5 reasons why you should book an engagement shoot before your wedding
Nowadays almost everyone takes a photo of some kind. Whether it’s a “selfie” or a shot of your friends with your smartphone or even a technical landscape shoot but when was the last time you had a professional photographer? Was it for your graduation? Was it for photos you had taken at school?
Many people are therefore uncertain about what photos should be taken at their wedding. Sometimes brides and grooms will practice poses together or separately, maybe the groom has an idea how he needs to pose, but practicing on your own or with your partner is very different to having a photographer photograph you on the day.
This is where engagement shoots come into play.
Engagement photos, boyfriend pictures, call them what you like, but I am convinced engagement shoots better equip couples for their wedding. Engagement shoots relax couples and once you’ve become familiar with each other through a short photoshoot you will feel less uncomfortable on your wedding day. I’ve seen numerous couples on their wedding day get nervous and literally freeze up from fear of having their photos taken but these engagement shoots are perfect for relaxing everyone involved.
Here are my top 5 reasons why you should have an engagement shoot
1. Be comfortable in front of the camera
It is important to be comfortable with your photographer. Couples need to be able to relax, enjoy themselves and be themselves. Few of us are used to standing in front of a camera, for example myself, I love taking photos of people and while I can pose for photos I don’t especially like it. For most it will feel a bit uncomfortable at first. But with a little bit of experience you will become more accustomed to it and after a short engagement shoot photos will feel immediately more natural. A small photoshoot before your wedding day can help you to quickly slip into the “get comfortable” phase and spend more time having fun and creating wonderful pictures that you’ve always dreamed of. Wedding photographers spend a lot of time with you on your wedding day, from the preparations in the morning to the party in the evening. An engagement shoot before your wedding is a great way to get to know each other. When the wedding day comes it is much nicer to have your photograph taken by someone you are familiar with and not a stranger 🙂
2. It's fun!
3. Good pictures.
4. Quality time.
5. Sound investment.
Click on the photos below to see some of the engagement shoots I have done
Lauriston Castle Wedding Pre Shoot
Lauriston Castle Wedding Pre Shoot. Lauriston Castle is one of my favourite venues in Edinburgh to take any kinds of photos. Unlike Edinburgh Castle which is infinitely busy, Lauriston Castle which resides on the north side of Edinburgh is relatively quiet...
Holyrood Park Engagement Shoot
After a typically quiet August, at least in terms of wedding photography, wedding season has kicked in again and one of the first shoots for this wedding season is this Holyrood Park Engagement Shoot I photographed just
Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh Engagement
Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh Engagement. This September has been one of the weirdest in terms of weather that I can remember. Every year around the 10th to the 12th I do annual group shot for a local pipe band and always around 7pm. I’ve been doing this for
Lauriston Castle Engagement
Lauriston Castle Engagement. In the last couple years, maybe once or twice a year, I end up photographing a wedding for a friend and this was my friend’s wedding pre shoot for 2015 captured at the lovely Lauriston
Louise and Jevan’s Dean Village and Lauriston Castle Pre Wedding Shoot
Just a couple blog posts ago I blogged an absolutely fantastic wedding for Simon and
Dean Village and Lauriston Castle Engagement Shoot
This autumn I have my first wedding at Orocco Pier coming up which I’m so excited about. Orocco Pier is a really beautiful venue
Salisbury Arms Edinburgh Pre Wedding Shoot
During August I only updated my blog once which for me is pretty horrendous. This particular blog post has two real purposes, one is to bring you up to date on what’s been
Princes Street Gardens Wedding Pre Shoot
On the 15th September I met Jaclyn and Tony in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh to do a pre wedding. This couple came all the way from Tampa Bay Florida for their shoot but Tony originates from Edinburgh