If you’re a newly engaged couple and you are beginning your search for a wedding photographer you may notice that most offer packages that include an “Engagement Session”.  Now, while I will be the first to admit that I’ve ran across a phtoographer or two that may offer a bunch of um…….stuff …..in their wedding packages that you might not need, the engagement session is not one of them!

Engagement sessions are a complimentary session that I offer in every package.   The fact that they are “complimentary” is not to decrease the value of the session but rather to encourage couples to take advantage of the session. This session is one of the single most important things that you can do prior to the wedding to help alleviate that natural awkwardness that everyone experiences once a big ‘ol camera is in front of their face. For most of us, myself included, there isn’t anything more uncomfortable than knowing you are expected to look and act a certain way while being photographed. There is typically so much anxiety that comes with knowing these photos are not only deemed some of the most imortant of your life, but that once that shutter clicks you are forever captured…for better or worse.

Given that so many couples today are opting for the more relaxed, candid and photojournalistic approach to their wedding day it’s not always as easy as it seems to capture the essence of that without a little practice before hand.  Most of us are, at the very least, minorly uncomfortable with a huge amout of PDA. That’s not to say that anyone expects you to “make out” in front of their camera (if they do you might want to reconsider who you’ve hired….unless,of course you are an exibitionist and completely into that :) )  For some couples even a little PDA is somewhat uncomfortable.  However, if you are hiring a photographer based on the idea that you want a photojournalistic approach to your wedding day it is beyond important that everyone is comfortable in front of the camera in order for that to truely take place.  

It’s probably safe to say that you  don’t stand 12 feet from each other, staring straight ahead with your heads tilted slightly to the side when no one is looking.  While the obvious purpose of the engagment session is traditionally to get you a few good images to have on hand for personalized invitations, favors at the wedding, signature albums, print display etc. The single most important purpose of an engagment session from a photographer’s standpoint is to give everyone some time to get comfortable and to have some fun.

Your engagement session is your chance to get to know your photographer and for your photographer to get to know you as a couple. It’s a much more fun and relaxed day free from the constraints that come with the wedding day. Your locations are wide open, the lighting can be better controlled (since your photographer can opt for a time of day with optimal light) The dress code is ….whatever the heck you want it to be and if you lay down and roll around in the grass no one is going to care. Time constraints aren’t an issue and the amount of gawking well intentioned onlookers is decreased dramatically.

One of my very favorite engagement sessions was with Alex & Klaus.  When we originally booked their wedding I had not met Klaus.  Initially, Alex’s first inclination was to opt out of the engagement session but on the night that we met to sign the contract we began talking about how important that session was for all of the above reasons I’ve mentioned. I had not had a chance to meet Klaus up to this point and if they did opt out of the engagement session our first meeting could have possibly been on the day of the wedding.  Alex had expressed that Klaus, like so many of us, was a bit reserved until he really got to know you.  After hearing that and talking to Alex more I was more convinced than ever we had to do the engagement session.  We agreed that it was more imporatant than anything to establish a comfort level between us in order to truly be able to relax on the day of the wedding and although Alex & I had established a definate comfort level, poor Klaus had been left out of all the fun.

The day of their session I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew Alex well but after knowing that it might take a bit of coaxing to get Klaus to loosen up in front of the camera had me hoping I was up for the challenge. Um, let’s just say that it took all of maybe two shots before Klaus was totally into it. We all laughed throughout the session about how easily it came for them. I attribute the amazing shots we got to the fact that they are 110% comfortable with each other and obviously in love. That session was so fun for all of us and because of that we got some super shots. Not only that but come wedding time…..we were all jazzed to be there, completely relaxed and totally knew what to expect from each other. There was absolutely no awkwardness, no “what do I do…where do I look…how do I act” mentality. I didn’t have to worry spending time trying to get them to relax for me because they completely knew how to roll when it was time for their portraits.

Alex & Klaus had also decided to have an After Session in their package…..and well, I’ll preach about the benefits of the After Session on another post. For now, I’ll leave you with some of my favorite images from their e-session.