Should we get engagement photos? // Tips for brides
Should we get engagement photos?
Are engagement photos for you? Not sure you should have them done? Why spend the extra money when you will just get photos at your wedding? Below are a few tips and reasons you may not have thought of deciding if an engagement session is right for you.
1. It helps you to get comfortable in front of the camera in preparation for your wedding. Some people are not naturally comfortable in front of the camera or just haven’t had the opportunity to have many photos taken. And that is totally okay! Most of my couples have never had formal photos taken of themselves before and so they are nervous and do not know what to expect. I love these types of clients because it means they don’t have any bad habits yet! ;-) And I also LOVE showing people how easy it is to be comfortable in front of the camera. It is a great practice round for your wedding day. Once we have spent 90 minutes together we both know how the other one works so on the wedding day there is no warming up. We are ready to go.
2. Get to know your photographer and their style. Yes, you’ve seen my portfolio and all the pretty images, but this time you get to see me in action and see how I create YOUR images with my style. You also get to know me a bit too. I tend to talk quite a bit and tell random stories, so who knows what you will learn about me. ;-) I also get the opportunity to get to know you too. I might ask you about how you met, the proposal story, what you are most excited about with your wedding and future life…etc. You guys getting comfortable with me and vice-versa makes your images turn out even better.
3. Document this special time in your lives and get photos in a unique location. Personally, I LOVED being engaged. I felt like it was a whole different story in our lives and I wanted to cherish it. And having engagement photos to document us before we were married was wonderful! I want my couples to have that as well. It also gives an awesome opportunity to have photos in a location that you wouldn’t normally be able to go to on your wedding day.
4. Spend quality time together. Think of it as a date. :-) My goal during an engagement session is to get the groom to say, “Wow, that was easy & fun!” If he says that and I get amazing pictures, then my job is done! Life can get overwhelming while wedding planning and so I look at engagement sessions as a time that you two get to look at each other, chat, kiss and touch for a whole 90 minutes! And I just happen to get to document it.
5. Create images you will cherish and that your children will someday also cherish. I think that one explains itself. :-)
6. We both learn to know how you like to look in front of the camera. This is a huge one. Through the course of our session together you may reveal little details about yourself that maybe you don’t like as much or are self-conscious about. Once I discover those things about you, then maybe I will pose you slightly different to compensate. And then I see the images you choose to download from your session. It shows me the ones you really love and the way you love to look. I make notes of all of these things so that I can apply them on the wedding day to make your photos even more amazing!
