Engagement shoots have become an important part of preparing for a wedding, a chance to really check out the photographer, someone you may be with much of your wedding day so they need to be someone you really get on with and even like. They will also be someone who can also make beautiful and technically brilliant images, check out their website thoroughly to make sure this is true.

A photographer has to be someone you enjoy being with, who is fun, and can get those images you want despite your possible shyness and lack of experience in front of the camera. I wish I had a £ for every time someone said they never looked any good in photographs, and another £ for everyone who said to me after the shoot how pleased they were with the pictures and how they looked in them!

Springtime is a very popular for engagement shoots as the wedding season starts to really get back into gear. I am busy with them at the moment and have included examples of recent shoots in this blog.

As part of my service as a wedding photographer I often include an engagement shoot an it is a chance to relax with the couple before the more intense day of the wedding. I say intense more because there is so much going on rather than that it is a day of stress, my aim is to take the stress out with a confident and light touch when taking the precious images that will help people to remember a happy and remarkable day in their lives.

Engagement shoots are relaxed and are the start of the real fun of being photographed. A time to learn that the photographer is going to be an asset to the wedding, bringing a calm, confident and experienced hand at dealing with each moment as it arises. During the shoot I always talk about what the couple would like from their wedding images and how I can make that happen for them.

To help couples relax we often talk not only about their wedding, but also their likes and dislikes,their background. We have a lot of fun, sharing a funny moment and doing things that make them laugh so they are not posing but being themselves. Acting out allows for more natural images even when they do actually look straight down the lens.

Once the shoot is over I am sure it is very reassuring to have quality prints or files from the photographer so that couples know the standard has been set and what should come with the wedding pictures. I always give a minimum of two large prints, one for each the bride and groom. I always provide a password protected online gallery from which couples choose their photos and there is always an option to purchase more usually sweetened with a significant discount for large orders!

Apart from simply enjoying the pictures there are two other ways that clients use the engagement shoot assuming there is enough time they can use one picture for the invitations, a very personalised card to receive. The other option is for a signing board on which people write their names and messages during the reception, it is basically a very large mount around the picture inside a simple frame.

At the moment I am actually offering engagement shoots FREE! No extra charge!! So if you know anyone getting married in the next year, go on, pass my details on.