a navy dress may not end up looking the best together. Wear what makes you comfortable, but also make sure it pairs with your partner’s outfit!
Alexis & Daniel are set to be married in October this year at Zuccaro’s Banquets and Catering and I can’t wait to capture their big day! I’d love to work with you for your day as well! You can contact me here and see more of my work here. I offer engagement sessions within my wedding packages, and I offer theses sessions alone as well.
