Now that you're engaged to the love of your life, you most likely have a million things to do before your wedding. Having an engagement photography session probably isn't at the top of your priority list. But here are 5 reasons why it should be.
1. Become comfortable in front of the camera
Wedding days can be busy and often stressful enough as is, without having to worry about how you'll look in your wedding photos. Most people aren't used to having professional photos taken and often this initial nervousness can cause them to tense up in front of the camera and obscure the natural expressions and emotions associated with a wedding day. By using an engagement session as a trial run for your wedding day, you'll have the opportunity to jettison any nerves that you might have about being in front of a camera well before the big day. If you can also arrange for your hair and makeup trial to occur at the same time, you'll be able to see how well this is captured on camera.
2. Take some great non-wedding images
Of course, it's important to capture all of the moments and memories of your wedding day, which you are likely to treasure in the years ahead. But wouldn't it be great to also have some photos that reflect this special phase of your life, as an engaged couple? By removing the time constraints of a wedding day, an engagement session allows you to be much more flexible in terms of location and timing too. This is the perfect opportunity to capture that epic shot with your fiancé that you have always wanted.
3. Your engagement photos are really useful
There are a myriad of things that you can do with your engagement photos. Can you imagine how a beautiful framed art print or canvas would look hanging on your living room wall? Or perhaps you'd like to put together a photo book to remember the time that you had together as an engaged couple? Or, if you're yet to send out wedding invitations, you can use a photograph from your engagement session for a 'save the date' card for family and friends. Another popular idea is to put on display one or more enlarged photographs from your engagement session at your wedding reception. This is guaranteed to provide a talking point as your guests arrive at the reception.
4. Get to know your photographer
I'm sure you've heard stories about couples that have booked a wedding photographer only to meet his or her alter ego on the wedding day. That is, the photographer, who when you book him, says he shoots in a photojournalistic style, yet turns up to the wedding and barks orders at everyone. Don't let this happen to you! You'll be seeing a lot of your photographer on your wedding day, so make sure that you use this opportunity to build rapport, get to know your photographer's shooting style and be confident that you'll be able to get along with each other.
5. Let your photographer get to know you
It is also important for your photographer to get to know you. As mentioned in point 4, this is a great opportunity to establish rapport with your photographer and let him or her know how you'd like to be photographed. For example, if you're conscious of being photographed from a particular side or angle, discuss this with your photographer. Or, you might not be so keen on public displays of affection. Your photographer will use this session to learn more about how you interact with each other and gain an insight into your personalities. This will enable your photographer to capture images that highlight the very best aspects of you and your fiancé.
Well, that's it for this week. Stay tuned for more useful tips in my future blog posts.