Engagement Session
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should we have our engagement photography session done?
Regarding location, either you can pick a location or I’m happy to pick something for you; just let me know if you prefer a nature or urban look. I’m comfortable traveling anywhere in WNY area with no extra travel charge. Examples of nice locations for an engagement session can be your home if you have nice land to work with, a nearby park, the beach, a farm, a small home town, or an urban location is always great to take a walk and to see what we come up with. I absolutely love doing engagement sessions in a place that has personal meaning to a couple…it’s always a nice touch in the resulting photographs. That said, sometimes it’s easy to overthink locations…a good location just needs to provide nice backdrop and there’s not much more to it than that. Regardless of location the photos are about your love and interaction as a couple, and that’s the focus of how I photograph an engagement session regardless of location.
For destination engagement sessions (outside of the WNY area) just let me know where and when you’re thinking and check in with me from there on availability. The earlier this can be scheduled in advance, the more likely I’ll be available for travel (especially during peak wedding season May-October).Â
What’s the best time to schedule our engagement shoot?
In terms of season, this can be whatever you like….winter included. I like to schedule all portrait sessions 2 hours before sunset when possible during the summer fall and spring which provides the best and most dramatic lighting during those seasons. Since the winter tends to be mostly overcast in the northeast, the start time is less of an issue then.
If weather takes a turn for the worse for our scheduled session day please know that we can either shoot if you’re up for working in that kind of weather or rescheduling is no problem. It’s best to get in contact with each other either the day before or of the session for weather related concerns as weather reports tend to change leading up to the day. I always leave this call up to you as the client to reschedule because some people are the truly adventurous type that want to let a dramatic sky / rainy look live in their photos. Either way, I want you to feel as comfortable as possible going into a session!
Also, please note that engagement sessions are scheduled Monday – Friday only due to the business of wedding season and maintaining a family life.
What should we wear?
First off, I’m good with whatever you’d like to wear and helps you feel amazing. Your confidence, energy and feeling great is the most important thing on a shoot towards getting great work from the session. How good you feel about yourself is everything, and my suggestions below are secondary to that. That said, if one of these suggestions doesn’t work for you, that’s totally cool…
- Steer away from patterns or logos and more towards neutrals or solid colors
- Depending on your style, dressing up can take the look of your photos to the next level but if you’re the casual / bohemian type always do you!
- Try not make any dramatic changes to your appearance prior to the shoot – you might not like the results
- Steer away from baggy clothing and more towards fitted
- Ladies, if you’re doing heels, please also bring a comfortable pair of shoes to change in and out of because we tend to do a good amount of walking on an engagement shoot
- Gents…cell phones in front pockets is a no go. It’s something that can be hard to catch when I’m shooting and can show in the photos
- Know that I may ask you to sit on the ground or be fairly active at one point or another so long as you’re both comfortable with it
- Ironing / steaming is a good thing and especially really important when wearing lighter clothes…that goes for lighter toned / white dress shirts for gents especially. Mid-tones can be better for this reason…
- One look is totally fine but if you’d like a second look that’s no problem at all. I suggest no more than two looks so we can make the best use of our time together by spending more time shooting rather than changing
- Please only have what you need with you and leave everything else in the car so we can keep the flow of the session going in between shots
What can we expect during the engagement shoot?
Can I use photographs taken on social media?
Absolutely! As a courtesy please provide credit when posting, this is how my business works 🙂
How much does an engagement session cost?
Locally photographed engagement sessions are $525 ($200 retainer + $325 balance due following the session). This covers the session itself, any travel time in the WNY area, all editing from the session (on average 50+ final edits delivered), and a digital download of the full resolution digital photographs from the session along with a print release.
Destination sessions are $825 + a budget savvy travel quote.
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