5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD DO AN ENGAGEMENT SESSION
5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD DO AN ENGAGEMENT SESSION
Your forever partner recently popped the question you have been waiting for since you were a kid - and hopefully since you landed here, the answer was “YES!” As you start to begin the wedding planning process and you question whether or not you want or need an engagement photographer. This answer will be different for each individual couple but personally as a wedding & engagement photographer, photographing engagement sessions is one of my favorite events to shoot. An engagement session can be utilized for so many different purposes and below are 10 reasons why I am an advocate for every one of my JHP Wedding Couples and newly engaged couples to schedule an engagement session.
GET TO KNOW YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
I am a strong believer that the more you connect with your photographer, the better the photographs will be. When you have a genuine connection with your photographer, you start to open up and be comfortable with being your weird, unique self that ultimately tells the story better than any pose or prompt given by your professional. This is why when receiving an inquiry, I respond back with the opportunity to set up a phone or video call to break the barrier between us to feel more comfortable engaging in small talk, that then leads to opening up about your love story and what led you two to this special moment in your journey together. An engagement session for me and my couples’ is an extension of this. Not only does it allow for you all to get a feel for what it is like being on the other side of my lens but allows for us to have genuine, and intentional conversation to get to know each other as a friendship, rather than just a professional - client relationship.
Building a connection can also mean having the opportunity to get to know what makes your love story unique and establishing a relatable partnership that will ultimately allow for better photographs. On your wedding day, it will allow myself and any other photographer to use our experiences together to draw out different feelings, emotions, and often times playfulness throughout the day. Your wedding day should be as stress-free and easy going as possible and to already have that connection/bond established with your photographer is one the most undervalued parts when going through the planning process of your dream wedding day.
That is exactly why my wedding packages include a complimentary engagement session - because while my team and I work tirelessly to create a consistent professional client experience, communication via phone or email can feel a little distant as you continue to plan your wedding. An engagement session allows for you to spend time with your photographer to get more comfortable with their personality and the role they will play in your big day.
2. USE YOUR ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS AS DECORATION AND INVITES FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Photographs can be a powerful tool in telling a story in many ways. Engagement Sessions have most commonly been used as decorations and invitations for your closest friends and family to witness your bonding covenant to each other. From personal experience, most engagement photos are used primarily for social media and often times, get lost in the shuffle of your camera roll on your computer and/or mobile device. Why should high quality photos not be appreciated to their fullest extent.
A great and modern use of your engagement photos can be utilized and appreciated on your special day. Wedding Guestbooks are one way to use your engagement photos to allow guests to give warm wedding wishes and advice as they celebrate your special day and gives something for you to looks back on down the line.
3. PRACTICE AND GET COMFORTABLE FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Okay, lets be honest for a second - the last time you had formal photos taken of you was probably your prom or some sort of graduation session… And you were probably awkward or your mom/dad were off to the side trying to direct you and yelling “SMILE WITH YOUR TEETH!” Trust me, I know the feeling all to well. I have always been the type to rather be behind the camera, rather than in front of but practice means comfortability in the world of photography. The more you are in front of the camera, either the more comfortable you become or the more annoyed you become. Seriously though, every one has those pinned wedding photos and shot lists reflecting couples looking natural and passionately in love and thinks “If I could just get one of our photos to look like this…” Who said that all of your photographs cannot look that way? Your wedding photographs can look just as natural and romantic, with a little practice.
During your engagement session, your photographer will pose and give you prompts that will hopefully help you feel and look more comfortable. These prompts and poses will HELP make you feel more comfortable but some of my favorite photographs from weddings/engagements I've taken, are those of my couples’ simply interacting, loving on and embracing what makes their love story unique… the two of them. The perfect location will only be a perfect location until the subject(s) make it THEIR own.
4. EXPLORE AND EXPERIENCE A FUN ADVENTURE WITH YOUR FIANCE
One of my favorite things about engagements sessions is that the location and ideas are endless. As a professional, I love to take my couples somewhere that they’ve never been before for an adventure: hiking, canoeing, exploring the downtown streets, etc. Or maybe we visit a place that is special to them. When I am speaking with my couples, most only think of what’s readily available but my goal is to challenge them to explore outside the box. Simplicity can be achieved where you least expect it.
5. LEARN EVEN MORE ABOUT YOUR PARTNER
We have already discussed about how during your engagement session I will encourage the two of you to express your feelings and reminisce on your favorite memories that make your love story unique. In a way, it can be used as a humble reminder of the journey that has led you this moment. As much as you strive for your wedding day to be perfect, the ultimate foundation that will allow your marriage to be successful is rooted within the two hearts that stand at the altar on that date.
As an addition to the beautiful photographs during your engagement session, I strive to dive deeper into your love story. I have started to do this by setting up a series called “Spark of Love”, that includes sitting down during your engagement session for a brief minute asking a few questions about yourself and your partner. This allows for me to not only create a different form of content (via video/audio edit) but serves as a way to express what “sparks your love”on a day to day basis. At this stage of your relationship, you know that your partner loves you, and vice versa, but there’s always more to learn about and from your partner.
