Engagement Photography London Ontario

Why Do an Engagement Session?

An engagement session is very important for many reasons!

• Engagement sessions are a valuable way to get to know your photographer and visa versa. A consultation can obviously give you a very good start at getting to know each others personalities, but sometimes people can change once they get in front of the camera (doesn’t everyone remember that episode of Friends?). It also gives the photographer a chance to discover what angles and directions work well for the couple and what kind of poses they are comfortable with.  Once you receive your engagement portraits you will also have trust and assurance in your photographer, so that you will have a stress free wedding photo experience.
• It is a chance to really celebrate and capture this wonderful and very important time in your life. For most couples the engagement period is shorter than the time they were dating and the time they will be married. The engagement photos will show where you are at as a couple at this special stage in a relationship.
• These photos can be used as wedding announcements and Save the Date cards. They can also be used on invitations or on a wedding website.  Sure, you might have a favourite selfie that you would like to use as a Save the Date, but when your guests could possibly display it on their fridge for a year or more, in my opinion it is a better idea to have that be a professional photo that is unlike any they would see as your profile picture.
• We feel it is important that if the couple have kids, they come along for at least a few shots at the beginning of the session so that in years to come they have some portraits with their parents from before they were married, and get to know the wedding photographer. It is also a great time to incorporate pets especially if you are unable to include them in your wedding day celebrations.
• The last and most important reason for an engagement session?  They are FUN!  They allow us to get creative without a tight time frame which is the case on the wedding day. They are less stressful and can be something else to look forward to in the lead up to the big day. It is fun to be able to swap stories and chat about how preparations for the wedding are going. We have heard multiple times that doing the engagement photos has put a spark of fun back into the planning process!

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The Location of the Session

The couple should think of what locations in the area have personal meaning to them. Such places as, where they had their first date, where they first kissed, where the proposal took place or even just somewhere they like spending time together. If there are no places like this for you, we are more than happy to give suggestions.

The engagement session will give you an opportunity to enjoy time at that location which in many cases is not one you might be able to include on your wedding day. Many couples pick an outdoor location for the session and it is typically more candid, casual and relaxed than studio sessions. If you would like to add extra time to your engagement session to be able to use multiple locations, that is possible!

When Should We Have the Engagement Session?

This is a question asked by many couples and my answer varies depending on the circumstances. Some tips are:

• Take into account the season. If you have over a year till your wedding day, you can have your choice of the seasons. You might be getting married in the summer, but want your engagement photos to look completely different so you decide to do a winter engagement session.

• Consider what you plan on doing with the photos. If you are doing Save the Date cards, they generally get sent out about a year before the big day. So you will want to book your session for a little longer than one year before the wedding date to allow time for editing and ordering the cards. If you are planning a guest book album, or want to display photos on your wedding website or at the reception also take into consideration the time for editing and ordering.

• The best time of day for an engagement session is around sunset, which will vary depending on the time of year.

What Should We Wear?

The clothing colour usually depends on the season. In general I recommend that you not be too matchy-matchy, but certainly coordinate your colours and be aware of avoiding patterns that clash with one another. I recommend staying away from slogan T-shirts or any really “fad” fashion as it will age your portraits.

Wear clothing that will contrast with your surroundings. For example, if you are doing a woodland shoot don’t wear green, black or dark brown colours.

If you have chosen a rustic location, don’t wear super formal clothing that you might wear in a studio shoot and vice versa.

Wearing layers for quick changes for more variety in the photographs is a good idea.

Most importantly, wear something that fits well and you are comfortable wearing! Other things to think about are wearing clothing that is form fitting- not baggy and not too tight. For women, having definition in the waist by adding a belt and think about accessories. When viewing your photographs, the eye will be drawn to patterns, lines, lace or textured detail, large chunky accessories, contrast and rich/bold colours. Avoid these things in areas that you don’t want the eye drawn to, and use them in places that you do want the eye to be drawn! It is also important to wear form fitting under garments that will enhance your figure and that will not be seen in your clothing (bra straps etc). 

Props 

Props for these sessions can be a great idea; anything from a simple blanket to sit on to incorporating the wedding theme if there is one. Obviously the engagement ring plays a big part but some other fun things to bring (or to ask us to bring) include: a chalkboard for displaying your wedding date, items related to your loves/hobbies such as a musical instrument for the musician and sports jerseys or equipment for the big sports fans. You can also rent items from a prop rental company to build a personalized theme.

What Do We Do With the Images?

These photos can be used as announcements, save the dates, on invitations, on a wedding website or to display at the reception. Another great idea is a guest book album which will give you a professional quality album for your guests to browse through and enjoy the photos. They can use the album to sign or write messages, which will give you a nice keepsake not only of your engagement photos but also personalized mementos from the wedding.

Whatever you decide to do with them, do not let these images be looked at once digitally and then be buried under a mountain of food and pet pictures!  They need to be printed to become heirlooms to be passed down through the generations.

Other useful tips

• There is nothing worse than being sick for your session, so if this happens let us know as soon as there are any signs of illness, so that rescheduling the session can be a possibility. The same thing goes for rain!

• Don’t schedule the engagement session too close to your wedding date, especially if you need the photos for something for the wedding; the shots will need time to be edited.

• Get your hair and makeup done, before the session. It makes for great photos and it can be a great chance for getting a trial run for the wedding.

• Get your engagement ring cleaned beforehand. I suggest taking it to where it was purchased and they will likely do it at no charge.

How much does an engagement session cost?

Engagement photography pricing starts at $275+hst for a 1 hour session with 10 images of your choice.

Consider including this as part of a wedding package for the best value.

Contact us to chat more about your engagement session. 

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