The Importance of Engagement Shoots

For me the engagement shoot (or pre-wedding shoot) is one of the most important parts of the relationship between myself and my couples, and the process we go through during that shoot is key to the success of our wedding day images.

During an engagement shoot you get the opportunity to see how your wedding photographer works, and they get to see how you interact together and react in front of the camera. You may be a conservative couple who have no intention of kissing for the camera, or you may be a vibrant couple who are prone to huge bouts of public affection! Whichever it is, your photographer will be able to get a good feel for who you are as a couple and work with you to get the best images.

Many couples feel that they are "rubbish in front of the camera", but this is often the result of seeing unflattering pictures of themselves in badly lit party or family photographs. If you haven't had the opportunity to have a proper professional take your photograph, you will (or should) be very pleasantly surprised!

I often take my couples to places that are important to them - in the case of Rachel and Sean pictured above it was Durdle Door where Sean proposed. Happy memories like this are always going to make you feel more relaxed to start with. Later this year I have a lovely couple who want to have their engagement shoot in London so we can specifically shoot some images for something special on the wedding day.

In the past a few of my couples have asked if we could just drop the engagement shoot, either to try and reduce the overall cost or just because they were too nervous. In all cases the answer has been a very well articulated "no", with plenty of reasons why we should continue. Afterwards, every single couple has come back to say that they love, love, LOVE the images and how happy they were that I was so insistent!

Now, bear in mind that not all wedding photographers will share my firm belief. Some think that an engagement shoot is not a good use of valuable time, and in the days of streamlining small businesses if things like these are not valued they get dropped. Other wedding photographers will feel the need to charge for a session like this as they feel it makes more business sense.

Personally I feel that it's an invaluable tool during the lead up to your wedding day and it helps me as much as it helps you, so why would I charge for it?

As you would imagine, most wedding photographers have a number of products that are available after the shoot, from framed signature boards to photo guest books and more, and many of our couples make full use of these to complement their wedding day.

Article by Surrey Wedding Photographer Matt Pereira

Image Courtesy of Matt Pereira Photography

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