Chloe and Andrew's Sunday Morning Engagement Shoot in Stoke Newington

Chloe and Andrew’s engagement shoot was a Sunday morning in Stoke Newington, their own corner of north London, doing what they’d do on any Sunday morning. I don’t normally photograph pre-wedding or engagement sessions, but their entire brief was simple: “We just want to do what we love on a Sunday morning together.” I couldn’t say no.

And that’s exactly what we did.

Coffee and bagels on the street

We started with a slow wander through Stoke Newington’s streets. They led me to their favourite cafes, where we grabbed coffee and just existed. Nothing staged, nothing forced.

Then their beloved bagel shop, tearing into freshly made bagels right there on the street. They wrote letters to each other at a little table outside, and I stayed out of the way and let them get on with it.

The corners of Stoke Newington only locals know

From there we explored the tucked-away spots: local parks, hand in hand past familiar storefronts, the little hidden corners you only find if you live there. It wasn’t about finding the “perfect” backdrop. These are the streets they walk every day.

We even stopped outside their favourite pub for a spontaneous pre-wedding handfasting, just the two of them, under the London sky, right in the middle of their everyday world.

Champagne in the park, Guinness in the pub

After popping some champagne in the park and dancing under the trees, we finished at their favourite Irish pub, where they ordered three pints of the creamiest Guinness I’ve ever had in London. One of them was for me.

It was the most laid-back way to wrap up a session that didn’t feel like a “session” at all.

Why I love shoots like this

It wasn’t about perfect poses or finding some random scenic spot that means nothing to them. It was their favourite places, the streets they walk every day, the little routines that make up their world. That’s the whole point.

I can’t wait to photograph their wedding in Scotland next year.