i know i say it often, but i'm going to say it again.....i LOVE my job and i LOVE being a wedding photographer!!
i'm sorry if you are getting tired of hearing that statement, but it's true, and i am blessed.
yesterday, i met with a wonderful couple about the possibility of documenting their super awesome wedding next year. i sincerely hope that they book me because they were wonderfully sweet and i'd love to work with them, and get to know them even better!
ok, that's not the point here....
what i am trying to get to, is that something came up in our meeting, that was the catalyst to me writing this blog post this morning.
it's about ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS (if you didn't get that from the post title already).
inevitably, the topic of engagement sessions comes up during my initial meetings, because they are included in most of my wedding collections and i frequently get asked "do i need an engagement session and why?"
i do have to say that it's normally the guys that are puzzled about e-sessions, but most brides are pretty pumped about the thought of having one done.
what i want to do here, is explain my take on e-sessions, and give potential clients some insight into how my brain works and why i LOVE doing them.
first and foremost, e-sessions are a great way to get to know your wedding photographer, and for me to get to know my clients on a more personal level.
when a client books me to be their wedding photographer, i want to make sure that i get to know them on a more personal level, so that on their wedding day i am just like an old friend coming to document their wedding. i put all of myself into every job and every client that i book, and i want your wedding day to just be a continuation of the awesome client/photographer relationship that we will have already built.
during an engagement session, i ask my clients to think of a way that i can document them doing something that is uniquely THEM. when i say this, i mean something like, if you aren't a pretty-park person, then posing in front of a bunch of tulips or flower beds and saying 'cheese' for the camera, is NOT a brilliant plan. if as a couple, you LOVE to go bowling with friends, then lets take some photos at the bowling alley! if you love to stay in on weekends, cook cool meals, and watch old movies, then i can come to your home and take some e-session photos of you cooking up a storm!
i think you get my drift with this stuff.
by following you on a 'date' and documenting what makes you 'special' as a couple, then i get a glimpse into your love, and into your lives, which will in turn help me to be able to better understand what i can do on your wedding day to make sure that your images reflect YOU !
the second reason that i feel that engagement sessions are important, is because most couples don't have any professional photos of themselves, and i want to change the world (one couple at a time).
sure, most couples have about 1,000 self-portraits, taken at arm's reach, with their iPhones or compact cameras. the other photos that most couples have, are one's from the last party or holiday dinner they attended. you know the type of photos i'm talking about, all out of focus and full of standard red-eye, maybe with a bit of their heads chopped off.
ok, so maybe you don't NEED an engagement session, but i'm sure that now that you've read my blog post, you WANT an engagement session!!