The Vision

Did you know that I offer complimentary engagement sessions in all of my wedding collections? Wanna know why? I believe that it’s SO important to get to know & connect with your photographer. If you think about it, you’re basically paying someone to be your own personal paparazzi & stalk you the entire day. If you don’t feel comfortable with your “stalker” (aka photographer), it could make for some annoying & uncomfortable situations.

In order to avoid this, I do two things. Step one: I meet with all of my clients in person before they book me. An initial consultation gives us both the opportunity to meet & get a feel for all personalities & communication styles involved. But the engagement session takes it a step further. And this is where step two comes into play. Your engagement session serves as the perfect trial run for your wedding day.

Here’s a news flash for ya. Unless you’re a professional model, we ALL get stiff & unnatural as soon as we see a camera. All of the sudden we don’t know where to look, what to do with our hands & whether or not to smile. We ALL (myself included) need a little time (& sometimes wine) to warm up & feel comfortable being ourselves. I prefer not to throw you into this process on your wedding day when we’re on a strict timeline, there are a million things going on, vows to memorize, & all eyes on you. Instead, we get to work all of the kinks out during your complimentary engagement session. This is your time to get to know me, my personality, my shooting style, & my posing techniques. I’m a firm believer in keeping my photo sessions very relaxed & conversational. The words “photo shoot” can sound intimidating sometimes, but I can’t even tell you how many times I hear “Oh … that wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting. It was actually really fun!” And that right there is my goal. To make even the most uptight & intimidated clients feel relaxed, comfortable & able to be themselves in front of my lens so that I can capture their true personalities.

Here’s another tip for ya: Did I mention that your engagement session is also the perfect time to schedule your hair & makeup trial?! This way you can make sure you’re happy with how your hair holds up & how your makeup photographs. Next … treat yo self & go get a mani/pedi. Your nails will be in a LOT of shots – to show off that bling of course – so make sure those cuticles are in check & those nails are freshly polished with a neutral, timeless tone. Now back to that bling reference … go get that thing cleaned. You won’t believe how dirty it was or how much it will sparkle until you do it.

I honestly can’t even tell you how helpful these complimentary engagement sessions are for my clients. Be sure to maximize these sessions by following the tips above to gain the most benefit. This way, rather than dreading the endless wedding day photos, you’ll be able to feel natural & relaxed when it’s your time to shine.

The Images