Why The Dark Room Studio Recommends an Engagement Session Before Your Wedding
Engagement photos are one of those things that somehow ended up on the wedding checklist.
Get engaged.
Pick a venue.
Book a photographer.
Do engagement photos.
Put one on a save-the-date.
And sure, you can absolutely use them for your save-the-dates. But that's really not why I think they're valuable. For The Dark Room, an engagement session is partly about getting some great photos of the two of you. Obviously. But it's also our chance to figure each other out before I show up on one of the biggest days of your lives with a couple of cameras strapped to me. And I think that's actually pretty important.
First, you get to figure out what being photographed by me is like
Unless the two of you have some sort of secret modelling career I don't know about, I'm going to assume you don't spend a lot of time being professionally photographed together. Most people don't. And one of the first things couples tend to tell me is some variation of, "We're awkward in photos." That's fine. You don't need to know what you're doing. I do. I'll tell you where I want you, what I want you to do and when I want you to completely ignore me. Sometimes I'll pose you. Sometimes I'll give you a little direction and see what happens. Sometimes something you're already doing looks better than anything I was about to suggest, so I'll leave you alone. By the end of the session, you know how I work. Which means when we get to your wedding portraits, we're not starting from scratch.
I also get to figure you out during your engagement session.
This part is just as important. Every couple has their own dynamic, and I don't think everyone should be photographed exactly the same way. Some couples are affectionate. Some are sarcastic. Some are quieter with each other. Some cannot stop laughing. Some will happily make out in front of my camera and some would rather walk directly into the lake. Good to know. I get to see what feels natural for you, how much direction you need and when I should stop directing altogether. So by the time your wedding arrives, I already know a little bit about how the two of you work together. That makes my job easier. And it makes your wedding portraits easier too.
Your engagement photos do not need to look like practice wedding photos
This is probably the part I feel strongest about. You're already going to have wedding portraits. You're going to be dressed up. You'll have your flowers. We'll choose beautiful light. We'll make the classic portraits your parents and grandparents are going to want and we'll make some really good ones for you too. So personally, I don't see much point in making your engagement session look like the slightly more casual version of the exact same thing. Let's do something else. Go to the lake at sunset. Wander around downtown. Stay home and make dinner. Go somewhere you actually spend time together. Dress up ridiculously well and go somewhere completely unexpected. Bring your dog. Get in the water. Whatever. It doesn't have to be elaborate. It just needs to feel like its own thing.
We can also get a little weird
Wedding days aren't always the ideal time for me to say, "I have an idea. I'm not entirely sure this is going to work, but trust me." I mean, I might still say that. But engagement sessions give us more room to experiment. We're not trying to get back to 150 guests who are waiting for dinner. Nobody is looking for Grandma for family photos. The wedding coordinator isn't standing behind me pointing at her watch. We can chase the light a little. We can change locations. We can try something and decide it absolutely does not work. And sometimes those experiments turn into my favourite photographs from the whole session.
Yes, you'll actually have things to do with the photos
Save-the-dates are the obvious one. You can also use your engagement photos on your wedding website, invitations, guest book, displays at the reception or just put them on your walls like normal people used to do with photographs. Your families will probably want some. But honestly, I don't think you need to come up with a practical reason for having them. You're engaged. This is a very specific little period of your life together, and it doesn't last very long. That's reason enough to photograph it.
Do you have to have an engagement session before your wedding? The Dark Room Studio Recommends it!
No. I'm never going to tell you that you absolutely must do an engagement session or I won't be able to photograph your wedding properly. I've been photographing people for a long time. I can meet you on your wedding day and we'll figure each other out. But if we have the opportunity to do it beforehand? I'd take it. You get to find out exactly what it's like to have me photograph you. I get to learn how the two of you are together. And when your wedding day comes around, there's already some familiarity there. Plus, we get to make an entirely different set of photographs without a wedding timeline breathing down our necks. Which, as far as I'm concerned, is a pretty good reason to do it.
Are you planning your wedding?
Whether you’re just starting your search or you’re already considering The Dark Room Studio, there’s plenty more wedding advice here to help you plan.
And if you think we might be a good fit, I’d love to photograph your wedding.
