“Thank you so much. This was Jake’s first real photo shoot and, I remember vividly, he was not excited about it. By the end of our day, he loved you, how our session was and he was totally warmed up for pictures on the wedding day. Our engagement/wedding photos are our FAVORITE and still fill the walls of our house. Thanks again for everything!”   – Jennifer

 

Jennifer posted this flashback on Facebook from their session in 2011 and had this to say about looking back. Whether an engagement session is or is not a priority for you, I’ve never known any couple to regret having one.

Here’s 5 things to consider if you’re on the fence:

 

1. You’re on cloud nine!  Capture it! You just got engaged and it’s safe to say you’re more excited about this than anything in your life. There is a certain glow about a couple when I shoot their engagement and it’s absolutely from riding the high of recently saying yes.

2. Why not have some portraits in civilian clothes? Realistically, you’ll only put so many images from your wedding on your walls and how nice to have portraits in non-wedding, more casual clothes. An engagement session provides images you can also use for many other purposes. I like to get solo portraits and often see them being used on LinkedIn, social media profile pictures, etc.

3. You get to know your wedding photographer. Odds are, you’re going to shoot with whoever you’re hiring to shoot the wedding and this is a great way to get some practice time. This may be your first time even having a portrait session, so it’s well worth the experience. I love it because it also gives me an idea of the two of you, how you connect, how you are in front of the camera, and we’re getting time shooting together before the fast pace of wedding day.

4. It builds confidence for wedding photographs. It really does. I can’t tell you how many people tell me they are awkward and I have my work cut out…. and then they get their images back and they love them! It’s like an instant confidence boost that you totally are a hottie and you actually do know what to do in front of the camera!

5. Are all of your pictures together selfies? This repeats #2 a bit, but really. Do yourself a solid and get some nice portraits of yourselves that don’t include a selfie-stick or poorly lit phone photo a friend took at a concert. Enjoy an evening together, use it as an excuse to get a new outfit, then follow it with a great dinner.

 

 

 

Yes, I’m biased a bit… I like to capture love, so there’s no question where I stand. It’s absolutely personal preference but hopefully this helps tip you forward, since these sessions are definitely some of my favorites to photograph, if not solely based on the reaction I hear back after delivering them.

 

Happy engagement!