“I don’t think we are even going to do engagement photos…”
I’ve heard this many times over the years from potential clients. They usually do not see the point of engagement pictures, but I am here to tell you why I think you absolutely should do an engagement session with your wedding photographer…
Most Photographers Include An Engagement Session As Part of Their Wedding Packages
I include an engagement session for all of my clients who book me to cover a full day wedding. No additional cost. Yes, I probably could charge more for it, but I don’t. Why? I feel it is extremely helpful both to the couple and to me as their photographer. I will explain my reasons further, but if your photographer does include a session, please take advantage of it! You’re not spending any more money and there is so much to gain!
Practice Having Your Picture Taken
Most likely you’ve never had your photo taken by a professional photographer, or at least not with the person you are getting married to! On the wedding day, it will be like you are on a red carpet and the paparazzi are all around you. Not just your wedding photographer(s) but the guests as well. Everyone will be snapping pictures of you. For those of us who don’t especially like having our pictures taken or who feel like we’re not photogenic, the engagement session is a good opportunity to get used to being the center of attention.
Develop A Rapport With Your Photographer
Your wedding photographer is going to be very close to you all throughout your wedding day. From the getting ready photos until the end of the night, they are most likely the one vendor you will be the closest to…for hours…on the biggest day of your life. Your engagement session is a chance to get to know your photographer and how they work. That way, when they show up on the day of the wedding they aren’t just some person you met once and decided to hire for your wedding. You have formed a bond. You are more comfortable around them and with the way that they take pictures.
Your Photographer Gets To Know About You
I use engagement photo sessions as a chance to really get to know my clients – I find out more about their relationship and especially how they interact with each other. I also get to know if my clients are camera shy, if they have any little quirks (they blink a lot, make funny faces, etc.) because these are things that I can work around on the wedding day as long as I know about it beforehand. I can also find out which camera angles work best for their face and body type and if there are angles they don’t like (“I don’t like being photographed from below…ever…”).
You Can Use Those Photos!
“What are we going to do with engagement pictures?” you might ask…well, there are a lot of things you can do with them. Here is a short list of examples of what my clients have used their engagement photos for:
- Guest signing books
- Decorations in the entry way at the wedding reception
- Escort cards
- Save the date cards
- Thank you cards
- Newspaper announcements
- Holiday cards
The list goes on and on and is pretty much only limited by your imagination.
So if your wedding photographer offers you an engagement photo session – DO IT!
