If you’re sitting on the fence about whether to have an engagement shoot, or you’d like to find out more about what on earth one would involve, then this is the blog post for you!
First thing’s first, I absolutely love engagement shoots - I love meeting up with you and getting to know you before your wedding day arrives. I love going for a stroll along your favourite beach, woodland or hiking trail. It’s a wonderful time to understand how you interact together as a couple, the way you stand together, the things that make you laugh, your individual personalities and your quirks in front of the camera.
All of the above is immeasurably useful for getting the best out of your photos on your wedding day. Whilst an engagement shoot isn’t imperative (you will still get great photos at your wedding without one), I would recommend having one if you’re thinking about it, or if you’re worried about being in front of the camera, or if you want to go above and beyond with your wedding photos.
So without further ado, here are my 5 reasons you should consider an engagement shoot:
This is your best opportunity to become comfortable in front of the camera
Not everyone feels natural in front of the camera, particularly when you’re having romantic candid photos taken! This probably doesn’t happen every day, and that’s why a test run before the big day goes a long way in helping you look more relaxed, less tense and feel more at ease in your real wedding photos. Mikey and Emily decided to have an engagement shoot with me last year before their wedding day for precisely these reasons, so we went to the beach where they got engaged and walked along the sand and played in the sea (is that a good idea in March? Mikey’s face says no). Whilst they were both a little unsure at the beginning of the shoot, by the end they were both totally used to having their photos taken, and were instantly into it when it came to their portraits on their wedding day.
You’ll get to know me, your photographer
This is probably my favourite reason out of the five. Anyone that knows me will get this, I love making friends and I love making connections with people. Establishing a relationship together before the big day makes a huge difference in the outcome of your wedding photos. It gives me a chance to take note of your individual personalities, how you guys interact together, your quirks as a couple and best of all, how to make you laugh and smile for the camera. This is ultimately going to help me capture moments on your wedding day that are unique to just the two of you, and those 15-20 minutes we spend together taking your private portraits will be super efficient, so beautiful and really very special.
A chance to reconnect
Your engagement shoot is also the perfect opportunity to reconnect with somewhere special to you. It might be your favourite place to walk on a Sunday afternoon, or maybe it’s where you had your first date, or even where you said yes. Picking a meaningful spot will make your images feel so special, and you’ll also be at ease in an environment you know. It will also give you both some unique and special time together, which can be especially important whilst going through the harder parts of wedding planning.
Have professional photos of yourselves before the wedding
Instead of worrying about the camera on your wedding day, you’ll already know what it’s like to be photographed by me. You’ll have more confidence in your photos, and you’ll likely just forget I am there. You’ll also get to see how you look in front of the camera, and if like Shane you think some posture work might be useful, then you get the chance to work on that before the main event!
You’ll have gorgeous photos to use pre-wedding
Once you’ve had your engagement shoot, there are endless things you can do with your photos; you could make gifts for your family, make a small album or book, or you could order a print to hang in your home. You could also use them on your save the date cards, in your wedding program, on your wedding website, or you could live it up in the 21st century and just post them on Facebook. Whatever you choose to do with them, one thing is for sure, you’ll be so ready for your photos come your wedding day, and you’re going to feel really relaxed and have some truly stunning photographs to look back on.
Hopefully this will give you a really good idea of the value of an engagement shoot, and if it’s something you’re interested in, drop me a line and lets get this party started!