How to plan an engagement photoshoot in Italy
Choose one beautiful place, go in the last two hours of light, wear clothes you can move in and give it about 90 minutes. Here is how I plan engagement, pre-wedding and proposal sessions on Lake Como, in Turin and in the Langhe.
An engagement photoshoot in Italy can be three different things: a relaxed session to celebrate, a pre-wedding photoshoot before your wedding here, or save the date photos and film to send to your guests. Sometimes it is a proposal, and one of you does not know yet. This guide covers all four: where to go, when, what to wear, how long it takes and, step by step, how to plan a surprise proposal with a hidden photographer.
Why an engagement session is worth it
Most couples are not used to being photographed together. An engagement session is where you find out that you do not need to pose, that a walk and a conversation are enough, and that the camera stops feeling strange after the first few minutes. On the wedding day you start from there instead of from zero.
It also helps me. I see how you move, who laughs first, which of you needs a little direction and which of you hates it. If we are working towards a wedding, we can test the same light and the same kind of place you will have on the day.
And you come away with images to use: invitations, a website, frames for your parents. Daria and Andrea's session in a Turin garden in June 2026 was their save the date, photographed and filmed in one session.
Where to have an engagement photoshoot in Italy
Lake Como
Lake Como is the obvious choice for a pre-wedding photoshoot, and for good reason: water, mountains, terraced gardens, stone balustrades and lanes of painted houses, all in one village. Public boats run between the lake towns, so a session can include a short crossing.
Ali and Zariyat's engagement session on Lake Como moved between terraced gardens, the shoreline and a small balcony over the water, with a box of pizza eaten on a stone wall. Keep a break like that in any plan: it is when people stop posing.
What to know before you choose Lake Como:
- Crowds: the lakefront villages are busy from late morning in summer. Early mornings and the last hours of the day are calmer.
- Light: mountains surround the lake, so depending on the shore the sun can drop behind a ridge before the official sunset. I plan around the real light, not the clock.
- Villas: gardens such as Villa del Balbianello are run by their own managers and keep their own rules and hours. Ask the villa directly about professional photography before you plan anything there.
- Weddings: if you are marrying on the lake, a session there in the months before is a good rehearsal. See my guide to wedding photography on Lake Como.
Turin
Turin is where I live, and it gives you two kinds of session. In the city: arcades, baroque squares, the river, the view from Monte dei Cappuccini. Or in a garden: lawns, old walls, trees and nobody watching, which is what Daria and Andrea chose. I wrote a separate guide to the best photo spots in Turin, with light, crowds and permits for each.
Spring in Turin also brings a short cherry blossom season. Gabri and Mada's session was under a long avenue of blossoming trees, petals all over the path.
The Langhe and Roero
South of Turin, the vineyard hills of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato are a UNESCO World Heritage site. For a session they give you rows of vines, hilltop villages and long views to the Alps on clear days. Autumn is the strongest season here: harvest, colour in the vines and soft light.
Most vineyards are private land. Ask the winery or the owner before stepping between the rows, and do not pick the grapes for a prop.
When to plan it: months and hours
The best months are April to June and September to October: warm enough for light clothes, with soft light and greener landscapes than in August. July and August work too, but the middle of the day is hot and harsh, so we start late and finish with the sunset.
The hour matters more than the month. I plan sessions in the last 90 minutes before sunset, or in the first hour after sunrise if you want the lake still and the villages empty. These are approximate sunset times for 2027, which I calculated myself with NOAA's solar equations for a flat horizon:
| Date | Turin | Lake Como (Bellagio) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 April | 8:14 pm | 8:09 pm |
| 15 May | 8:51 pm | 8:48 pm |
| 15 June | 9:17 pm | 9:15 pm |
| 15 September | 7:40 pm | 7:35 pm |
| 15 October | 6:44 pm | 6:37 pm |
What to wear for engagement photos
The short answer: wear what you would wear to a very good dinner, in colours that sit well together.
- Coordinate, do not match. Daria wore a long cream lace dress and Andrea white linen. Gabri wore a beige shirt and black trousers next to Mada's white ruffled dress and black boots. The colours belong together without being identical.
- Choose texture over print. Lace, linen, silk and knit look rich in photos. Small, busy patterns and big logos pull the eye away from your faces.
- Pick fabric that moves. A skirt that swings or a jacket you can take off gives me something to work with when you walk, turn or dance.
- Think about the place. Navy and white looked right against the blue of Lake Como for Ali and Zariyat. Earthy tones suit the Langhe; neutrals suit Turin's stone and brick.
- Plan your shoes. Lake Como lanes are cobbled, garden paths are gravel and Monte dei Cappuccini is a climb. Bring flat shoes for walking and change for the photos.
