When outdoorsy isn’t you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

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 | Photography by Dia Meraz Photograph
When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair
Photos by Dia Meraz Photography

When you think of engagement shoots, you might automatically think of backdrops like local parks, forests, beaches, and murals. But what if you're more of a Netflix-watching, cuddling on the couch type? That's why I LOVED these casual, loving, and intimate at-home engagement photos of Jordan and David. Jordan is a Nigerian-American editor and writer from Los Angeles, and David, her fiance, is a software developer and neo-funk musician. His passion for perfect dreadlocks is surpassed only by his love for Brazillian jiujitsu.

Their passions are books, vinyl records, and their awesomely coiffed natural hair. So what better way to celebrate THEM than by having a session at home? Here's how it came about and why it's so adorably bright and airy…

I was at a loss for engagement shoot ideas after my fiance, David, popped the question. Every session I had ever seen involved a beach or some woodsy outback…and while my fiance and I love to travel, we are not outdoorsy people. When I tried to imagine us posing in flannels against a damp pile of logs, I snorted laughing.

Still — what was us? David and I tried to summon our dearest memories, and we realized that most of them happened at home: snuggling in front of a beloved TV series, having high-stakes philosophical arguments in the kitchen, making a breakfast picnic on the stained wood floor.

Only one problem: we didn't have a living room. David had not yet furnished his newly-purchased fixer-upper home, and the clock was ticking for sending out our save-the-dates.

We dashed to paint, re-finish, and furnish the living room and kitchen in bright, cozy colors. The effect was an airy, pristine quality that still felt homey.

We also wanted to highlight what we found beautiful about our relationship: my love of books, David's love of vinyl records, and our passion for natural black hair. Props abounded!

Dia Meraz Photography did an incredible job capturing our session. I loved how quick and comfortable the shoot was — no trekking out to a field we would never visit again, no yelling over ocean waves. Plus, we got to immortalize the space in which we'll first live as a married couple!

I would definitely recommend a home shoot to anyone looking for a warm, low-stress engagement session that reflects their everyday lives.

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

When outdoorsy isn't you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

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Comments on When outdoorsy isn’t you: at-home engagement photos with books, vinyl, and natural black hair

    • LOL I just came to say the same thing.

      I also like that they’re both dressed relatively casually and are participating equally. I laughed about posing in flannel in front of a bunch of wet logs, but my pet peeve about engagement shots is the tendency (among heteronormative couples) for the woman feature in the shot wearing a nice dress and heels with professional hair and makeup, while the man just stands off to the side in jeans and sneakers gazing adoringly at her. I get that for some couples that’s their actual dynamic, but it’s nice to see an engagement shoot that does something different.

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