Why your engagement session is vital!

Should we get an engagement session done? This question comes up amongst couples when they are ramping up their wedding planning. They make great “save the dates” but then again, you have lots of photos together you could use. Do you really need an engagement session done with your photographer?

The answer is YES! Always opt for an engagement session. If you want your wedding photos to be the absolute bees knees and Pin-worthy then you need to do an engagement session.

Here are my biggest 3 reasons why an engagement session is vital to exceptional wedding photos:

1. You get comfortable in front of the camera
   On a typical day you don’t normally have your hair and makeup this done up and aren’t nose to nose with your lover in the middle of downtown Atlanta with a camera snapping away. The same is true on a wedding day and you want to be comfortable having your photo taken because there will be a lot of photos…. all the photos! You learn to find comfort in the camera snapping away and your photographer asking you to kiss your beloved!
   If you feel a sense of anxiety about being in front of the camera then the engagement session is the perfect *stress free* time to learn it’s not really that scary, in fact it can be kind of fun! 
2. You learn how photographer works!
   A good photographer will make you feel comfortable. A great photographer will be able to turn the daunting task of being models into something actually enjoyable and you’ll wonder where the time went!
   An engagement session is basically the practice round to your wedding day. You learn some of the “poses” or vocal cues your photographer uses. This is also an important time for your photographer to learn what cues you both respond best to and how your bodies interact together. Yes that sounds slightly dirty, let’s roll with it. Some “poses” and body interactions aren’t as successful for some couples due to their height, shape, or past hockey injury. A twirl shot may not work if your spouse can’t raise their arm over their head from dislocating their shoulder from backyard wrestling growing up.
   At your engagement session is when your photographer can learn your favorite angle (because of the bangs) and the best positions that make you simply shine.
   Side note: I cannot stress enough that you should really like your photographer’s personality as well as their portfolio. You know why? Because they stalk you for 8 hours on one of the most exciting and probably stressful days of your life. Your photographer is literally right there for it all, interacting with your family & friends and high five-ing your niece & nephews.
3. You know what to do on the wedding day when the timeline only allows for 15 mins!
   Because you had a practice round in the engagement shoot you know what positions your photog generally does, their vocal cues, and their shooting flow. You know exactly what to expect from them and what they expect from you. You know how they will show up and completely transform your portrait time. You know the tips and tricks that you already learned during the engagement session.
   You know that when they are mean mugging you it means they are thinking or strategizing… Is it just mean that looks upset when they think? Great.
   

The engagement shoot is basically an essential foundation to make sure that no matter what happens on your wedding day your portraits together will be better than what you expected.

Moral of the story, always say yes to an engagement session.