7 Reasons Why Engagement Portraits Are Necessary
Above: Jasmine and Matt getting comfortable in front of our camera. We were honored to capture this image for them.
We often get the question from our clients, “Is it necessary to have engagement portraits?” And the answer is ABSOLUTELY YES. Personally, we think engagement portraits are essential that we include a pre-wedding shoot in our collections. And if you’re newly engaged, you might be asking this same question. Here are seven reasons why we think you should definitely invest in an engagement portrait session.
Getting To Know You . . . Getting To Know All About You
Your photographer the driving force to capture your wedding portraits. This is the one person who will be with you for hours on the day of your wedding, capturing intimate moments and minute details. He’ll be the one witnessing and documenting one of the most significant and emotional days of your life. And let’s be honest, if you don’t have a good rapport with your photographer, things can get pretty awkward. An engagement portrait session allows the two of you to spend productive time not just in front of a camera but to also build a trusting relationship in front of your photographer.
Become Comfortable in Front of the Camera
Let’s face it, not everyone likes being in front of a camera let alone get their photo taken. And to make it even more challenging, allowing some photographer to take your photo while the two of you have an intimate moment. So in a sense, an engagement session allows you to create that comfortable atmosphere. And you’ll be amazed that over time you’ll be feeling like you’re a pro at being in front of a camera. There is some directing, however, a lot of the interaction will be between the couple. Lots of playing around, acting like yourselves. All we ask is that you be YOU.
Learn What You Like and Don’t Like
This is all a part of communicating with your photographer. Don’t like the urban engagement photos in the city? Why not tell your photographer you like greenery, florals, and water nearby. At the end of the day, these images will be of you and for you. So never shy away to tell your photographer what you like for your engagement photos.
Beautiful Content for Your Bridal Registry Website
If you don’t have an online bridal registry, get one. And having the digital images from your engagement photo shoot will allow you to show off the beautiful images your photographer created for you. Remember, having an online bridal registry is very visual so don’t be shy to post these photos of the two of you announcing your love to each other.
Practice Makes Perfect
When we do engagement photoshoots, we like to create them as if the images were going to be in a high fashion bridal magazine. We either go big or don’t go big at all. And while you’re in front of our cameras during your engagement session, it’s a time for you to learn a few tricks of the trade with your photographer regarding how to pose, what your best angles are, and to feel comfortable with your photographer. An engagement photoshoot is a great way to practice posing for your wedding day photos. But its not all about posing. The brides of today are wanting real emotions in their images with true colors- not the light and airy look or the dark and moody look (Eeeew!). Gone are the days of jumping up in the air together, holding up a chalkboard sign, or blowing a bunch of glitter at the camera. Its about cuddling each other and allowing the photographer to capture these sweet moments. Maybe sneak in a little kiss every now and then or making each other laugh at a joke.
Your Wedding Photos Will Turn Out Better
There is a good chance that if you have engagement photos taken, your wedding photos will come out better and the whole process will run more smoothly. Why? Because as we’ve mentioned above, you’ve already built a relationship with your photographer and there is a level of trust and comfort. You’ve already strutted your stuff in front of the lens, gotten comfortable posing and talking with your photographer, and know how to work with each other.
Being Engaged Is A Milestone Worth Celebrating On Its Own
The proposal and engagement period are an important next step in your relationship, but they get overshadowed by the big event. Engagement photos capture a special time in your life when you are madly in love and will soon embark on a life journey together. You’ll never regret having high-quality photographs to cherish and pass down to your family. Being engaged and getting to call one another fiancé is a special chapter in your lives together that should be documented. Even if you have countless selfies together, take advantage of having a professional photographer capture this phase through their perspective. A photographer will be able to snap the candid, real moments that showcase the true emotions you have for one another as an engaged couple.
Above: The two are definitely not afraid to just be themselves in front of the camera.
The best part of us during the process is to see your love story unfold which allows us to tell this story through the images we capture. We also capture these moments on video for your social media to give a sneak peek of what’s to come leading up to your wedding day. It’s a little teaser for your guests to get excited for your wedding day that’s about to happen in a couple of months. If you’re looking for someone to help tell your story, contact us for a free consultation.