The Art of the Engagement

So the holiday season has passed and a new year is upon us.  If you are like us, then you’ve probably made a resolution to make 2012 your biggest year for your business yet!  Naturally, that’s much easier said than done.  Well there’s another thing that the holiday season brings besides New Years resolutions… Engagements!  December has the highest number of marriage proposals than any other month.  Something about the Christmas spirit or the thought of new beginnings from New Year’s that seems to make a guy (or girl) get down on one knee.  Don’t forget that there’s still Valentine’s Day right around the corner as well.  For the wedding professional this means the potential for new clientele.  Most wedding vendors have one chance to make a sale for one event, but as a photographer you have the chance to make an almost life long repeat client, depending on what your photographic specialties are.  If you think about it you have engagement photos, wedding, maybe a trash the dress, maternity photos, newborn photos, etc.  Photos don’t just stop at the wedding like a cake or flowers.  Photos are something people need at every major milestone of their lives.  But, it all starts with engagement photos.

So what are engagement photos and why do we shoot them?  The way I explain it to brides that might not know, is that engagement photos are, above all else, a chance to get to know Brandy and I as photographers to include the way we shoot and a chance for us to get to know them as a couple and see how they interact with each other.  A lot of couples out there don’t spend a lot of time in front of a professional’s camera and can get a little intimidated.  The last thing you want is for their first time in front of your camera to be on their big day.  If they’ve already had a shoot done with you, they will be much more at ease, and will not be quite as stiff and unnatural as you may see from some other photographers out there.  When we are shooting weddings we want the bride and groom to feel like we’re just two more guests.  We just happen to be the ones they are actually paying to take the photos.  Not the Aunt up front with the iPhone.  You know the one.  Secondly, it’s a chance for the bride and groom to be in their element and show their love and affection for one another in a much less formal manor.  You can take them to the place where they met, a place they like to go on dates, a place they like to get away, or be even more creative and do something with a little more of a theme if they’re up to it.  The number one phrase to remember is “comfortable”.  The more comfortable they are with this shoot, the more comfortable they are going to be with you one their wedding day.

How do you market engagement shoots?  Here’s a bit of advice that I’m going to give to those of you just starting out.  It worked for us and really got the ball rolling towards our move to shooting wedding photography.  I’m going to use a four letter word that starts with “F”.  It’s going to get the attention of the newcomers and catch a scoff from the old veterans, but the word is…FREE!  Ok veterans, please don’t all attack my house with torches and pitchforks yet!  Let me explain myself.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a big advocate for not giving away free photography or doing engagements or weddings for $50 and gas money, but there’s a way to do free without doing free.  Everybody in sales knows that nothing is free, and as self employed people we are the sales guy as well.  What I’m saying is when we started out we would give this ultimatum.  We didn’t have much of a portfolio to show, so we made a deal.  Book your wedding with us and get a free engagement shoot.  Now here’s the kicker.  If you absolutely hate your engagement shoot we will refund your deposit and help you find a photographer that is more of what you’re looking for.  This way not only can the bride and groom see our work, but they got to see our work…OF THEM.  It was perfect and if we were really bad then they still got free photos and they could go on their way.  Not a single time did we ever have to give a refund, but it was just that guarantee that gave them a little piece of mind when hiring somebody new, but still retained that level of respect as a professional because we weren’t just begging to do a free wedding just to get portfolio pictures.  We don’t advertise that guarantee anymore because I feel that its no longer necessary.  Nobody in our two and a half years has had something bad to say about their photos, but if for some reason they did, I would find a way to make it right still.

What do you do when a bride asks you why they should have engagement photos?  I strongly encourage these photos, again, because I want that interaction before the wedding.  So why should a couple have these photos taken?  Well the most immediate issue would be social media.  Who doesn’t want a gorgeous professional photo on their Facebook page?  Or to have a gorgeous picture on their desk at work to look at everyday, to look forward to that wedding coming up!  I’m sure the bride took a picture of her ring the moment she put it on, but no matter how awesome your smartphone is, it’s no match for a Nikkor 105mm micro f/2.8.  That’s a photo to make all her girlfriends jealous with.  There’s also the thought of the save-the-date cards (or STD’s as I’ve heard Brandy call them on several occasions at which point I was confused on why the wedding industry could not figure out a better acronym) that the couple will inevitably send out. Chalk and chalkboards are a great way to say something without needing to add text via photoshop (which I am strongly against by the way).  There’s hundreds of ways to be creative and witty.  Remember, the wedding you have to play by their rules, but the engagements are your time to shine, so don’t be afraid to offer them an idea that mighty seem a little outlandish at first.  I had no idea how a couple was going to react to me asking them to climb up a rockface and then sit on the edge a couple of stories up just so I could get an amazing shot, but let me tell you, more often then not, our couples are always up for anything that Brandy and I throw at them.

So what are the “shots to get” when doing engagement shoots.  We don’t have a checklist like we do for a full wedding, but you can never go wrong with kissing, hugging, and anything that shows off her ring.  If you can find a way to get her ring in the shot, it’s probably going to be a keeper.  A loving embrace goes a long way!  Sometimes when smiles just seem awkward or forced at first, Brandy will ask direct our couple to close their eyes and place their forehead against one another and simply think of their favorite thing about the other.  Guess what, the most amazing natural smile will just simply appear on both their faces and you have a golden shot.  Then almost seamlessly you can have the bride tilt her face towards the camera and open her eyes and then you have your next shot.  The better you are at stringing a series of shots together from one pose to the next the better your shoot will go and the less time spent posing and more time shooting.  Sometimes you don’t have to do any directing at all, just be there to capture them interacting.  In fall, encourage them to throw leaves at each other.  In the winter, have a snowball fight.  If you are lucky enough to live by a beach, get them playing in the waves.  These are the pictures that truly make the shoot special.

Engagement shoots are highly beneficial for both you as the photographer and the couple.  There is less pressure on both of you and you can come out with some of the most romantic and creative shots in your entire portfolio.  On a few occasions we have had brides approach us to shoot their wedding simply because they loved our engagement portfolio.  Use it to your advantage and really sell it well and use it to get the big sale which of course should always be your goal and that’s to shoot their wedding!  Good luck, and happy shooting.