Inspo for Engagement Photos at Saint Anthony Main

There’s almost nowhere more classic to have your engagement session in Minneapolis than Saint Anthony Main, and I’m here to give you some ideas and inspo for your session—including how to handle changing Minnesota weather patterns—with examples from Jenna & Sean’s fall engagement session and Emily & Matt’s winter session!

For Any Photo Session at Saint Anthony Main

In both galleries below, you’ll see that we hit some classic spots along Main Street, including

• The Main Cinema
• The 3rd Avenue Bridge for that fabulous Minneapolis skyline view
• The Nicollet Island Bridge
• The stairs next to FRGMT Coffee

We also chose outfit options for each couple that complemented the area as well as their chosen season. Jenna & Sean went for a more colorful palette for fall, and Matt & Emily went for a more neutral color scheme for winter. In either case, we made sure that the colors they were wearing had shades and tints that would not accidentally reflect color back on their light skin in super bright light, which is key to getting great photos!

Lastly, it’s usually a good idea to check city event calendars to see how busy the Saint Anthony Main area is expected to be. While a few people here and there in your photos can be unavoidable, most of them should just be you!

Read more about each couple’s individual sessions and see their photos below!

Fall Engagement Session at Saint Anthony Main

Jenna & Sean are having a late spring wedding, so they opted for some variety in their engagement session by choosing fall. Here is how we planned their session and how it went!

Fall color is getting more and more difficult to predict with changing weather patterns and climate change, so we originally scheduled for late September and waited until we saw some good color change in the area. In their case though, we were also coordinating around beauty appointments like haircuts and color as well as nail and brow appointments. When you are thinking about when to have your session, be flexible, but also decide what is most important to you — colors and conditions or super fresh beauty? There is no wrong answer, and hopefully you can have both, but it’s best to be prepared!

For the timing of their session, we wanted to make sure we got to capture that beautiful, golden fall light, so we started about 90 minutes before sunset. You’ll see that we were able to get some golden sun, some direct sunlight photos, and also a good number of shaded classic photos. Ensuring we were out before the sun set behind buildings was key here, so make sure you get out there a little earlier than you think!

Check out their photos here and save the ones you want for some inspo for your own session!

Winter Engagement Session at Saint Anthony Main

Matt & Emily are getting married in early spring, so again for some variety and also so they could send their Save the Dates out to their out of town friends and family, we planned their Saint Anthony Main Engagement Session for winter!

Winter definitely has its own challenges related to changing weather patterns and climate change as well, including super cold temperatures, lack of snow, and wind chill. Similarly to planning a fall session around color and coordinating with beauty appointments, you’ll have to decide what is most important to you: waiting for snow or super fresh beauty? Again, no wrong answer, but thinking about it ahead of time is smart!

We were SUPER lucky to have snow show up the day before Matt & Emily’s session, but we would have done it without. However, I, as most photographers in the area, do have a temperature/wind chill cutoff. You may think you can hack an hour outside with no gloves or hat, but I’m telling you it usually doesn’t go well! I require a reschedule or move into my studio in NE Minneapolis if the wind chill is below 15°F.

Because the sun is fairly low all day during the winter, we started closer to two hours before sunset, when the golden hour is stretched out. This also allows for enough light in the likely event that it is cloudy on your session day like it was for Matt & Emily’s. As a side note, this would be one time of year you could possibly get away with a mid-day session if that was a good fit with your schedule. 

At last, we have come to the part where you can see some winter engagement photos in Saint Anthony Main! 

Considering getting your engagement pics taken in Minneapolis, Saint Paul or in the surrounding area? I’d love to help you plan the perfect session for you! Reach out here!