What to do before your engagement shoot?

What is great about having an engagement session? Most people think it’s the perfect chance to get to know your photographer. While this is true, you also have the opportunity after to see all the images from the engagement session. If you are not photographed professionally often, it can be overwhelming to see so many pictures of yourself. It’s better to get over the shock before the wedding, than after. Many people only see images of themselves on their phone and on the web. It’s amusing how many clients say to me, with much surprise, “Your images are so sharp, colorful and clear.” That’s one of the reasons why you hired me. I figured they aren’t used to seeing prints or at least professional prints. In the old days, you had to at least make small prints if you wanted to see the photographs.

This is where the engagement shoot or engagement session would come into play. This might be the first time you have commissioned a photographer to create photographs of you as a couple. Below I will outline some tips and suggestions for you to make your engagement session a treasured experience.

What do you like to do together?

  1. It’s important for you to create a list of activities the two of you love to do together as a couple. Are you into cycling, wine tasting or canoeing? If so, would your engagement shoot be at local bike trail? Would is be at a vineyard or on a lake in a canoe? Many of my clients love The City. Would your shoot be in around some of your favorite New York City haunts? Anything from the iconic to the obscure. Are you a amusement park enthusiast? Coney Island and Rye Playland are perfect local stops for the young at heart. We are also lucky enough in our area to be surrounded by so many beaches and historical sites. The Hudson Valley is another Pandora’s Box of options waiting for a couple in love and an adventurous photographer. Talk about all of your ideas with your photographer. Then together, you can create a timeline and schedule for the big shoot!

Coney-Island-Brooklyn-Engagement-Session

What will you wear?

2. This is why the commercial world has stylists. We dress ourselves each day and yet it can be a daunting task. I always tell my clients to wear things that they truly enjoy wearing and feel like they can be their best self in.  If you look at the image above of my fab clients Ravit and David, their clothes complement each other without being matchy matchy. Sometimes patterns can be too much, but in this photo David’s shirt works with Ravit’s outfit. It is good to bring several outfits to the shoot. You can never have too many options when it comes to clothes. It’s the closet space that is usually the problem 🙂 Bring a change of shoes. You might want to have one pair for the pictures and then another pair to walk from location to location. Avoid anything with big logos. You do not want to look like a billboard for XYZ Inc. Beware of wearing sunglasses before the shoot that will make those marks on your nose. Sometimes a big watch can be distracting in photos and it’s best not to wear one for the shoot. If you have a fat George Costanza wallet, you might want to thin it out before the shoot. You do not want one pocket to look larger than another. There are so many resources on the internet to draw from. The most obvious plan of action is to create Pinterest boards of outfit ideas. You can share your boards with me and we can brainstorm final wardrobe selections.

Professional hair and makeup?

3. Yes, it will be well worth it. I know many wonderful stylist if you need a suggestion. You will feel your best and will not have to stress about what makeup would look best for pictures. This applies to the ladies and men. The camera picks up everything. If the camera was a person you would hate him or her. We are hyper critical of ourselves and others when we view photographs. It’s best to address anything that needs a little TLC before the camera rears it’s judgmental head.

Long Beach Engagement Session

How about if one of you wants to do the engagement shoot, but your other half does not?

4. This happens about half the time.  It will make the process harder if one of your only wants to be there. This is a great lesson in selflessness. Try to see why this is so important to the other person; the person you are committing your life to. Check out our engagement galleries to see why this is something you may want to do, if you are not yet convinced. Plan something fun after the shoot that the less willing participant would want to do. This way a little balance is restored to your relationship and the universe.

New-York-City-Engagement-Session Queens

Be prompt!

5. One your wedding day you would have me for the whole day. I have no other shoots planned on you wedding day. I would be 100% yours. On non-wedding days this is not the case. Monday through Thursday is when I usually conduct our engagement shoots. I might have a morning or evening appointment with clients on these non-wedding days. It is important that you arrive on time for your engagement shoot. We might have selected a certain time of the day and location because of the light. If we do not stay on time the shoot might have to be cancelled.

What did you want to do with the images?

6. Are you doing this because you want to create save the date cards? Did you want fun photos of the two of you for the wedding reception? Are you creating a wedding website. Did you want fabulous fine art wall decor for your home? It’s important for us to discuss these topics so I understand all of your needs going into the shoot.

Promise me you will have fun, please……………….

7. Engagement shoots are a great date idea. This is not a first date, but maybe the first time you participated in an engagement shoot. I can totally appreciate any couple being a little anxious or nervous. Once I put the camera between us, it’s showtime! Please try to forget about the camera. That is why it is so important to select the right activity, location and photographer for your shoot. It will make the shoot feel more natural if you are in the right environment, with the right photographer. Your only job is to just have fun. It’s up to me to capture all that makes you perfect for each other.

If you have an engagement session planned I hope this blog post helped. Please feel free to share this post with anyone who you think it would help. Do you have any tips? Please feel free to share in the comments section below. I could go on for hours about what to do and not do, but then this would be a book and not a blog post.

Please feel free to call or E-mail me with any questions or for an appointment. I want to hear all about your wedding day plans. Call:212.332.9695 or 516.823.7315
E-mail:denise@modwedphoto.com ask for Denise Chastain Owner/Founder Modern Wedding Photography.

You’ll be too busy having fun to know we were even there…

 

 

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