Engagement Shoots / Pre-Wedding Shoots

During a recent wedding fayre I received a few questions from couples who were intrigued about my engagement / pre-wedding shoots, so I thought I would write a quick blog post to explain what they are!

Firstly, it gives us the opportunity to get to know each other a little better, which is really important as I could be with you for around 12 hours on your wedding day!  Prior to the shoot, we may have only spoken on the phone or messaged via email so this is a great time to have a really good chat and find out more about each other.

It’s also a key opportunity to put a plan in place for the wedding day to minimise your time with me and maximise your time with your guests.  Why is this?  Well, if we’re having the pre-shoot at your venue it gives us the chance to pick out the prime locations where we can shoot your group and special portrait images.  It’s a phrase that’s used a lot but it’s so true that your wedding day will fly past, so the more we have organised beforehand, the more enjoyable your day will be.

The pre-wedding shoot gives you a chance to get used to the camera.  Unless you’re a professional model or celebrity, you’re probably not used to having a camera pointed at you, so it’s a perfect time to get used to the lens and realise it’s not that scary after all!  It also gives you the chance to see how your pictures will look with my style of photography!  There may be poses that you really love and conversely some you don’t like as much, so it gives you the opportunity to tell me what shots you were happy with ready for the big day.

Once you’ve booked me, you can arrange your engagement shoot whenever you would like.  However, there are a few things to bear in mind –

• Shooting 50+ weddings per year, my weekends are naturally very busy with bookings and portrait shoots; so my availability on Saturday and Sunday is very limited!
• Weekdays are much better, particularly if you would like to arrange your shoot in a public place because you won’t feel as awkward or nervous if there are less onlookers present!
• Everybody likes a sunny day…except photographers!  Harsh sun causes people to squint and can cover the face in nasty unflattering shadows, so consider having your shoot in the evening or earlier in the morning when the sun is lower in the sky and the light is much better to work with.
• Think about what sort of seasonal backdrop you would you like for your engagement shoot; you may want a springlike feel with the colourful tree blossom, maybe something warmer and summery or make the most of gorgeous autumnal colours.
• If you’d like to have your shoot at the venue, make sure you choose a date when there are no events taking place.  I love a good wedding, but it’s best we don’t walk in on someone else’s!

The engagement shoot costs £350 when booked with my main photography package.  All the processed images will uploaded onto your private gallery shortly after the shoot ready for you to download or share with your friends and family!