Southern Highlands Photographer | What does an engagement shoot look like?
When you book me as your Southern Highlands photographer, there are a few additions you can add on to your package; one of these is an engagement shoot. One of the most common question I’m asked is ‘do you think we need an engagement shoot? We aren’t very photogenic and we’re not good in front of a camera, so we think it might help…’ So I started giving lots of thought to engagement shoots, and whether or not I do feel that these shoots are beneficial and worthwhile to my couples.
What is an engagement shoot?
An engagement shoot is simply this: a 1-2 hour shoot at some stage between booking me as your Southern Highlands photographer, and the date of the wedding. This might be soon after you book me; it might be closer to the wedding – either way is fine. I tend to prefer doing the shoot soon after you book me rather than in the weeks leading up to the wedding, but that’s just my personal preference. If you want a brief overview of what an engagement shoot looks like, instagram is a pretty good place to start.
We’ve booked you to be our Southern Highlands photographer; why should we have an engagement shoot?
Let’s be very clear – you don’t need to have an engagement shoot. The majority of my couples don’t have one, and their wedding photos turn out fine. But here are a few reasons why you might consider adding one to your package:
1. We get to hang out before your wedding
Often we will live quite far from each other; we might have skyped before you booked me to be your Southern Highlands photographer, or maybe we just chatted via email. An engagement shoot gives us the chance to spend some time together, get to know each other a little. It means that when the wedding comes around, you won’t feel like your ‘photographer’ is coming along, but hopefully you’ll just think ‘our mate Thom is coming along to take some photos’. By being more relaxed about me coming along, I’ll get better photos of you!
2. You’ll get used to the way I shoot
Most of my couples have never been married before (yes that’s right, most of them haha), and have never really been photographed professionally, apart from maybe a few head shots for work. An engagement shoot is a great way for you to see how I work, the kinds of things I get you you to do to get the images that I want. Again, this hopefully takes away a bit of potential stress from the wedding day as it’s one less factor for you to worry about.
3. You’ll get some nice photos from a lovely period in your relationship
You just got engaged! And you’ve just booked me as your Southern Highlands photographer. You’re most likely super stoked to be planning a wedding. This is a really nice time for me to document with some lovely images of you both. You can use these photos for your save the dates / invites, your wedding website, or a guestbook / framed photo that you want your guests to sign. Or you can just look at few of the photos and think ‘ooo aaah, we are so attractive.’
Hey Thom, you’re our Southern Highlands photographer and we’re considering an engagement shoot – show us some photos!
Well, ok then! Here are some shots from various engagements that I’ve shot over the last few years. You’ll generally receive around 100 images from this kind of shoot, fully edited, ready to print. If you’ve booked me to shoot your wedding and would like to add an engagement shoot, please get in touch! You can also check out this full Weribee Mansion engagement shoot here.
