Encouraging Brides and Grooms to Have An Engagement Session
I’ve blogged more than a few engagement portraits and I go on and on about how much I love photographing them…. so you might assume that I think engagement shoots are pretty important. You’d be right! I think engagement portraits are so vital that I include a pre-wedding shoot as complimentary to my wedding collection and not something that can be taken away. But if you’re newly engaged, you might be wondering whether or not YOU should think engagement photos are important. Here are eight reasons why I think you should definitely value engagement photos and get them taken:
1 — Get to know your photographer
Your wedding photographer is so much more than just a lens and a clicking shutter! This is a person who will be with you for HOURS on your wedding day, capturing intimate moments and special details, witnessing and recording one of the most significant and emotional days of your life. Let’s face it, if you don’t have a good rapport with your photographer, things have the potential to get pretty awkward. An engagement session allows you to spend productive time with your photographer. Use this opportunity to get to know them!
2 — Grow more comfortable in front of a camera
So many people feel threatened by a camera pointed in their direction! If you’re one of those people who goes stiff and awkward in front of the lens, don’t fear! Once you have a chance to get used to being photographed and to relax into the process, you’ll be amazed at how comfortable and natural you can feel! Having an engagement shoot gives you a chance to develop that comfort BEFORE your wedding day.
3 — Build trust in your finished photography
Wedding photography is a major investment, but you won’t even get a peek at the finished product until after the wedding. Talk about scary! Even after you’ve seen samples and galleries from the photographer’s previous work, many couples have trouble imagining what their OWN photos could look like. Having engagement portraits taken is an amazing way to ease your mind! After you see your beautiful portraits, you’ll have a much clearer sense of what kind of images your photographer can create for you and that will allow you to relax and know that you are sure to love your wedding photos as well!
4 — Capture the fleeting time that you’re engaged
Being engaged is a time of transition — shifting from a dating couple to a married one. It’s such a happy, exciting time, but it won’t last forever. Having engagement pictures taken can be a wonderful way to preserve memories of this brief period, so that you can look back on them for years to come.
5 — Express yourselves
An engagement session is a perfect opportunity to get beautiful, flattering photos taken of the two of you together just being your unique selves. This is your chance to capture your connection to one another and to express yourselves. For some suggestions about how to make your engagement shoot personal, check out the blog post I shared on that very topic!
6 — Enjoy an unexpected bonding activity
Sometimes it can be hard to find time just for the two of you when you’re not distracted by screens, crowds or errands. During your engagement shoot, you’ll be a team, working together and focusing on one another … in fact, your photos will turn out SO much better if the two of you really focus on the connection and love between you while you’re being photographed.
7 — Create portraits of the two of you in non-wedding clothes
Your wedding portraits will be cherished forever, but having professional portraits of the two of you in more everyday clothing gives you additional images that you can use in so many different ways. Your wedding photos will be very clearly tied to that specific event, but your engagement photos can be super versatile!
8 — You’ll have photos to use for wedding purposes
This is probably the reason that leapt to your mind when you saw this post, and it’s an important one! Save the date cards, thank you cards, a wedding website, a guest book … all of these are important aspects of your wedding planning that will benefit SO much from beautiful engagement photos!
Are you convinced? I hope so! I adore engagement sessions, and I would love for every couple to have one!
