The Engagement Shoot & Other Matters

Greetings: At the time of posting, it is actually a sunny day in Vancouver. What’s up with this weather? If you want to know the likelihood of precipitation in Vancouver, don’t bother watching Claire or Wayne;  just look at what’s going on meteorology-wise  in Toronto–sunny in TO equals rain here.  It is bizarro weather.  Okay, enough of that.

Last week, we at Ellabella Photographic did an engagement shoot and so we thought we would talk about that event in terms of some ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’  for couples planning engagement photos.  Some of our observations conflict with things we have read elsewhere, so be forewarned.  Our musings are based on our experience and taste, so there is always a subjective element about these things.  Let’s use headings to keep ourselves organized.

Timing: Consistent with advice located on other sites, make sure you plan your shoot as close to the wedding date as possible.  Why? Pairing a winter engagement shoot with summer wedding photos can make for some mean cognitive dissonance.  People can change their look quite dramatically in an afternoon not to mention over months.  Looking at your winter brunette self alongside your summer blonde self will only evoke Katherine Heigl comparisons.  Upon inspection of such photos, most people, yourself included,  turn to whether she–sticking with Ms. Heigl for a moment–looks better as a blonde or as a brunette.  (We think she looks better as a blonde by the way).  What you want to draw attention to with engagement photographs is your love for one another rather than a change in hair colour or hairdo, new veneers, that nose job, augmentations, and weight gains or losses. These are distractors, neon signs pointing to the fact that time has indeed passed, which can take away from the continuity of your photos.

Engagement versus Wedding Photos: Ideally,  what should differentiate your engagement from your wedding photos (besides the obvious content) is a difference in tone or mood.   Engagement photos are meant to capture your love for each other at this specific, heady time in your relationship.  The engagement phase will evoke particular feelings and this is what you want to reflect upon in the future.   In order to successfully get these shots, the photographer will most likely tell you the shoot will be relaxed and casual, and that you should pay attention to each other rather than to the camera. This doesn’t mean that the photographer will not be directive (some are more so than others), but rather that within any given direction the idea is for you and your beloved to tap into and emote the feelings that brought you together in the first place.  Generating those loving emotions, despite the natural discomfort of being in front of the camera, explains why most photographers will likely encourage you to relax, be yourselves, and have fun.

Having fun and relaxing is made a whole lot easier if your photos are shot in locations that allow you to tune into that love. Make sure you know where you are going before you get there.  Don’t just follow your photographer to her three favourite locations unless you have agreed upon this beforehand.  In other words, if you are afraid of ferris wheels then do not approach one. If you loathe sitting in tall grass then do not sit there.  If you hate the beach, insist on urban shots.  Unless you have good acting chops, your displeasure at being somewhere you hate will be written all over your face.  It is not about location but about how locations can motivate feelings and expressions.

In contrast to the engagement photos, wedding photos are not only for you and about you, but also for and about your family’s emotional response to your commitment.   Although there is some overlap between engagement and wedding photos, generally wedding photos have a different function; that is, they are meant to capture all the guests’ emotions as they occur in the context of your private-public event.  Due to organizational pressures, this day, more than any other, can be highly stressful.  This means that your photographer often has to manage this stress to get the best photographs.  A more directive approach may be required so you, the couple, can momentarily forget all about the surrounding hubbub.  As discussed in a previous post, photographers have different styles ranging from the master director to the silent fly.  However, don’t be surprised if even the most unobtrusive photographer gets a bit more directive when taking wedding photos.  Keep in mind that your photographer plays a critical role in how, in the future, you are going to reconstruct the emotions and events of this momentous day.  This is a huge responsibility which includes making sure all your family members and friends are well ‘re-presented’ (i.e., that everyone in the shot has their eyes open at the same time, and so forth).

