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!

Since many people feel a little uncomfortable with having their photograph taken they think that it’s ok to just turn up to their wedding, smile for the camera and that’s it. But it’s quite the opposite! With an engagement shoot you will see the process of having your photo taken can actually be a lot of fun and this photoshoot will enable you to relax more before the wedding in the knowledge that you know what you’re going to expect and are in tune with your photographer

3. Good pictures.

From your engagement shoot you will receive a set of really beautiful pictures which you can use for wedding invitations, place holders and announcements via social media amongst other channels that tell everyone you are getting married. You could even use your photos for a slideshow at a wedding party, framed pictures as decorations at the party venue, Facebook, twitter, wedding blog or you could even give your parents a framed photo of yourself with your partner at the wedding reception. I’m very happy to help you with any additional tips and ideas.

4. Quality time.

5. Sound investment.

Many photographers offer engagement shoots to couples who have also booked wedding photography because they see that it is an important investment and because the photographer also thinks it’s great to be able to get better acquainted before the wedding.

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

by | Oct 13, 2017 | | 0 Comments

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

Holyrood Park Engagement Shoot

by | Sep 23, 2017 | , | 0 Comments

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

by | Sep 20, 2016 | , | 0 Comments

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

by | Apr 24, 2016 | , | 0 Comments

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