The question has been asked and the answer has obviously been a yes (big sigh of relief) time to get your shizzle sorted. Many wedding photographers, like me; offer an engagement or pre-wedding shoot – For me, this is great for two reasons;
- You get used to having your picture taken
- We get to know each other a little
There is something about holding a camera up that will make the most relaxed, laid back individual turn into a robot. When shooting candidly at a wedding I can see instantly when someone has caught on that I’m taking their photo; movements become forced and expressions, fixed.
The robot dance lasts a little while, until the robot realises the camera isn’t going anywhere and forgets about it. The relaxed, laid back individual then returns and we all go merrily about our day. Far better to get this theatrical display done and dusted before the big event, no?
Now, I love a chat and I LOVE a love story – during your engagement shoot, I’ll discover the details that make you guys ‘you guys’ whether it’s a whirlwind romance or you’ve been together since primary school – I am so interested in hearing your story; and you re-living it gives me huge insight into how to shoot your wedding.
I also find out a little bit about what you do and what you enjoy. For me, my main aim is getting your personalities to shine out through you wedding photography. If you’re into the great outdoors – we’ll incorporate outdoorsy stuff; If you’re terrified of heights, we won’t climb a mountain on the big day etc. etc.
The final aspect of my pre-wedding shoot research is to observe you as a couple, I watch how you interact and the way you naturally are around each other, my doing this ensures that none of the more engineered ‘couple’ photos I catch on your big day look forced or contrived.
We then end the meeting with a brew (or a tequila, oh believe me, it’s happened) and you guys go away feeling comfortable and assured that you made a grrrrreat choice with your wedding photographer 😉
A couple of weeks later et voilá you have a fab set of photos for, say, save the date cards orrrrr Christmas presents for your entire family…
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