What  (Not) to Wear at the Engagement Shoot: Usually photographers request that couples refrain from wearing patterned clothing.  We think this is reasonable but it can also be a tad dull.  We see nothing wrong with Sasha, our bride-to-be, wearing a striped sweater over and up on the right. It suits her and, as you can see from the photo, it’s Sasha’s expression that catches the eye.  These stripes also work because her fiancée, Pheroze, is wearing a solid coloured sweater. If he was wearing any pattern at all a horrible bang would be heard for miles.  This couple brought two sets of clothes, one for these outdoor shots because it was rather chilly and another for their indoor shots.  In the indoor shots, as you can see, it is he who now wears the stripes in the family.  We think Pheroze looks good in his blue, pin-stripe shirt; again, this is because his true love is wearing a solid colour.  We also like the look of his shirt against the wall. It makes him look gentle and gentlemanly, which is appropriate for this type of shoot.  Our couple reported that they really liked the soft look of both these photos.  Although our Sasha was looking at the camera we liked the naturalness of her smile and, most of all, the way Pheroze is looking at his beloved. In case our couple were not fond of the pictures hanging behind their heads we took them out of the photo on the right.  After viewing both options they might ask if we can either take them out or put them back in, which is easy to do.  

Another thing to consider when dressing for engagement photos is to wear clothes that you are comfortable in. But we are going to qualify this statement a bit. For people whose comfort zone begins to shrink in anything other than a favourite vintage T-shirt: remember that your engagement session is ‘an occasion’ and as such you may want to stretch the comfort zone outward towards neutral clothing that won’t make your future children pee with laughter.  That Metallica T-shirt may be great, but . . .  Our fellow here is a pretty casual guy, but he made the effort to wear a button-down shirt, and we think it pays off; it won’t look dated in the future.  The bride-to-be wisely went with a light neutral dress that does not overpower her naturally beautiful face. The kiddies are going to marvel at how young their parents look, rather than at their ridiculous clothing. And, don’t forget to leave your watches and clunky boot shoes at home.

Posing: Posing is another subjective issue.  For most people, an engagement shoot is the first time they have had a photographer follow them around expressly to take their photos over a period of time.  It can feel a bit weird and because of this some individuals become self-conscious, which translates into an awareness of one’s body and the accompanying feeling of having no idea of what to do with it.  All of a sudden, the arms are like foreign appendages. Most couples are therefore happy to be given some direction.  Now, our chivalrous groom swept up his betrothed on a whim (top photo) and this flight of fancy is delightfully visible on his love’s face.  This is what most photographers want–a couple playfully engaging with each other and doing spontaneous stuff.  We love that!  But keep in mind that this photo was taken well into the second hour of the shoot, when our couple had gotten used to us and had largely forgotten the cameras.  This is one of the advantages of the engagement shoot–the couple gets used to the photographers, allowing them to be completely at ease right from the start of the wedding day.

The photo to the left is another natural looking one that  we like.  This shot was taken very close to the end of a two hour shoot, yet our couple look completely relaxed, as if they’ve spent the day frolicking about outdoors, which makes for a nice natural look.  We think our bridette has a fantastic natural glow and this photo reflects the outdoorsy girl she really is.

We also took some directed shots.  For these, we encouraged our couple to ignore us and connect with each other.  We often tell couples that if they want to include some more editorial looking shots into the mix, to feel free to ramp it up a bit.  Encouraging people to momentarily set aside their inhibitions (which operate on a sliding scale amongst couples) can produce some interesting photographs.  For example, in our pool table shots we built a scenario to encourage our groom to approach his beloved as the smoking hot woman he knows her to be.   We think this turned out pretty well, as evidenced by their facial expressions and his natural hand placement.  In the other photo, our very shy and sometimes reticent bride-to-be popped out this most excellent ‘come hither’ look.  We believe that these feelings are already present so their prompting is not unnatural; rather, direction just draws these feelings to the surface and makes it easier to capture the emotion.

Colour: Our couple had seen some bold colours on our website at ellabellaphotographic.com and wanted to give those a try. Bold walls can be risky, depending on the colours the couple are wearing and because of skin tones.  As well, walls can be tricky since the couple have nothing really to do in front of that wall; as a result, some direction is usually required. Grass can also be a tricky business. Most skin tones are not enhanced by acres of green surround.  Not only that, but vividly green grass is just visually overpowering.  For that reason, some photographers desaturate bright green grass in post-production.  We like the photo with the red backdrop, although it did require quite a bit of post-production work.

