I am one of those photographers that includes an engagement session with every single wedding collection I have. Sometimes clients ask me if they can remove the engagement session from their collection for a discount, and that is not something I offer, but here's why.
The engagement session is just as much for me as it is for you. I find it so incredibly beneficial to work with my wedding clients before their big day. Almost every single one of my clients says the same thing when we first meet each other, "We have no idea how to have our photo taken" and of course you don't. I don't know many people that spend their lives in front of a professional camera, and if they are it's because they are being paid to do so. And I don't know many people that can just walk in front of a camera and pose perfectly every time and get it right from the beginning.
I want you to have the greatest, most natural wedding collection ever, but that will only happen if you are not only comfortable in front of my camera, but also in front of me. I don't want your wedding day morning to be the first time I point my camera at you, or interact with you on a personal basis, I want us to be more comfortable than that.
Engagement sessions keep me creative. They give us an opportunity to work together in a stress-free, piggy-back ride, splash in puddles kind of way. They give me a bit of insight into you two and your relationship. It's how I figure out how to make your fiance make you laugh. It's how I gauge how much posing you will need to get you two closer to one another. It how I gauge your comfort levels and connection.
Not only that, but it gives me an opportunity for a little bit of coaching. When I ask you to look down to your left it doesn't mean I want you to put your chin on your chest and stare at your shoes, I want much more subtle movement than that.
And on top of all of this, it gives me an opportunity to figure out what YOU like. What posing you like, what interactions you like, whether you prefer landscapes or closer portraits or intimate details.
So, while I do give you the option to not use your complimentary engagement session, no discount is given if you don't... and it's something that I truly HIGHLY recommend.
Try to think of a location that means something to you, whether it be where you live, where you went on your first date, where you spend your days off together. And try to think of an activity, let's not just take photos of you in front of a bunch of bushes. Do you have green thumbs? Let's go to a greenhouse. Are you big readers? Let's head to a library or cafe. Do you usually enjoy walks through the park? Cool let's go there and take some photos of you in front of some bushes! Even if you only have 20 minutes for a quick mini-session and you never use these photos for anything, it's still so beneficial, I promise!
<3 J