As I am not much of a writer (and generally try to hide behind images in my blog!) I will do my best to keep this post brief….promise!
I often get asked by my wonderful bride and grooms what the purpose of an engagement shoot is. This is why I have decided to do a little blog piece on the reasons why I think both myself and my clients benefit hugely from a photo shoot a couple of months before their big day.
* First – it helps us get to know each other. You can see how I work and I can see how you work together as a couple.
* Second – as we will have therefore done a test run, hopefully this then helps you both to be more relaxed in front of the camera, leaving you happy and confident on your big day.
* And last but not least – you get some lovely images as a keepsake!
I offer a complimentary engagement shoot with all of my weddings however it is NOT obligatory as it just may not be for you which is absolutely fine! Before the shoot I ask the couple to choose a location of their choice which may have some importance to them otherwise I am always able to suggest some lovely locations that I know of. In terms of what to wear (which is a very common questions) COMFORT is the main priority as being uncomfortable when you’ve got a camera pointed at you makes for an unpleasant experience, and thats not what either of us want! Solid blocks of colour work better then heavily patterned blocks, however wear what suits your personality and if this happens to be heavily patterned threads then so be it!
The shoot itself is relaxed and informal and lasts about an hour. I normally ask quite a few questions about your big day because it’s exciting for me to hear all about it too, and it also gives me an understanding about which parts are really important to you personally on the day. After the shoot I select about 100 images and edit them using different filters and software so you can tell me what you do and what you don’t like. This gives me a good understanding of how I will work with your actual wedding day images in the post production stage, helping me to create a beautiful collection of images tailored to your own personal specification, and what I know you like.
So I hope this was useful to anyone considering having and engagement shoot. I think most photographers would agree that it’s really useful from our point of view, and as its become an important part of my wedding service I have included a dedicated engagement gallery on my new website please feel free to have a peak! www.gabriellemcmillan.com/weddings