I say this all the time, but I absolutely LOVE engagement sessions! For me, it’s a great time to get to know a couple and their style prior to their big day. But it’s also so much fun to create beautiful images that I know they will cherish forever! I also realize that engagement sessions usually take place in the midst of trying to plan one of the biggest and most important days of your lives. Trying to come up with creative ideas for something else can seem overwhelming. I’m here to help with some great tips and ideas to get those creative juices flowing and help you come up with the perfect engagement session.
Choose a Personal Location
Some of my favorite engagement session locations have been taken at locations that belong to the couple. The above images were taken at their homes and for one lucky couple, at the apple orchard that belonged to the bride’s parents!
Incorporate Personal Items
I get so excited when couples ask if they can incorporate items that have special meaning to them regardless of what that item is. They might be items from where the proposal took place or something that represents an inside joke. If you happened to build your own “beer bike” with a tap like one of my BRIDES did…bring that for sure!
Coordinate with your Wedding
A lot of couples use images from their engagement sessions in their Save The Dates, Invitations or display them at the reception in some way. It makes sense to consider incorporating a theme or something that coordinates with details of your wedding in some way. I’ve had couples choose to have their engagement photos taken at their wedding venue, wearing their wedding colors, or (I’m not gonna lie, this was a Happy Accident) one couple found a gumball machine while wandering around at their engagement session and had a candy buffet at their wedding where they displayed that photo! PERFECT!!!
Team Spirit
If you are die hard sports fans it can be a lot of fun to add your favorite team gear to your engagement session to add a personal touch. Even if you don’t root for the same team!
Include Your Furry Babies
For many couples their pet is their first child and sometimes even are members of the wedding party! Including them in engagement sessions is a great way to add a personal touch (if they will cooperate). Keep in mind not all locations allow pets though so you might need to be flexible with where your session takes place.
Location, Location, Location
The location you choose can speak volumes about you as a couple and your style all by itself. Whether you want to show off the colors of the season, hometown pride, your love for nature or just be somewhere beautiful together there is a location that is perfect for you. I am always happy to help you find it!
According to Wikipedia, the word “photographer” means: A person who makes photographs. The word “professional” means: A member of a profession or any person who earns their living from a specified professional activity. So according to this a “Professional Photographer” would be anyone who makes money “making photographs”. There are no requirements as far as obtaining any degrees or even certifications to become a Professional Photographer. So why do some photographers seem to charge so much while others are very cheap? This is a question I see all the time. Often on social media platforms like Facebook Swap pages I see people searching for photographers and it looks something like this: ISO (In search of- for those of you who don’t do the swap pages) Photographer that doesn’t charge an arm and a leg. Actually I see these posts for all kinds of professions and I suppose the obvious response to any of them would be “you get what you pay for” but I get it. If there are two photographers and one is charging $50 for a session and the other is charging $400, how much more could you possibly be getting? The answer is: “More than you can probably even imagine”.
Experience- The more experience a photographer has the more they will most likely charge.
Quality
I have to preface by saying that everyone starts somewhere and just because a photographer is new does NOT necessarily mean that you shouldn’t give them a chance. New photographers are usually trying to build their portfolio and develop their style and skills and hopefully gain a loyal client-base along the way. This means that they may offer sessions at a cheaper price which can be a great way to update those frames or get grandma and grandpa off your back if they are asking for new photos of the grandkids. 😉 They may even be a great option for a small, casual wedding. However, if you are looking for consistently high quality work you might be better off to go with a photographer with a few more years under their belt. Experienced photographers will have a developed style that you can count on. They will have more knowledge of things like “what to wear”, locations to use, posing and how to get your kids to smile. They will have more editing skills to make your finished images look their best. Just like any profession, photographers with more experience are typically going to cost more. I certainly would never charge the same fee for photography from “beginner me” who started their photographer journey 14 years ago as I would for “current me”!
Safety
When you think of scheduling a photo session, “danger” is not usually something that crosses your mind. Surprisingly though, experienced photographers keep many things in mind to make sure everyone stays safe during your session that inexperienced photographers may not be aware of. For instance, we have all seen great photos of people standing or even sitting on railroad tracks. Did you know that those photos are not only extremely dangerous but also illegal? Almost 600 people die each year from taking photos on railroad tracks. This includes both clients and photographers. Most people think they will hear or see a train coming in time to get out of the way but trains are moving fast and take a long time to stop and by the time you hear them it may be too late not to mention you could trip or get caught up on the tracks. An inexperienced photographer might also choose a location that could be dangerous to have young children around such as close to a busy road or body of water.