Well, that about wraps up our engagement shoot post.  We will be shooting our fantastic couple’s wedding here in Vancouver at the beginning of August.  We will be following Sasha to her hair appointment and will stay with her and Pheroze right up until the last guest departs.

We’ll keep you posted!

Tips for Finding the Right Photographer

Many people find a wedding photographer by asking their friends and family for recommendations.  There is nothing wrong with this, but before you pick up the phone take a moment to consider these factors:

1) Style: Every photographer has his or her own style.  Consider that two shots of the same thing by two different photographers will look very different–every photographer has their own ‘eye.’

1b)  Besides the photographer’s own eye, many photographers work in a certain style.  These styles may range from the less trendy ‘line ‘em up, smile, and shoot,’ to the documentary or candid style, or the currently trendy fashion-like shoot.   Although most good photographers can do any of these styles and a whole lot more, they generally want to retain their signature look.  Good photographers consider themselves technical and creative artists so don’t expect a photographer who specializes in the documentary form to shoot your 5 page shot list; rather, find a photographer who specializes in the shot-list so you will get what you want in the best of that style.

2) The Look: Take the time to look through the images on the photographer’s website  to make sure that the way the photographer sees things is the way you want to be seen.  A good photographer’s images will have a certain ‘look.’ Much like the magazine hairdo, make sure that look suits you.

3) Direction: Once you have decided on a style and found someone in your city whose work you like, go and meet them.  You may think that you may not have any real contact with the photographer during your day, but that is generally not the case.  Some photographers shoot silently in the background with only clicking to be heard while others direct each shot like a remake of an historical drama.  If you choose the artistic director-photographer, make sure you will be able to stand up to him or her, so there will not be hard feelings by the end of the day.  Many images that look great are the result of explicit direction–just make sure you are prepared and understand what it takes to get the shots you loved on the photographer’s website.

4) Post-production: In relation to number 2 above, keep in mind that ‘the look’ is often accomplished in post-production by techniques the photographer does him or herself or hires out.  Generally speaking, post-production is time-consuming; therefore, ‘the look’ will most often cost you more.

4b) Remember that photographers generally only post their best images on their web sites.  On your consultation visit, ask to see a selection of images that have not been posted.  Although this won’t be true of a quality photographer, in some cases, what you see on the website has been further beautified by post-production.

5) Files: Some photographers offer a DVD of high resolution files while others do not.  Consumers tend to believe that photographers who do not offer their files are trying to make more money off prints or albums.  But there is another way to think about this issue.  Quality photographers tend to view their work as art.  They want to know that when you receive your images they cannot be altered.  Any post-production done by you does not represent their work.  Just like you would not think of buy a painting and adding a few more brush strokes to suit your taste neither does the photographer want you to alter his photographs.  Any alterations will be presumed to be the result of the photographers work not yours, and the photos that you show your friends and family act as advertising for the photographer.  Quality photographers have a reputation to protect.  A photographer who is willing to hand over high resolution files values their work in a different way than the photographer who will not.  Be aware that this may have implications for quality.

6) Albums: Why go with a photographer’s album?  Two simple reasons.  First, the professional wedding photographer has access to albums that you, as a consumer, do not.  Secondly, the professional photographer has either had professional training in design or has years of experience in design.  The idea that “I could do it just as well” is a feeling we all share at times when cost is an issue, but if when we actually try it we better understand the skill involved.  You will most likely only have one wedding album, why take the risk.

7) Cost: Wedding photographers can be pricey.  From the professional photographers standpoint, she has spent several thousands of dollars on equipment.  Consider that the average price of just one lens is at least two-thousand dollars.  Top photographers will likely also have professional educational training (which at some institutions is similar to the tuition of law school).  Moreover, wedding photography is a specialty in its own right, with its own calendar year–it is seasonal.  The majority of income for a wedding photographer is generated from May-September.  In the North, that makes for one long winter.  Photographers must price accordingly.

For other tips on finding a wedding photographer check out iBride