The current trend today is called relationship. It’s the connection between couples. While sometime passionate, sometimes fun, it’s about the brief moment in time and the oneness that the couple shares. The style follows a few basic formulas but does not typically include the photographers interaction. I.E.. Both are not typically looking into the camera. Sometimes, neither are looking at the photographer, sometimes only one. The idea here is to capture the main subject and the sub subject. It’s much like candids but usually carefully choreographed at least in concept.
The third type of engagement is classic. These follow more in line what most people expect. Sometimes we call these parent photo’s. They are photo’s where both subjects are looking into the camera. Expressions are smiles, sometimes full length to 3/4. These are classics and the easiest part to achieve.
Think of your engagements as a movie. Each photo is a “take” and What you actually see in the final movie may have been take 23 or higher of the same scene. How many photos do we take? The simple answer is many. We shoot a variety of lighting conditions and try many things in each of these styles. Did you know that Sports Illustrated shoots 30,000 images for their 12 page calendar? 30,000 images to pick twelve. We probably won’t shoot 30,000 but we might shoot 50. The idea here is to get one in each style that is great. We’re not looking for just average images, we’re shooting for much much more.
How many will you get on our DVD? Again this is not a snapshots of candids. Included in the price is custom cropping and retouching. Custom coloring, sharpening for the best possible print. We change the formats for the best possible final output. What you are getting in your final product is the artist interpretation. You are getting art on your cd, not just pictures.
Typically a 2 hours shoot may return 6-15 images. Remember, portraits are expressions, people are pictures. Finding six that are worthy of the artists signature and time and effort is considered a successful shoot.
Here are some tips on engagements. First, wear solid dark clothes. Clothes with wild patterns take away form the subject. It distracts the viewer from the connection. Relax. This is not the Dental chair. Your photographer is your friend. They have your best interest in mind. Often couples tense up and especially when we first get started. Often we think it’s best not to even have a lens cap off the camera for the first 30 shots. The subjects are sometimes so nervous the photo’s are not good. Technically, they are fine and some are even great, fact is, the expressions are tense and this comes through the lens.
Where are these taken? We usually do these on location. We like to shoot these outdoors and use existing light for something more natural. Sometimes we use flash fill outdoors. Again we try many different things looking for just the right images.
Many other things we can do. Remember engagements are often part of your final wedding album. If your wedding album tells a story why not your engagements too? Think out of the box. Think for a minute about anything that was special about your dating relationship. Let’s say for an example, you and your fiance had some special moments during your dating period. Maybe a trip somewhere that you purchased some matching T-shirts. Wear them for your engagements. Maybe he proposed in the rain, hey, we can do water, sprinklers. Maybe he gave you a special flower, bring it. Maybe you met for first time at Burger King, we could start there.