Congratulations! You’ve just said yes to a bright future together. Now, take that shiny ring and start planning the wedding of your dreams! Because this is such an exciting and once-in-a-lifetime experience, make it unforgettable with a professional photographer capturing the adventure giving you amazing engagement & wedding photos.
Guide to Loving Your Engagement & Wedding Photos
You may be surprised to learn that engagement photos can serve multiple purposes. Not only will these images convey the love, romance, and intimacy of your early days together, you can also use the session as a trial run to experiment with different beauty looks and photo styles for the big day itself. Engagement photos also make great backdrops for save-the-date cards. Most importantly, an engagement photo session will help you determine whether your chosen photographer is the best fit to commemorate the upcoming, magical moments of your wedding day.
Choosing Your Photographer
Feeling a little overwhelmed? It’s no wonder. There are already so many things to think about when planning a wedding and – let’s face it – the market is saturated with potential photographers. So, how do you go about picking the right one? As you begin to explore your options, there are several important elements to consider.
Portfolio
To begin, take a look at the potential photographer’s wedding portfolio, website, and all social media outlets. “It amazes me how many people inquire about the packages before they even looked over the galleries or blogs of weddings,” says Cassie Boyce, Photographer & Media Manager, Complete Weddings + Events Springfield, MO. “If you are not a fan of the style or gallery of work, it is a waste of your time to get pricing from that photographer.”
A wedding portfolio and/or online gallery should give you a good sense of the photographer’s experience and preferred photography style(s). Explore whether they tend more towards artsy candids, traditional posed studio shots, a photo-journalistic approach, or a range of other stylistic possibilities. You can also see whether they’ve photographed past weddings at your specific venue, or at similar venues to yours. On-location experience can be helpful, though is by no means essential.
Because a portfolio consists of a photographer’s best images from a number of different events, Boyce also recommends asking to see a full album from a single wedding. This will give you a more realistic impression of image quality from start to finish.
Pricing
Once you’ve found several photographers whose images you like, it’s time to ask about availability and pricing. First, see if they are free on your preferred date(s). Next, while exploring cost, be sure you are comparing apples to apples. In other words, do the photographers under consideration include exactly the same things in their wedding packages?
Personality
Finding the right wedding photographer is about more than just seeing their pretty pictures and hearing about their affordable pricing. In order to capture the best photos possible, you want to find someone with who you feel completely comfortable working. Don’t underestimate personality – finding a photographer you like allows both you and your fiance to relax, which means more authentic, beautiful photographs for your photographer to work with. Before committing to a particular photographer, schedule a phone call or – even better – an in-person meeting with the most promising one(s) and use this time to get a sense of their personality. Ask questions about how they would approach your photo session.
“Look for a photographer who is not so much about setting up a photoshoot, but is more about creating a space in which the experience of being photographed is a by-product of you being together over that period of time,” recommends Scott Stanley, Owner & Photographer, Complete Weddings + Events Jacksonville.
“Become comfortable with your photographer so you can show your love for each other in front of the camera,” says Ari Reynolds, Photographer & Sales Manager for Complete Weddings + Events Minneapolis. “An engagement session is much more than photos that highlight this exciting time in your life. It’s a trial run with your photographer. Utilize these two hours to build that relationship. It’s a time to learn different poses and what feels more natural to you. Everyone is different.”
Posing for Engagement & Wedding Photos
Wedding photographers take a variety of approaches when it comes to posing the happy couple during a photo session – but in all cases, good communication between the couple and the photographer is essential to create powerful images.
Communication Tips: If you believe you have a best side or angle, or you’d like to downplay (or play up!) particular features, be sure to let your photographer know. Also, share some photos that you like or that you’d like to recreate. We also encourage you to be open to your photographer’s creative expression and talents. Your love story is one-of-a-kind – so shouldn’t your photos be truly unique, too?
“The best photography starts with great communication beforehand,” explains Ryan Dubree, Owner, Complete Weddings + Events Tulsa. “Communicate and share your Pinterest boards, how you want to look and feel on your wedding day, and, most importantly, what you’d love to show off after your wedding!”
Bottom Line: For the most memorable and meaningful photos, communicate your initial preferences, but then try to relax and have fun with each other (and your photographer!) during your photo session.
Hair and Makeup Ideas and Tips
From lush lashes and glossy lips to waterfall braids and twisted chignons, brides have no shortage of both classic and trending beauty options when it comes to hairstyle and makeup. The good news is that there are never any right or wrong choices, just creative ones! To narrow things down, take some time to look through lots of photos and see which styles most appeal to you. You may even want to do a trial run with your hair and/or makeup artist to ensure that your selections are flattering.
“Makeup should be applied as if going out in the evening,” suggests Stanley. He also recommends that because most engagement photo sessions involve a couple of different looks, “Hairstyles need to work for both outfits, or be able to be easily changed for the additional outfit. A lot of times that means avoiding hair spray, and complicated curling or braiding patterns.”
When it comes to hair and makeup choices for either your engagement photos or your big day, you may want to ask the opinions of several (honest) friends or family members. You should also ask your photographer how certain makeup looks will photograph so you’ll look stunning on film as well as in person. But remember, the most important thing is to select styles that make you feel beautiful – both inside and out. This is your moment. Enjoy it!
Choosing Your Photography Style
Photography styles are wide-ranging and include traditional, artistic, documentary, candid, dramatic, black and white, portrait, natural, romantic, vintage, and more. While some photographers tend primarily towards a particular style, other wedding photographers are less specialized and successfully dabble in multiple styles. The best way to ensure you receive the stylized shots you desire is to share sample photos with your photographer. But always keep an open mind – if your theoretical preference is for outdoor candids, you might be pleasantly surprised to discover that the indoor studio shots end up being your favorite images! Again, communication is key.
Remember that your engagement photo session is the perfect time to experiment with different photo styles. “Take the time to look back at your engagement photos and share with your photographer the photos you loved so you can recreate them on your wedding day,” encourages Ari Reynolds.
With a little advance planning and a lot of open communication, the images you are now envisioning are sure to become reality. Simply follow our expert photography tips to create an array of memorable engagement and wedding photos that you will treasure for the rest of your lives together.
Guide to Loving Your Engagement & Wedding Photos
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