Grandhouse Wedding Photography & Videography<br> Sydney, Australia
It is everybody’s dream to get proposed to by their better half in a dreamy setup. It is like a childhood fairy tale that is coming true. It is indeed a surreal experience. And you sure want to capture that moment and cherish it for the coming years. People have a tendency to give more priority to wedding photos, but slowly, things are changing. Celebrating the day your other half asked you to marry them should be captured in all its glory. It is all about celebrating the little milestones in our lives. Most of the photography services you can find will definitely have a slot for engagement photography. But there are certain aspects you need to look for while doing an engagement photography session. It can be a fun session for the couple to bond and let go of the wedding planning stress if done correctly. Consider this a complete guide to everything you need to know about engagement photography.
The first and foremost reason is the experience. Like your wedding, it’s a memory of a lifetime, and you do not want to miss out on the chance to relive that moment through pictures.
It is the first step you take with your partner to promise each other a lifetime bond. Getting to see your loved ones’ reaction to you getting hitched to the love of your life is a surreal feeling. You can see that special moment from a third-person perspective only through photos. Another reason to hire an engagement photographer for your wedding event photography is the wedding invitation cards. Once you have decided the dates for your wedding and headed out to print the save the date cards, they can be made even better with your engagement photos in them. It will leave the guests who are receiving them in awe. In the future, you can frame or preserve these photos as an engagement memoir in your home, so whenever you look at them, you remember those precious moments with your husband.
Another reason to get engagement photos is to be familiar with professional photographers and photoshoots. Your first time posing for photos does not have to be on your wedding day. Getting to know how a photographer works with you to get nice pictures of you and your partner will help you relax while taking photos on your wedding day. You do not have to worry about how much your engagement photos will cost because many engagement photographers provide complimentary engagement photoshoot sessions so that the couple feels comfortable with the photographer and gives them guidance on how to do the pictures and what approach will be best for the photos.
Choosing an engagement photographer might seem like a simple task. But there is more to it than you think. Firstly, when planning for an engagement shoot, you would have a specific theme and aesthetic in your mind. It could be a minimal photoshoot with light colours in casual or something a little extra, including bling. Next, make sure your photographer’s style matches your aesthetic. The vital aspect to consider when it comes to the pictures is their style. The way they edit the photos should align with the aesthetic you have in mind.
So while you are on the hunt for photographers, check out their personal work profiles and social media platforms to review their work and cross-reference it with your photoshoot aesthetic. In addition, you can take suggestions from your friends and family for filtering out the list so that the task gets more manageable.
Before confirming the engagement photographer, try to get familiar with their personality and vibes and see if it resonates with yours. This plays a massive part in the photoshoot. If you are not comfortable around the person capturing your pictures, you might not receive the output you were expecting. Try to get on a call with them or set up a meeting to discuss your preferences on photo styles and themes. This will give you a chance to get to know them better before the day of the shoot. Both parties must mesh so that the pictures turn out more candid, raw, and less artificial.
The next task after hiring your engagement photographer is scheduling the shoot. If you plan to keep these pictures on your invitation cards, then the engagement photos should be taken at least 8 months prior to your wedding day. You might have a question about why this much time. It is because you are not directly receiving the photos right after the engagement photo session. The photographers need to process the images and do the touchup work. Not all the photos captured can be used for engagement photo albums. They need to filter the good ones according to criteria like their style and lighting. Portrait photos need further editing and typing work compared to pictures that are long shots and closeups. After work, all of this requires detailed processing, which can take quite a while. Before you choose a date randomly, consult with your engagement photographer and find out how much time it will take for them to give you the final output. You can free up your schedule accordingly.
