STYLE BOOK THE WHEN, WHERE AND WHY TO ENGAGMENT SHOOTS
CONTENTS I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When to Book II . . . . . . . . . . . . About the Session III . . . . . . . . . . Choosing a Location IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What to Wear V . . . . . . . . . Shooting after Sunset
WHEN TO BOOK
There are several things you can consider when deciding on a time to book. Think about what deadlines you have. If you book pretty far out than there is a good amount of flexibility to plan out when and where to shoot. If there is less time between the wedding and when you book, then let’s plan to shoot as soon as possible so that we can get you photos quickly for your Save The Dates. I take less than a week to edit and deliver photos.
As far as the time of day goes, we should try to shoot either really early in the morning or later in the afternoon. You may have heard or “Golden Hour” which is the first hour of sunrise and the last hour before sunset. So, it is technically two hours. So, if we shoot for those time slots, we’ll be golden (get it)? More often than not, we’ll shoot sometime over a weekend, but if schedules don’t align we can do a weekday shoot. They can
sometimes be a good thing since places like city parks will not be as crowded during the workweek so we can totally use that to our advantage. I can work on whatever time frame your guys have. Let’s grab coffee or have a Skype session if we need to chat about any other scheduling concerns you both may have. I’m not a photographer. I’m a problem solver.
ABOUT THE SESSION
Your engagement session is yours. That being said, I’d like to encourage you to think about how you want it to go. These type of sessions are really great because they can be whatever you guys want them to be. I love them because they allow you to really showcase who you are as a couple. Now, I can tell you guys how to pose and what to do, but I would much rather just spend time with you guys
and document two people that are in love. The photos will look much better and be genuine the less “invovled” I am.
If you guys forget that I have a camera in my hands, then I’m doing my job. Think about what you aspect(s) of your relationship you would like to showcase. As in, do you want to have a ton photos of you
both kissing in order to have a more romantic session, or would like to have zero kissing photos and just have photos of that showcase your friendship. We could just visit your favorite coffeeshop and you two can simply chat with each other and have a mini-date. I promise to try my best to bring out the best in each of you and showcase your relationship.
LOC We can travel, but remember that cuts into our time. If there’s just a couple places you want to shoot at then we can spend more time at each place. As in, if there’s a ridgeline you would love to hike up to or a nostalgic landmark that is very significant to you both, then I have no problem going there. It’s just a matter of time and efficiency when it comes to locaitions.
On the contrary, if there are many places within a location (i.e. city park or college campus) then we can “hop” around more from place to place and shoot at a greater amount of locations.
couple or an outdoorsy couple? I can always make suggestsions as to where to shoot based of past experiences, and we can always get together to chat about all the logistics.
If there’s no preference either way, than just brainstorm together about what type of “feel” you both want to go for. Are you an urban
Overall, it is important that it makes sense for you both. I don’t want to put you guys in a place that would seem pretty and nice if
CATION it is not going to represent you two well. The location will be nice, but you will be out of place.
My favorite compliment I receive is when people say that they really “saw” your relationship in the photos. Think of a location that would you
would want to compliment your wedding location. These photos from you engagement session will be the first things that your future guests will receieve your Save The Dates. It is not necessary for it to be complimentary, but it would be nice for it to flow better. That being said, if you guys have props or specific pose/shot ideas
you would like to do for the Save The Dates just let me know ahead of time and we can accomodate that as best as possible. If there’s something you’ve seen done that you would like to recreate we can totally make that happen.
I really love to travel! What to shoot in a session that isn’t local? Contact me for travel info!
WHAT TO WEAR
This can be more important than you think during an engagement shoot. I would rather you guys wear what you want over what you think you should wear to conform to some standard of engagement sessions.
If you both feel comfortable, then you’ll photograph well. I really believe this. There is a good balance between fashionable and comfortable. Just find it.
Couples will bring a second outfit to change into during the latter part of the session. They usually bring a formal outfit and a casual one. We can start with whichever you would prefer. Keep that in mind when deciding which location to start out at. Know that I have no preference as to what you wear. I want you both to be in what you want to. It is your session, and I cannot stress that enough. Be you! You may be pressured beforehand
to dress up for your friends and family to see, but these photos are ultimately for you both. Consider a day-after session if you want to spend an hour or two exploring locations that were too far or too dirty to go to on your wedding the day before! If you’re honeymooning out of state or country, we can always “trash the dress” when you return! Brides, feel free to send me your Pinterest boards for me to see!
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SHOOTING AFTER SUNSET
The sun can be a photographer’s best friend or biggest problem. We get in the habit of checking The Weather Channel 12 times a day to try to plan ahead for the perfect day to shoot. However, it can be so unpredictable and will say sunny one day but then be overcast the next. Therefore, I have learned to adapt to any sort of weather. I have created images I absolutely love in just about every kind of weather. So, instead of fighting with the weather, I have learned to accept whatever I am given and make the best of it.
There is also this race to shoot as many photos as possible in the perfect last bit of sunlight every day. Golden Hour can be the time where we create the best work together. However, when the sun goes down, that does not mean that we have to call it a day. I like to think of nighttime as an oppotunity to shoot some unique photos. We definitely get to play with silhouettes and shadows more. Also, city lights can provide a really beautiful and distinct mood. If you think that our session may
extend into the later hours of the night then let’s plan ahead as far as location goes to make sure we have a shooting plan. We can try out long exposures and other non-traditional types of shots. This could be a good time to experiment if you guys are up for it. We can experiment with light painting or even some really cool double exposed shots. This is no pressure time because if it doesn’t work out, we still have all the work from the the day.
Don’t be afraid to go outside of your own personal comfort zone.
This Stylebook was created to give a few tips to help plan for our session together, but it’s in no way a rule book. It’s just a few things to consider to make sure you feel ready for the session. When it gets right down to it, this is YOUR session so make it personal and overall make it about you... ...and have fun because you’re freaking in love!
CHRISTIANDAVIDPHOTO@GMAIL.COM