Another common photo that we have all seen is the adorable newborn baby laying propped up on it’s elbows with it’s little chin propped up on it’s fists. Experienced newborn photographers know that this pose should ONLY be done in editing. It is what is called a composition (or a combination of two separate images that are combined in post processing). An inexperienced photographer could seriously injure a newborn attempting this shot incorrectly.
Expenses- More than likely, photographers that charge more also offer and provide more. That means they have more expenses!
Website
With all of the social media platforms available, it is possible for photographers to get found without a full blown website. However, having a website not only makes it easier to find a photographer, but it also allows clients to much more easily see examples of the photographers work, find information like pricing and package options, check out examples of locations you might want to use, view and order photos after your session and so much more. While a website may not seem like a large expense, there are hosting fees, domain name fees, and added software fees just to name a few of the possible expenses associated with providing this feature to clients.
Business License
Like any business, photographers who are running a legal “professional business” are required to have a business license. Does this mean that all of them do? No. So that might be another expense that the photographer charging more has that cheap photographers don’t. What difference does this make to you as a client? Well maybe not that much other than you are dealing with someone who is not running a legal business. And if they aren’t handling this part of their business correctly it makes you wonder what else isn’t legit or going to be handled professionally.
Taxes
Ahhhh…taxes. We love taxes right? But we all have to pay them. Or maybe I should say we are all SUPPOSED to pay them. How can taxes be an expense that one photographer has and another doesn’t? Well, like I mentioned above, a lot of photographers start out by just charging a little and shooting for friends and family and gradually branching out. If they are doing well and decide to start a business hopefully they then take all of the steps needed to run a legit, legal business. Since photographers don’t need a brick and mortar storefront or even a business website though, many decide to continue their little “business” by just shooting their little hearts out and pocketing the money. As a legit business a photographer should be declaring their income and paying taxes on that, have personal property taxes on their business and if they offer any prints or products charging and paying sales tax.
Professional Printing Lab
Many professional photographers offer prints, albums, canvases or other products that you can purchase directly through their website after your session. This is a wonderful convenience for you as a client. Although professional labs don’t charge the photographer any kind of fee to use their services (other than paying cost for the products) they do typically require a sales tax ID so if they don’t have a legit business set up, this may be a luxury that they cannot offer you.
Permits
With the huge increase in “Photographers” in the past few years, there has also been a huge increase in people using and unfortunately in some cases, damaging popular photography locations. This has led to many “hot spots”requiring a permit to shoot there professionally. Permits can cost anywhere from $25 to $100 or even more. So chances are, unless they are informing you that you will be responsible for the permit fee, if you hire a photographer that is only charging around $100 or less for a session, they are not purchasing a permit. This will either A) drastically limit your location choices or B) they may choose to shoot there hoping that no one will ask to see their permit. This could result in not being able to obtain admittance into the location or being asked to leave in the middle of the session.
Insurance
Insurance is another “not-so-fun” expense that photographers may have, but it is an important one…for both the photographer and the client. Let’s say you hire a photographer for a family session in a rose garden. Your 4 year old wants to pose next to a statue. The next thing you know, CRASH! The statue topples over breaking into pieces. Who is responsible for the damages? This can get messy (and expensive) but a photographer who is insured should be covered. For this reason many locations require proof of insurance to obtain the permits mentioned above.
Equipment
While I truly believe it’s not as much what kind of camera and equipment a photographer uses, as much as it is the ability of a photographer that makes great photographs…having the right equipment does help and often times is just downright necessary. A variety of lenses may be needed to achieve certain styles, in places where space is limited or to be able to get a large group into a shot. Artificial lighting is often needed in poorly lit areas or low light times of day and is a MUST for any photographer shooting weddings. A high-quality back up camera is so important for wedding photographers (what if one camera quits working in the middle of a ceremony?) but also is a great idea for any professional who may not be able to get a camera that is malfunctioning repaired prior to a shoot which would lead to cancellations or reschedules. Then there’s the memory cards, camera bags, tripods, backdrops, props and so many other “extras” that photographers need to be able to fulfill client’s needs. That adds up to several thousands of dollars!