Another aspect you should look into is the seasons in which you want your engagement photos to be captured. Everybody has a different taste in seasons. Some prefer a fall photoshoot, whereas others might like a spring photo session. But always keep in mind that the time you choose to plan your engagement shoot should blend in with the style of your photos. It is safe to select flexible seasons so that you can have multiple ideas for taking pictures. Also, you can schedule it at different times of the day, like sunrise and sunset. If you want your images to be warm with an orange and yellow shade tinge, the sunrise is the best option to choose. On the other hand, if you want your pictures to serve a warm hue without sunlight exposure, sunset time would be appropriate.
As we talked about the general theme and aesthetic of the photoshoot, this influences almost every other aspect of engagement wedding photography. One of the first things to consider while setting the aesthetic is choosing the colour palette. This might seem like an unpopular choice, but a perfect colour palette will do magic to your photos. Engagement photos are soft and minimal in comparison to wedding photos. Engagement photographers would suggest muted colour tones for your pictures because that will be the best fit. But if you feel a bit adventurous and want to experiment with colour tones, feel free to. You can try brighter shades by including props with contrasting colours to make the pictures look more vibrant. Make sure you use bright colours under good lighting conditions. If it is cloudy and you put on rainbow shades, there is a high chance for the pictures to turn out tacky. You can use a brighter colour palette at sunrise and sunset, as this would complement the pictures more. Monotonous colour palettes might make your pictures look grey and dull, which is not how you want your photo album to look.
As we know, seasons make a considerable impact on photographs, so choose the colours wisely. For example, engagement photo sessions in the winter demand a pop of colour. Shades like red and maroon would suit the cool, snowy backgrounds better. On the other hand, shades of white and blue will blend with the background and might not emphasise the people in the picture but more focus on the landscape. So, wearing these cool colour shades might not get you a desirable photo output.
If the theme of your photoshoot is more into the countryside genre, then there are plenty of things you can give a try. Including more wooden colours and props would definitely provide photos with a rustic vibe, and wearing shades in the palette of off-white and muted colours will make the pictures look classy and elegant. Include more flowers in the background so that your light-coloured dressing balances out the pop of colours. Your choice of clothing has a lot to do with the colour grading of your pictures. So make sure you choose the right colour for your outfits so that images look flawless, and the engagement photographers only have to make a minimal effort to correct the colour grade of the pictures. This would save a lot of time for you and for them. Since your outfits would be grandeur on the wedding day, you can keep the engagement outfit a bit lowkey to balance it out.
Now let’s discuss one of the crucial parts of taking your engagement photos—the location you are choosing for the photoshoot. As this would be the background of all the engagement photos taken, you need to give proper importance to deciding the spot for the session. For this, there are a lot of factors that you can rely on. First, you can choose a place with personal value for both couples. For example, it could be a location where you guys first met, or it could be the spot where your partner popped the question to you. The perk of choosing a place that shares some kind of personal value with you is that you will have an emotional connection with that particular spot. This will help you feel more relaxed and less bothered about your surroundings. This could do wonders for the candid pictures of you and your partner, and your engagement photos will look more magical than they already are.
Another factor you should consider while choosing the location is if it aligns with your engagement shoot theme. You can always take pre-wedding photography location advice from your engagement photographer because they have a lot of experience doing this. There is no better source for finding out the hidden spots than the photographer itself. If you are into a minimalistic approach, then a park background would suit well for your engagement photos. It has the needed pop of colours with its greenery, and if you need more, you can always install some props to experiment with according to your choice. You can recreate your favourite memory with your partner in a well-fitted and aesthetically pleasing location.
If you are looking for a boho-chic vibe for the engagement photos, choosing a beach location will be great. Sand under your toes and the ocean waves as the background will serve as the perfect backdrop for your engagement photo album. If you prefer a countryside-themed photoshoot, ask your engagement photographer for destinations that are rustic barnyards, vineyards, or farms. This gives a classy look to the pictures, and you can get creative with the props you can use. Locations with great views are always the best choice for engagement photos as they are easily accessible, and you will not have to do a lot of paperwork to get clearance for the photoshoot.
