I wish I had the confidence to enjoy having my picture taken, but straight up, I hate my picture being taken. I'll certainly do it if I have to, but otherwise, I am much more comfortable being behind the lens!
Given that I'd rather take the picture than be in the picture, I empathize with our clients who share this preference, and because of this, we have worked hard to establish a level of comfort with our clients from the very beginning, offering tips and advice that make for a successful
e-shoot.
Our experience is that the Engagement Session builds esteem within our clients in two ways:
they physically and mentally become more comfortable in front of the camera during the Engagement Session,
and then when they see their pictures, confidence is further built through the ability of Steven and I, (or our newest photographing team consisting of Matt and Lauren) to enhance the beauty, chemistry, and natural characteristics of our clients, as individuals and as a couple.
How to achieve this:
1. The most important piece of advice is to arrive with an open mind, and even with ideas of your own. (establishing where you would like to go ahead of time, if there is more than one location is a good thing! And feel free to choose meaningful places.) Trust in our experience, and remember why you hired Unveiled: you saw awesome photographs.
2. Our clients need to trust Unveiled in our ability to balance: positioning you in flattering and creative way, with capturing the natural and candid moments you and your fiancé will share during our time together. This also involves allowing us the time for proper set-up, finding the perfect camera settings, experimenting with lighting, and taking our time as we need - within reason of course.
3. The next piece of advice: when you feel good about yourself, you look good. Enjoy the opportunity to dress up a bit: consider your engagement session a date, and extend it with a nice lunch or dinner afterwards to celebrate!
4. Dress Code:
There really isn't one, because most importantly, we want you to be yourselves. If dress pants or a skirt or extra jewelery are 'not you', then do not play into this. However, I will not lie - trendy, fun, creative attire makes for great photos.
With that said, use common sense:
- No mis-matched patterns on yourself, or between you as a couple.
-Colour is always great, but try to keep you and your fiancé within the same colour palette as much as possible.
-Refer back to this blog, and see how other couples chose to dress.
-Heels are great and a lot of fun, but consider bringing a pair of practical shoes for walking around in between locations etc.
- Men and shoes: your groom-to-be should not be in worn and torn runners. We will sometimes photograph feet!
- A change of clothes is fun too - but be prepared to change in the semi-privacy of your vehicle or a public bathroom!
- Remember that pictures can easily 'date' themselves. You don't want to be wearing an item, or a piece of clothing that looking back, telling your children, you sigh and say, "Well, that was the time!" OR, "That was popular then!" So, no headbands and leg warmers. LOL
4. Getting Technical:
- If you think you have a better side we should know this. Anything superficial like a pimple - not to worry. God had someone create Photoshop for a reason. Otherwise, if you have twitchy eye, are a blinker, are self-conscious about anything, please share this with us - we want you to be at ease as much as possible.
- We shoot on location, which typically means you will be in the public eye at some point. Some revel in this, some do not! Let us know if you'd rather try and stay as private as possible.
- Are you a blinker? Closing your eyes before a picture is taken and having the photographer say' "1,2,3" and opening on '3' works very well - same when the sun is in your eyes.
- Are you naturally nervous in front of the camera and might laugh? Maybe neither of you enjoy looking into a lens? For some photos then, we'd prefer you to enjoy a conversation and a laugh with your soon-to-be-spouse. The end result is that your facial features and body language look natural in the photos.
- Chemistry and the camera: The natural chemistry between a couple is evident in how much they are letting down their guard in front of the lens. Enjoy this opportunity to be playful, coy, and affectionate, and corny, and sappy. Once you get into the spirit of what the shoot is about, this will also come naturally.
With that said, if you are not usually that affectionate with one another, and especially in public, we would rather know this ahead of time so we can work around this.
- Weather: We would have to re-schedule if there was a downpour. Otherwise, be prepared to switch locations where we can suggest cover, bring an umbrella and a positive attitude! I know this can be disappointing, but re-scheduling due to light rain is very difficult during our peak season. And obviously, dress according to the weather.
5. Your Engagement Session can last up to two hours. It sounds lengthy, but the time seems to fly. Obviously, weather is a factor in its length. Enjoy this time together: it is not often in the course of wedding planning, you have a chance to be 'free' from planning, and scheduling, etc. Many clients work opposite shifts from one another, and so carving out time for something like this is difficult. But when there is an agreed upon date and time with Unveiled, take full advantage of the time you will spend with the one you are marrying.
6. Your photos will be ready for viewing within two weeks. You will receive a link to your slideshow for proofing, and once you love them, you will let us know, and we will burn and deliver/mail you your disc with the data images. All images are burned at a high resolution to disc and therefore are not watermarked with our logo, in order for you to take to your favourite developer.
7. SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES & SLIDESHOWS AT YOUR WEDDING: we want you to use and enjoy your photos as much as possible - however, a credit to Unveiled is greatly appreciated. This can be a link to our website, a written reference to our business, adding us as a 'favourites' page etc. We are now providing our logo as a JPEG (included on your disc) that can be used in the slideshow shown at your wedding.
8. When you receive your photos: engagement or wedding, back up your photos on your computer and burn an extra disc or two - keep an extra disc in another household as a further measure to protect your pictures.
9. Please remember that we keep our client's photos (every photo we ever took) for only three years. At the three year mark we keep our favourite photos and discard the rest. Also remember that technology changes and the quality of the discs do not last forever. Please save your pictures accordingly.
10. Ultimately, the Engagement Session prepares you for being in front of a camera on your wedding day. Keep in mind, this will be the hardest we will ask you to work - the time you spend with us on your wedding day will not be as lengthy or as intense.
That's it! I hope I have covered it all, and if not, when in doubt, send Katie an email!
If you have enjoyed your engagement session with us, we'd love to hear about it! Please email Katie your comments and suggestions regarding your Engagement Session - I'd love to post them!