Editing
In this time of digital photography, if photographers want to take their photos to their full potential, editing is a must. Even if they aren’t making a lot of big changes to a photo, most professional photographers shoot in RAW mode, which means the camera makes no changes to the photo at all so that they can start with a completely fresh image and slightly (or sometimes greatly) enhance it to their style. You can’t use RAW images for anything (prints, social media, etc.) so at the very least their images must be converted to another format in software like Lightroom or Photoshop. Many photographers us both. Software can be a fairly big expense on it’s own but there are a lot of additional expenses that a photographer might have to reach their full editing potential. Like taking great photos, learning how to edit them takes time…and sometimes some money. There are a lot of great courses, classes and workshops to help photographers learn the art of editing or specific editing skills. Some are free, but many are not. There are also add-ons called “presets or actions” that photographers can purchase for their software to make editing in certain styles or adding certain effects faster and easier. And obviously editing requires a decent computer and most likely a large external hard drive to store all of those images!
Studio
Most photographers choose to shoot “on location” utilizing the great outdoors, a client’s home, or maybe they have an in-home studio. But some photographers still have a brick and mortar photography studio which means rent or mortgage and utilities. This can be a great bonus to clients, especially in instances where you only have a specific time/date available so rescheduling due to bad weather is not an option. It also allows for sessions that can be hard to find a good indoor place for such as headshots or boudoir photography. Photographers with a studio most likely also have additional lighting and backdrop expenses to achieve the best studio photography look.
What are your memories worth?
Hopefully this has shed some light on the many expenses photographers have beyond the camera that you see them carry. Some photographers might be forking out a good portion of their hard earned session fees to provide all of these services (and a legal business). Others may be just starting out and getting by with the basics, while some fall somewhere in between. When choosing a photographer for your photo session, consider what your specific needs are for that session and then budget appropriately. A quick family session for a Christmas card photo might be a great time to look for a bargain, while once-in-a-lifetime events and milestones like weddings and senior photos might be worth saving up for the best. Just know that just because one photographer appears to be charging much more than another, they are probably giving that back to you in services and quality and not just trying to take all of your money…or your arms and legs.
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If you are a High School Senior or the parent of a Senior, you are probably a little overwhelmed at how fast the time has gone and all of the events, activities and things to do during that last year of high school and in preparation for college. Luckily, with just a little planning, your Senior photos don’t need to be a stressful part of that. Many Seniors (and/or their parents) don’t know where to start with this process though and have no idea how to figure out what they want their senior photos to even look like. Here are some tips to make everything run smoothly and not only create perfect senior portraits, but have a fun experience doing it!
Research
Go on Pinterest, check out your friends’ senior photos, get an idea of what you like and don’t like.
What Season do you want to do them in? Fall is a popular time because it is cooler and if you live in a a place where the colors change with the season you might have beautiful backdrops to choose from. But having a summer or spring session can offer some great backgrounds too.
What “look” or “feeling” do you want? This will help you narrow down your location. Do you want a nature background or the urban feel of brick, steel, and graffiti? Maybe a manicured park with a rose garden for something in between or better yet…somewhere personal to you. A special family or personal location ads meaning to your photos whether it is a favorite ice cream shop, family farm, or a baseball field you played on for years. Obviously your high school is a great place to capture the “Senior You” too!
Keep your locations in mind when planning your outfits and vice-versa. If you are going to shoot in a green place like a park or woods, consider a color that will contrast and stand out. If you want to use something busy like graffiti in the background, plan an outfit with solid colors instead of prints. Sometimes it’s fun to use outfits that are complete opposite of your location as far as style, like a prom dress in an urban alley.
What props will you bring. Props aren’t absolutely necessary for your Senior Session, but can add a personal touch to your photos and help tell your story. They also often help with posing and figuring out “what to do with your hands”! Even if you are unsure about bringing props or how they would work in your session, bring anything that might represent you and who you are at this time in your life. I’ve had seniors bring sports equipment, uniforms, trophies and medals, class rings and letter jackets, poetry books, musical instruments, paint brushes and sketch books, cupcakes, a Bible, and even a HORSE!
What to Wear
I usually tell my clients to wear whatever feels like “them” and who they want to show off in their photos. Even if that version of them isn’t one they get to be often (dressed up, etc.). If your session allows time for outfit changes (which I recommend), a good rule of thumb is to bring 1 casual outfit, 1 dressy and 1 personal (uniform, prom dress, cap and gown, etc.).
Choosing a Photographer
Now that you have an idea of what you want your photos to look like, it’s time to find the right photographer to accomplish that. With more photographers in the industry than ever before to choose from, how do you decide? Here are some factors that I call “The Three P’s” to consider:
Packages Available~ Look at what packages each photographer offers and if they will work with your vision. Are there multiple session lengths available? Can you choose multiple locations and outfit changes? What is included in the packages? Do you get digital images or can you purchase them separately? Can prints and other products be ordered directly through them? Will you get printing rights to print elsewhere?
