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 report 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 who 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, cooler weather, 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!


Jess and Patrick met while table top gaming, so the two of them brought it back full circle by doing their engagement session at a tabletop gaming tavern!

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, save-the-dates, or on your 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.  

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?