Why should we take engagement photos?

There are many reasons it is important to take engagement photos once you have become engaged. It's one of the best ways to prepare yourself for your wedding day photos, in a more relaxed, fun, setting. As a couple who has never likely been photographed professionally before ( or sometimes not even by anyone else... how many pictures have you taken a photo of  the two by holding the camera over your head?) the engagement session is a valuable tool. And it's the best way for you and I to get to know each other.

Getting to know each other means that during a 1-2hr. photo session, I learn your preferences, how you interact together, your individual personalities,what makes you laugh, and the best way to use that knowledge for fantastic photos. Getting to know each other also means, you get to know me and how I work with you. By the day of the wedding, you will feel way more relaxed around me because you have gotten a chance to know me a bit. And you will have had a "practice run" that will make portraits on wedding day go more smoothly and stress-free

Julie and Luke use their profession as a prop for photos that persoanlize their engagement session.

Have your engagement photos taken at a location that is important, or has some meaning to the two of you. This could be the scene of a first date, where you like to spend time or things you like to do together. I have had clients dress in their favorite team jerseys, the town where they met, a carnival, to the lake.These images will mean more to you.

Luke and Julie are both in the medical profession. So we talked about "wouldn't it be fun" to put them in their scrubs for the first few photos? And it was. This really shows their interests and their personality.

I usually ask people if they prefer a more urban or natural setting if they don't have a specific place in mind. Julie and Luke were both. So we finished the session in and around Frederick with green and street scenes.

Baker Park in Frederick provides beautiful settings to capture your relationship in images.

The other benefit is seeing how you photograph ahead of the wedding date. Then if you see certain poses you like or you dislike of yourself and the two of you together, you can let me know and we can keep that in mind for the wedding day photos. Luke is very tall and Julie is average height. So we spent some time discussing how to bring them closer together in their images. With some clever posing techniques, it was no problem.

Justin's family had a small cabin at Deep Creek Lake where he and fiance Erin enjoyed spending time.
Justin also had many fond memories of the area and we made some images adapted to their fun-loving personalities and the interesting surroundings of the lake.

You gotta love a photo session where you get to ride on a boat!

One of my all time favorite engagement photos!

I told the couple they had broken several records for me. The longest distance travelled to an engagment session, the most clothing changes, and the most unusual places for the photograph. But their session is uniquely theirs and not only garnered good photographs but will become a memory in their life's journey together.

 

I think the most important benefit of having professional images taken of your engagement is that you are able to move and laugh and play... be yourself and have it all captured beautifully. 

 Sean and Amy live in and are getting married in downtown Baltimore. So we made the most of a wonderfully diverse Fell's Point for their session. I can't wait to photograph them on the Inner Harbor for the big day!

Once you have your engagement photos, there are many things you can do with them. They can be given as gifst to friends and family. You can have a small album made or a guest book for your wedding day. Use them for save the date cards, announcements, signature frames and wall portraits for your home. 

With some packages, I create a video slideshow of the images and one couple used that during their wedding to show guests as they had their first dance! 

Whatever you choose to do, get creative, have some fun and let's get to know each other. In the end, you are the ones who win. Knowing and liking your vendors, especially the photographer, is significant in the success of your wedding.

When the food is eaten, the dress is boxed, the flowers are faded, you will have your photographs and your memories. Give them every opportunity to be the best they can be.