Price~ Obviously price is a consideration for most people. When comparing prices of photographers though, make sure you are also comparing packages and everything mentioned above. A one hour session with one photographer may be more expensive than another photographer, but you may get a lot more for that money and not have to spend as much on the back end when it comes times to order prints, etc.
Portfolio ~ Check out the photographer’s work on their website and other social media platforms. Spend some time on this. Just because you see a few photos that you like doesn’t mean you should stop looking. Look at many examples of their work. Any photographer can have a good session or two but you want to make sure their work consistently meets your needs and desired style. How is the lighting? Do you love their “editing” style and is it consistent? You want to make sure you know that you can expect the same level of quality for your session. Have they worked with a lot of High School Seniors?
What will you do with your Images?
I saved what might be the best and most important tip for last, but you probably should start with this question when planning your High School Senior Session. What are you going to do with your images afterwards? Do you want wallets to hand out at your graduation party? Maybe a large print or canvas for the wall? Graduation Announcements and party invites? What about an album or small coffee table book to keep out or save for a keepsake. Maybe you want to order a variety of prints for yourself and other family members. Thinking about this question can help you decide everything above. Picture those portraits on the wall or those wallets you are handing out to friends. What are you wearing in them? What does the background look like? Does it match the decor in your home? Will you look back on them many years from now and remember everything you loved about your senior year and who you were then?
If you are in the Kansas City area I would LOVE to be a part of your High School Senior Photo Experience! www.heathernealphotography.com
Beautiful and affordable canvases to showcase your photos:
What prompted this “gymnastics photography” session? I wear many hats. The ones I am most proud of are the ones my children have placed on my head and end in the word “mom”. As a “gymnastics mom”, I was so sad to see this competition season cut short. These girls practice year-round, some for as many as 30 hours a week. They leave school early, miss extra curricular activities, parties, and events. They have calluses and “rips” (the skin actually rips off of their hands) and bruises. For all of this they get typically less than 10 meets a year where they get to show off and (hopefully) be rewarded for their hard work and amazing achievements.
This year that was only 4 meets. I’m a “fixer”. As soon as a problem or disappointment presents itself, my brain starts working overtime trying to figure out how I can fix it, or at least make it a little better. I couldn’t fix this but as a photographer I could give them a day in the spotlight. I could show the world (or as many people as social media will allow) how beautiful and amazing they are. It was hot and the day was long, but there was a lot of laughter and fun. I photographed girls doing what they loved more than anything. I photographed sisters, friends, teammates, role models…family. We had fun and created and captured some happy memories from this crazy year. This was one of the most fun and rewarding sessions I have ever done. Maybe “gymnastics photography” will become my new thing.
You can also learn to take your own great photos with my FREE photography tutorials found right in this blog. Here’s a link to lesson 1: Lesson 1, Composition
You’re engaged! Congratulations! Your first emotion was probably excitement as you started thinking about all of the plans you were about to make in preparation for your big day. Then, as you realized just how many plans there actually were to make, that excitement might have turned into a bit of anxiety. The venue, the cake, the flowers, the dress, the PHOTOGRAPHY! Here you will find everything you need to make sure that when the big day is over, the photographs you look back on are everything you want them to be.
Pinterest
Pinterest will be a great place to find, save and organize all kinds of ideas while planning your wedding. You can make several different boards to save all the different areas of planning. I recommend you start here before you start searching for a photographer, even if you already have one in mind. Create a photography board and start finding and saving photography that you love. Make sure you cover a wide variety and include not only bride and groom portraits, but also wedding party photos, family, detail shots, etc. This board will not only help you find your wedding photography style (candids, posed or a little of both, lighting, editing style, etc.) but will also help you with planning the other details of your day to help achieve this look and style. Also it will help you decide which photographer can best achieve the photos and style that you love.
Choosing a Photographer
Start looking at local photographers and their portfolios/websites, paying attention only to their work and style in the beginning. Ignore pricing and packages for now and choose your top 3-5 favorites based solely on their photography. Keep your Pinterest photography board and images in mind while doing this as well as any other details or plans you have already made for your big day. Do these photographers mesh with the style of photography you love based on those boards? Once you have your top choices made, start looking at and comparing their pricing and packages. Don’t focus solely on the dollar amount. Be sure to also compare and consider what is included with different packages. Are digital images included and if so, how many? How many hours of coverage are you getting with each package? Are second shooters included or do you have the option to add one?