- Show your hands. If there is a new ring, think about nails and sleeves. A close-up of a hand on a linen shirt can be the photo you frame.
- Two outfits at most. Every change costs 15 minutes of light.
How long an engagement session takes
For one area, such as a lake village or the centre of Turin, 90 minutes is enough. Two hours lets us change outfits or move between two places close together. On Lake Como, a session with a boat crossing between villages needs more time, because boats keep to a timetable and the light does not wait.
Longer is not better. After two hours most people are tired of smiling, and the best photos usually come in the second half, once you have forgotten about me.
How an engagement session helps on the wedding day
On the wedding day there is very little time for portraits, often 20 to 30 minutes in the evening light. Couples who have done a session with me already know how it works: I suggest a walk or a place to stand, then I stay out of the way. Those minutes go to photographs instead of nerves.
It also settles practical things early: which side of your face you prefer, whether you like being directed, how you feel about kissing on camera in front of guests. We talk about all of it at the pre-wedding consultation, but having done it once is better than talking about it.
How to plan a surprise proposal on Lake Como with a hidden photographer
A proposal photographer on Lake Como, in Turin or anywhere else in Italy has one job: be there without being noticed. This is how I plan it with the person proposing.
- Choose the spot together. Send me the place you have in mind. I tell you whether it will be crowded at that hour, where the light will be and where I can stand without being seen.
- Check the rules. On a public promenade you only need a quiet moment. A villa garden or a hotel terrace needs the owner's permission, and some villas set their own conditions. Ask before you plan.
- Pick the hour. Early morning or the hour before sunset. Midday on a summer weekend means strangers in every frame.
- Talk it through on a call. After my reply to your first message, we can have a free 20-minute video call in English, Italian, Russian, Turkish or Azerbaijani. We go through the plan, the timing and a backup.
- Agree on a mark and a signal. We fix the exact spot where you will stop, the direction you will both face and a signal for when you are about to kneel. I will already be in place, looking like any other visitor with a camera.
- Invent a cover story. A walk before dinner, a photo for your parents, a table booked nearby. Something that explains nice clothes without explaining too much.
- Keep the ring safe. An inside pocket, not a bag your partner might pick up.
- Have a plan B. If it rains or the spot is full, we move to a second place nearby or wait. I watch the forecast with you in the days before.
- Leave time after the yes. Once I have introduced myself, we spend 20 to 30 minutes on relaxed portraits while you are both still shaking.
Because I shoot photo and film myself on one timeline, a proposal can be filmed as well as photographed without bringing a second stranger to the spot.
More on how proposals work is on the proposals page, and on engagement and pre-wedding sessions on the engagements page.
FAQ
When is the best time for an engagement photoshoot in Italy?
April to June and September to October, in the last 90 minutes before sunset. In mid-June 2027 the sun sets around 9:17 pm in Turin and 9:15 pm at Bellagio on Lake Como; in mid-October it is around 6:44 pm and 6:37 pm. For empty lanes and still water, an early morning session is the alternative.
How long is an engagement photoshoot?
About 90 minutes for one area, such as a Lake Como village or the centre of Turin. Two hours if you want an outfit change or two nearby places. A Lake Como session with a boat crossing needs extra time for the timetable. Longer sessions rarely give better photos, because people get tired.
What should we wear for an engagement session on Lake Como?
Coordinated colours rather than matching outfits, plain fabrics with texture, and something that moves when you walk. Light colours and navy suit the lake well. Bring flat shoes, because many lakeside lanes are cobbled and steep, and keep heels for the photos themselves.
Can you film our engagement or save the date as well?
Yes. I work as a photographer and filmmaker, shooting both on one timeline. Daria and Andrea's save the date in Turin was photographed and filmed in the same session.
How do I plan a surprise proposal with a photographer in Italy?
Choose the spot, check whether it needs permission, pick a quiet hour and agree with the photographer on an exact mark, a signal and a cover story. A short video call beforehand helps. Leave 20 to 30 minutes after the proposal for portraits. The step-by-step plan above covers each of these.
Do you do engagement sessions outside Lake Como and Turin?
Yes. I offer engagement and pre-wedding sessions on Lake Como, in Turin and around Piedmont, including the Langhe, and I work across Italy and abroad. Travel and accommodation are not included in my prices; they are added transparently to the quote.
Plan your session
Tell me where you are thinking of, roughly when, and whether one of you is not supposed to know yet. Send me your date and place, and I will reply personally within a day or two.
Sources
- Navigazione Laghi, public boat services on Lake Como: navigazionelaghi.it
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1390
- FAI, Villa del Balbianello (contacts for visits and private events): fondoambiente.it/luoghi/villa-del-balbianello
- NOAA solar calculator and equations, which I used to calculate the sunset times above: gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc
Keep reading
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