7 Reasons Why You Should Schedule an Engagement Session

Your engagement photos shouldn't be a stressful part of planning your wedding. We know you probably aren't comfortable in front of a camera, you may feel like you don't know how to pose, and you might feel strange being affectionate in public, especially in front of a stranger.

I promise you that by the end of your session we will be laughing, having fun, and you will have some beautiful images. Engagement sessions with your wedding photographer are very important even if you already have photos of the two of you. Why?

1. Getting to know your photographer

Your engagement session gives us time to get to know each other in a more relaxed environment. It’s all about getting comfortable and having fun! So many people feel awkward in front of a camera or they worry about not knowing what to do with their hands.

It makes the wedding day MUCH easier because you already know what to expect, you already know what your wedding photographer's prompts mean, and are used to working with your photographer. When your wedding day arrives, you’ll be more focused on having fun than worrying about what to do in photos!

Your engagement session will give you time to build trust and repore with your photographer. Because of this, Koontz Photography offers a 60-minute engagement session in most of our wedding packages. That way when you see the end result, you will be even more excited about the wedding day portraits!

2. Finding your best angle

If you view your engagement photos as a practice session before your wedding day, it gives your photographer a chance to find the most flattering angles. Not all poses work for every couple!

Your engagement session gives you and your partner a chance to get used to engaging each other in front of the camera. During your session, your photographer can find out if you need a lot of posing direction, or just a little.

Then on your wedding day when your photographer says something like, "Start off in prom pose", you'll know exactly what they mean!

3. Learn posing tricks to use later

By the end of the session, you are going to feel like a professional model with extensive knowledge of poses and the reasons why. If you are working with me, when I am posing you or asking you to move your hand a certain way, I also will be explaining why!

This will help you gain confidence and feel beautiful in front of the camera. I have so many people that pose themselves on their wedding day with a simple prompt because they remember something that I said on the engagement session. All of these tips are useful anytime you are taking photos.

4. More time and locations

On your wedding day, you are going to be sticking to a schedule, which might end up being rushed. You might not have enough time to explore and use multiple locations on the property. There won't be as much time to have fun and be super creative, so the more comfortable with your photographer and familiar with their directions, the faster they can get through a bunch of different shots.

When planning your engagement photos, you can also take advantage of cool seasonal items like holiday lights, or the certain time of year a favorite plant is in bloom.

5. Expressing your unique personalities

Engagement photos are a great way to capture this fleeting moment in time. Engagement sessions are a great time to capture your unique personality, likes, and hobbies. From a unique location, an activity you enjoy doing together, your pets, or even your favorite sports team!

Since Jake and Melanie both love cosplay, they chose to announce their engagement with photos in Adam's Family-inspired outfits.

6. You'll have great photos to use at your wedding

There are so many applications for your engagement photos! You can add them to your wedding website. Use them on your save the dates or wedding invitations. You can create a photo guest book for people to sign at your wedding. You can create canvas prints or collages to display on your wedding day. You can use them for holiday greeting cards.  

Check out how Hannah and Logan incorporated their engagement photos into their wedding day decor and guestbook.

7. Hair and makeup test and/or date night!

If you plan it just right you can use your engagement photos as a true test of your wedding hair and makeup! If you already know who your hair and/or makeup artist is going to be, schedule a test run in the afternoon before your engagement photos.

Even better, turn your engagement session into a date night! You'll be all dolled up, will have spent an hour or two being all cute and cuddly with each other, so why not go out and spend a little more time together one on one doing something you both enjoy?

When should I plan my engagement session?

Engagement sessions can be planned anytime that you’d like. If you are planning to use the images for "save the date" cards, invitations, or as decor for your wedding it is important to make sure that you plan your session at least a month before you need to order products.

If you can, try to schedule engagement sessions on weekdays because your wedding photographer will want to reserve the weekend for weddings.

My favorite time of day to begin your engagement session is two hours before sunset when the lighting is very soft and warm. Depending on your location it may need to be earlier due to a geographic nature, or due to the location closing at a certain time.

How do we decide on the location of our engagement session?

Is there something special in your relationship that you’d like to incorporate into your session? Possibly a favorite park, a favorite date spot, or where you met or got engaged? Anything can be beautiful from a city street to a garden.

The main thing to keep in mind is that the focus will be on you, and you want to be comfortable or else you won't have fun, and it will show in your photos. If you are generally a shy person, you might not want to plan on a location where there will be a lot of people. If you ask your photographer for location ideas, make sure to give them the general idea of what you are looking for and if you want to make sure the session is in a more private setting. 

Don’t forget that props, pets, and vehicles are always welcome! If you are worried about the weather, check out some indoor places like local selfie studios. Some wedding venues allow you to do your engagement session on location as long as there are no other events that day. Some charge a small fee, so make sure to plan in advance!
 

Some things to keep in mind about your location:

• Is there a fee to enter or to have a session on the property?
• Is there another event going on the date your session is booked?
• Is an open-air permit required for your photographer to work there?
• Do you need permission from the property's owner to have your session there?
• If you want to include a pet, are animals allowed on the property?
• Is there a place to change your outfit? 
• Is there easy parking? Does it cost to park?
• What is the terrain like at the location and will that affect what shoes to wear?

Hannah and Logan did half of their engagement session at their favorite restaurant/bar where they had their first date. They even wore the clothes that they were wearing on their first date. It was a fun way to incorporate a moment in their lives that forever changed their future along with a location that has great meaning to them.

What should I wear to my session?

Wear clothes that fit nicely, that you can move around in. Choose solids and simple patterns as well as textures and layers.

When shooting outdoors neutral/natural colors look the best in the environment. Bright neon colors will reflect against the skin.

Too much white can be too bright, and too much black can be too dark. So I recommend picking a favorite neutral color and then accenting with a complimentary color that can be a little bolder.

You can bring in jewelry, belts, accessories, etc that bring that pop of color into your photo. The fun thing about layers is that you can take things off or add things and create completely different looks without having to change your clothes.

If you want to bring different outfits, go ahead! Just keep in mind the time it takes to change, and how long you've booked your photographer.

The above photo was taken in Winter Park's Kraft Azalea Gardens. Currently Kraft Azalea Garden requires an open-air permit.

Ready to book your engagement session? E-mail me at: [email protected]