Pick your first choice and contact them to see if you can schedule a consultation. As soon as I receive an inquiry from a potential wedding client, I offer a consultation so that we can meet in person to discuss their big day and I can answer any questions they may have as well as give them my planning packet so that they can see how I will manage and organize their photography when Big Day arrives…plus it is full of helpful information that will actually assist them with ALL of their planning! I want them to have all the information needed to decide if I am the right photographer for them or not.
Some things to ask your potential photographer:
What is your cancellation/postponement policy?
Do you have a high quality second camera in case of malfunction/damage during the wedding?
Is there a travel fee?
How much is their deposit to hold the date and when is it due?
How many images can you expect to receive in your gallery?
Do you include engagement sessions in your packages?
Can we order prints/albums directly through you?
Do you have liability Insurance?
How many weddings have you shot?
Planning Your Photographs
Once you have chosen and booked your photographer, you can start planning and sharing with them what images are most important to you. If your wedding photographer is experienced he or she will automatically capture all of the important elements of your day, however there are things you can do to help ensure that the images and moments that are personally most important to you get captured beautifully and just the way you want. The first (and easiest) way to do this is to share you wedding photography Pinterest board with them. It’s also a good idea to make notes on Pins about what specifically you like about the image. For example, if you save a Pin with a bride and groom in a wheat field, but you are getting married in a church or urban location, your photographer might be confused. If you saved the pin because you love the way they are posed, be sure to add a note like: “Love this pose!” so your photographer knows exactly what you like about the Pin. Also keep in mind the logistics of the photo and if it is “doable” with your location and arrangements. For instance I recently had a bride who loved a photo of the groom standing up at the alter. It was taken over the shoulder of the bride from the back as she was getting ready to walk down the aisle with her dad. It’s completely normal for a bride to see a photo they love and save it, but as a photographer, my first thought was that there was no second shooter at this wedding and that if I was standing in the position needed to get this shot, I would not be up at the alter to get photos of the bride walking down the aisle.
Shot List and Timeline
Hopefully your photographer will provide you with a “Must-Have” Shot List and Timeline for you to fill out but if not, you can most likely find one online. For the shot list, it’s important to write down any shots that are VERY important to you and maybe mark them with a heart or something to make them stand out. On your Big Day, your photographer will be with you every step of the way and often after several hours go by, the joy of posing for another photo wears off. Many times at this point, I have come to a bride to remind them of a photo they wanted to be sure to get and they say “It’s ok, let’s just skip it”. But here’s the thing…this photo was something you really wanted when you weren’t tired of posing and ready to party and it’s something you will wish you had when the day is over and you look back on your photos and memories. When discussing things with couples in consultations I always take note when they are really excited about a certain photo or shot and make sure it happens, even if it has to get squeezed in somewhere. Another good tip when filling out your shot list is to think about what you are going to do with your images afterwards. Do you really need every imaginable combination of family members or can you just do immediate family and promise other relatives some fun shots together at the reception? If you do plan to have a lot of family photos, one of the most helpful things is to make a list of the shots you want with specific names for each shot and in the order you want them shot in and appoint a friend or maybe the maid of honor to direct and holler out names to get people moving in and out quickly. Also think about detail shots and what information your photographer might need to know to not miss anything there. I have had brides use their grandmother’s handkerchief wrapped around their bouquet or have little charms dangling from the stems in memory of loved ones who could not be with them. One groom wrote a message to his bride on the bottom of her shoes and then had them sent to her room on the morning of her wedding day. These are important things to fill your photographer in on in advance to make sure they are captured.
As far as the timeline, keep in mind it is a rough draft and WILL NOT go exactly as planned, and that’s ok. I recommend starting with the ceremony time and then estimating all other times working up an down when filling this out. Check with your hair and makeup artists as far as amount of time they will need to get everyone done.
First Look or At the Alter?
Whether you decide to do a First Look or see each other for the first time at the alter will determine much of how your timeline goes and when all of your photos are taken. Doing a “First Look” means seeing each other prior to the ceremony which means you can usually do most or all of your photos then as well. It can also mean getting ready much earlier though and staying “fresh” longer and also many people still want the tradition of seeing each other at the aisle/alter. Deciding this is an important part of how your day and photos flow. I have another blog post that can help you weigh the pros and cons and make this decision here.
Remember, your wedding day should be fun and relaxing so the most important thing is to enjoy your day and that will shine through in your photos and give you many memories and images to cherish for a lifetime!
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