How To Warm Up To The Camera During An Engagement Shoot
Tips on Making the Most of Your Engagement Photo Shoot
An engagement photo shoot is a memorable way to celebrate the start of your lives together, but if you’re not used to being in front of the camera, it can be totally intimidating. Here are a few important tips to help you plan your engagement photo shoot. If you know what to expect you can feel more at ease and capture some really memorable images.
Hire a Pro Photographer to Put You at Ease
First of all, do yourselves a huge favor and hire a professional so that you can look forward to great, not merely “acceptable” photographs. Your engagement photo shoot pix will be images you will cherish forever so it makes sense to choose the best photographer you can afford. A pro photographer will know all the tricks to put you at ease.
Get to Know Your Photographer
Meet with your engagement photographer in advance, so that the awkward getting-to-know-you part is out of the way and you can hit the ground running at the actual shoot. Personality is such an important part of the decision process when hiring a photographer and it is often overlooked; if you don’t like your photographer, chances are the photos will not turn out as well as you expect, so why take that risk? When you are relaxed and having fun, this will make all the difference in your photos.
Before you hire an engagement photographer go through the details of your photography contract carefully so that you cover all contingencies and are sure of what you are getting. Be sure to ask upfront if your session includes the copyrights to your images as there are so many fun things you can do with your engagement photos to personalize your wedding. For some clever ideas on what to do with your engagement photos, read this: Fun Engagement Picture Ideas. To do projects like these, you will need 300 dpi hi-res images if you plan to print a guest book or include your images in your wedding album or print anything for your wedding and 72 dpi resolution images for websites or to post images on-line.
Use Props to Help Lighten Things up
To feel a little more at ease in front of the camera, try using some props to lighten things up and have some fun. Props are a great way to bring out natural smiles and get your mind off the camera. Try to come up with a theme of your photo before you involve your fiancé. He will be much more agreeable if you have things just planned out. Pinterest is a great way to search for ideas and to give you some inspiration on what props to bring to your photo shoot.
What to Wear to an Engagement Photo Shoot
We suggest taking along a couple of outfit changes to mix things up. Most photographers will have portable changing rooms so you can quickly slip in and out of outfits to make the most of your photographer’s time. The more shots that are taken, the better your final choice of photographs will be, so keep it interesting and mix it up with a few different looks.
Photo by: Jeremy Quaint Photography via the My Bridal Pix Photographer Network
Pick your outfits based on your personality style. Are you conservative, informal, business like or edgy? You want to be as relaxed as possible, so bring at least one outfit each that makes you feel comfortable and then mix it up with a cocktail dress and suit and then try outfits with nice bright or bold colors to make the photo’s really pop.
How many hours should it take?
This will depend upon the arrangements you have made with your photographer and if there are multiple locations to travel to. So have patience, and pan on anywhere from 2 to 5 hours but you should really have at least 3 hours set aside. The more time you allow your photographer to experiemnt with poses and lighting, the better the final choice of photographs.
How Much Will an Engagement Photo Shoot Cost?
Most photographers will charge you by the hour but you need to consider that you both need to get “warmed up” and relaxed before the serious shooting starts so allot for this extra time needed in your budget. Engagement shoots can run anywhere from $250 – $800 a session, and sometimes are included in a wedding photography packages. Shop around to find the photographer who best suites your needs and budget.
A perfect place to start your search is to post a FREE photography bid request on the My Bridal Pix photography job board. View our Current Bid Requests. Member photographers will review your job posting, and place a bid on your request if they are interested. It will save you a ton of time searching for a photographer on-line. You basically post what you are looking for and let the photographers find you! Photographer use a secure message board to contact you, so we never release your email or contact info.
Show Off Those Engagement Pictures!
Now make sure you show those engagment photos off! Of course you will want to post them to Facebook and create a custom wedding website, but a great way for all your wedding guests to enjoy your images is to create a guest reception book.
My Bridal Pix gives brides the tools to make it easy to DIY your engagement photo guest book. Simply upload your images to our server and drag and drop them into ready-made templates in our book editing software. Your guests and family members can write congratulatory messages to you both on your wedding day, creating a wonderful keepsake you will always treasure.
So relax and enjoy this special time in your life. Looking back years from now, you will be so happy that you invested the time and money to capture these magical memories!
In the comments below, tell us how you plan to use your engagement photos to help inspire other brides to be!
Cheers!
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