I include engagement sessions for every single wedding I photograph. This is how important I think engagement sessions are to the wedding day. I often get questions from my couples asking what if they already had an engagement session done. My answer? We still do an engagement session! Usually we will do something a little more fun, like including their dogs for half the shoot or doing a themed session. I am down for anything! The important thing is getting my couples interacting together in front of my camera. Here are the top reasons I think an engagement session with your wedding photographer is crucial:
You Get Time In Front Of The Camera
When someone whips out a camera, we all tend to get a little flustered. Even me! Where do I put my hands? Where do I look? Are we smiling, being serious, being funny?! And that is just with a cell phone, much less in front of a professional photographer with a huge camera! Most of us have not been in front of a professional photographer since our high school senior pictures. And even then, half of us got these pictures done in a portrait studio, which is very different than the lifestyle engagement photography that we have come to know and love. The engagement session allows you to warm up and get used to being in front of the camera before the wedding day. Then, on the wedding day, it is a lot easier and quicker for you to relax in front of the camera.
You Get To Know Your Photographer
You will likely be spending more time on your wedding day with your photographer than your new spouse! And, to top it all off, you will be showing some very raw unfiltered emotions in front of your photographer on your wedding day. You don’t want your photographer to feel like a stranger. The engagement session is a great time to get to know your photographer better, so they feel like an old friend on your wedding day.
You Get To Know The Poses
Each photographer has their own posing style. So even if you have had your engagement photos done by another photographer, it is important for you to have a session with your wedding photographer before the wedding to get to know their style. You will be able to experience how they shoot and handle posing and lighting. Your photographer will get to learn how you interact with each other, what our best poses are, and how you are most comfortable showing emotion.
There Is No Pressure
You may feel a little nervous at the beginning of the session, but that should disappear as you start working with your photographer. The truth is, this is the only chance you will get to be in front of the camera with out the wedding day pressures. You will get to work out any discomforts you may have in any of the poses without having to worry if you spent too much time and now won’t have the sunset photo in front of the mountain you were dreaming of.
The Result:
Your photographer will arrive on your wedding day already knowing how you interact together, what your best poses are, and how to evoke that genuine emotion between the two of you. When it comes time to do you photos on your wedding day, it will be cake (like the cake you may or may not smash in each other faces later in the day). You will feel comfortable in front of the camera because you know what to expect and you will rock your photos.
Check back in next Tuesday for tips on choosing a location for your engagement session.
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