Why are pre-wedding/engagement shoots so important?
A pre-wedding or engagement shoot has become very popular over the last few years. But often people don’t realise just how beneficial these shoots are for the couples about to get married and how much they improve the photography on their wedding day.
Good wedding photography requires a rapport between the couple and the photographer, and there is no better way of building this than a pre-wedding shoot. It is at this shoot that you will get to see me in action, it also helps out a lot on your wedding day as you will already know my style and how I interact with you both.
Not only is your special day unique, so are both of you. It is at this pre-wedding shoot that we can try some styles out, figure out what works, and what doesn’t work for you.
So many people dont like their photos being taken, and I honestly believe this is due to the constant barrage of seeing badly taken photos of yourselves, the more times you sees these bad pictures of yourself the more you start to think it is you and that you are just not photogenic. It is at this point you start to hate having your photo taken. You only have to go onto Facebook to see millions of examples of this type of photography.
What you’ll get from an pre-wedding shoot is the chance to see how good you look in some professionally taken images, this will help you relax come your big day. A good analogy that I came across recently is which I think sums this idea up is “You may not like your partners cooking but this would not put you off going to a restaurant because you know the person doing the cooking is a qualified Chef and they will use the right ingredients and recipes to make their food delicious.”
What to Wear
The idea is for this photo session to be a nice relaxed way of us to get to know each other before your big day, and I often get asked for suggestions on what to wear, I’ve therefore put together a few ideas.
Wear something you are comfortable in. If you’re not comfortable, it will show in the pictures.
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Wear clothes that are complementary in style and colour. Don’t be too matchy.
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Wear clothes that are the same level of dressiness. Don’t dress up and have your fiance wear their everyday street clothes.
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Think about layering clothing, this gives us a few different possibilities.
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It’s best not to wear tight jeans or other clothes that are overly tight and restrict movement. Or show curves you don’t want shown.
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Wear something you love, and make sure it’s ‘you’. It’s best not to wear something you are going to wish you didn’t wear when you look back at the images
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Darker colours are slimming and they are also easier to photograph. But if you have something in white or off white, don’t be afraid to wear it.
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Patterns go out of style quickly, and the background usually has enough texture that patterns can sometimes make the photos too busy. Classic clothing styles will look good in photos for years – but also try to bring clothes that are uniquely you for “fun” poses.
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Have the clothes match the location and season for the shoot. Shorts and flip flops probably are not the best on a cold day (this goes back to being comfortable, if you are not warm it’s harder to look warm and happy)
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Neutral Earth tones are best for outdoor portraits.
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Wear shoes you can comfortably walk in.
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Leave your bag behind, unless you want it in the photos. (You can be more free and fun without it) I can carry your keys and a few necessities in my camera bag.
Where?
So the next big questions is where to have your shoot?
For a pre-wedding shoot I would normally recommend an outdoor location, somewhere special to both of you.
A park, a river, somewhere a little rural. Based in the city, how about somewhere a little more urban? The key is to find somewhere that you are comfortable, and means something to you both.
Short of time or cant think of a special place? How about we grab a quick 30-60 mins when we visit your wedding venue? Firstly this helps us scout out the surrounding area for locations for your wedding photos, we can see where works and where doesn’t, and secondly, it helps us get to know how you both react in front of the camera. If we use the same venue as your wedding, then it is important that we change the style, viewpoint to ensure the photos are different to your wedding day.
Take the time of year and time of day into consideration. If your photos are outside, the best time of day for the session is early in the morning or the last few daylight hours. Photos during this time will produce a warm glow. Autumn photos can be gorgeous; just be sure to dress in layers. Winter photos can be fun, but this is an especially unpredictable time of year for the weather, however this could lead to some fun photos
I totally recommend a pre-wedding shoot, and cannot emphasise just how beneficial this would be
View some recent examples HERE
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss a pre-wedding shoot, or any ideas you have.
Clare & Marcus :: Pre Wedding
I have just got back from meeting the wonderful Clare & Marcus at their wedding venue, Hall Place, Berkshire College of Agriculture.
Not only was this an amazing venue, but Clare & Marcus were such a great couple, with plenty of personality that is going to make photographing their special day amazing! I’m really looking forward to working together with Josh from DJSpacebar at their August wedding.
Whilst scouting out the beautiful grounds I managed to grab a few quick shots of them both. I thought I’d share a few with you.
You’ll find all the shots here
       
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Berlin
After a busy few months I finally found a free night to process some of my images from my trip to Berlin last November.
These were all taken with just a Canon G10.
You’ll find the rest of the photos here
            
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Canon 1D IV
Whilst having a moment of madness, I’ve just added a Canon 1D mkIV to my kit list, this is the big brother to my other trusty Canon 1D II’s that I have been using for the last few years.
The main benefit apart from the 16.1-megapixel resolution, and 1080p HD video is the much improved low light capabilities that the IV offers, which should help out heaps in the not so well lit churches.
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