Engagement Sessions
Couples are increasingly photographing their engagements. It is understandable why. The engagement is such a special and unique season prior to nuptials, and it deserves to be captured accordingly. Your engagement pictures may very likely be the first professional (formal) pictures taken together. They are images often used for your "save the date" announcements, gifts for family members and friends and, ultimately, decor for your home.
Engagement photos pave the way for creating permanent memories of the formal consummation of your lives together. The challenge may be which of the many significant and meaningful places to choose for the setting--a small beach location where family comes together every year, a cultural cityscape image, your favorite park, the mountains,....the possibilities are endless. These images will be ones you can look back on and remember the joy and anticipation you felt in the months leading up to your special wedding.
Being photographed can be nerve-racking and cause one to feel self-conscious. The engagement session is an opportunity for you and your fiance to become comfortable in front of my lens. An engagement session allows a couple to become familiar with the process and gain confidence in various poses under my direction and guidance. As your photographer, it also provides me with the opportunity to get to know you better and more personally, have you share about your love story engagement session (which often aids in the creative photographic experience), and have a whole lot of excitement in the process!
Lets have a little fun digging deeper with some basics...
- WHAT (to wear)?
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Embrace your personalities! You are better off being coordinated than “matchy-matchy.” What does that mean? Instead of both of you wearing jeans and white shirts, maybe your bracelet compliments his tie or your sweater is the same color as a stripe in his shirt. Also, consider the style of your outfit choices. A cocktail dress on you and tattered jeans on him may not be the best pairing. Regardless what clothing you choose to wear, the most important thing is that you both feel great and comfortable, and the choices reflect who you are as individuals and who you are as a couple. Additionally, feel free to incorporate any accessories or items that have special significance to you or the location.
- WHERE?
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Select locations that are very meaningful to you (like the place where you met :) or that best describe you as a couple. Maybe a location which represents a shared hobby or activity you enjoy doing together. If you would like help identifying a meaningful location, I can help suggest some options based on your personalities and the style of images that you would like to create.
- WHEN?
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The "golden hours"--early to mid-morning and late afternoon--are the best times of the day for outdoor shots. Plan for at least a couple of hours before sunset. You can still take photos at other times of the day; however, it gets a little trickier for getting the best light. Depending on travel time to various locations, an engagement session is typically between one and three hours.
- WHY?
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Engagement photos provide an excellent opportunity to document your feelings for each other prior to and outside of your wedding day. It is also a great time to see your photographer in action and cultivate a relationship before your wedding. An added bonus: it is a valuable "rehearsal" for the makeup artist and hair stylist that you are planning to use for your wedding day!
- HOW?
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It is critically important that you let me know what kind of images you are hoping for from your engagement shoot. An insightful way to do this is to think of three to five adjectives that best describe the way you would like your images to look and feel. For example: fun, natural, romantic, elegant, classy, urban, ? (you get the picture--literally!). The adjectives you choose will certainly open up a dialogue for us to discuss your unique vision about your engagement session photographs.
THE EXPERIENCE
Jon LaVerde Photography will capture every intimate detail of all your very special occasions--weddings, family anniversaries and reunions, school portraits; namely, any meaningful event that you would like to capture and remember for years to come. Let's set up a convenient time to meet and discuss how I can help you "take time stand still" by creating for you the most beautiful images and memories imaginable.
Jon LaVerde