
Five Reasons You Need an Engagement Shoot
During the initial meeting, one thing that you should discuss with your clients is the engagement photo shoot. A great time to do so is after the first 15 minutes when you’re getting to know each other, and right when you transition into talking about photography. Start by asking, “Have you guys thought about doing an engagement session?”
This is an excerpt from our Wedding Workshop Part One | Communication, Planning, and Ecstatically Happy Clients. To see the entire workshop, click here.
Note: Some photographers add an engagement shoot into their packages, but a built-in engagement session tends to be undervalued in terms of its price and client perception. Sometimes clients would ask for it to be taken out to save money, but the engagement shoot is an incredibly important part of the process and very valuable in many ways.
These are five reasons why an engagement photo shoot is valuable, and sharing these reasons with your clients will help them see the value in it as well.
1. Great Images
When your clients book an engagement shoot with you they will be able to get great images. You can tailor an entire session around them, their personalities, and their mood board. As you explain this to them, show them gorgeous images of previous engagement photo shoots that you’ve photographed and they will want these for themselves.
2. A STRONGER RELATIONSHIP
An engagement shoot helps build a stronger relationship with you and your clients. It will build trust in you as a photographer and it’ll be easier to communicate with the couple on the wedding day since you’ve worked together prior to it. This will lead to improved wedding day imagery.
3. UNDERSTANDING POSING
An engagement shoot will help your clients understand posing. At the beginning of every session, we cover the foundation posing framework. This is where we educate our clients on how to pose, giving them guidance so that they will be more comfortable in front of the camera and know exactly what to do.
4. DIAL IN THE VISION
Before an engagement shoot, instruct your clients to create a mood board so you can tailor the shoot to their vision and what they want in terms of the activities, the style, and the look.
After the photo shoot, can can discuss with your clients the images that they loved and the ones that they didn’t, so that you’ll know going into the wedding day what their vision is and they can be aligned with yours.
5. IMPROVE WEDDING DAY IMAGERY
All of the reasons above end up improving the wedding day imagery for your clients, and you and your clients will have a stronger relationship when the big day comes. You won’t be a stranger just showing up on their wedding day, as you’ll already have rapport and that will help them stay relaxed in front of the camera. Your clients will also better understand posing so that your limited time on a wedding day will produce many more solid images, as you’ll be able to move in and out of poses quickly because your clients will already be attentive to and understand the little details.
Essentially, you will have a better vision of everything going into the wedding day, so you’ll be able to deliver a better product for your client.
Conclusion
When you educate your clients on these things, they will always see the value in an engagement photo shoot, and most of the time, they will book the engagement session in addition to their wedding package.
If you want to learn more about wedding photography and how to create ecstatically happy clients, check out our Wedding Workshop Part One here. Gain access to this workshop and so much more by becoming an SLR Lounge Premium Member here.
Communication!
- 1.1 Wedding Workshop Part One Trailer
- 1.2 Chapter 1 Intro
- 1.3 The Mission. Consistently Incredible Imagery
- 1.4 The Four Key Skills of the Successful Photographer
- 1.5 Chapter 1: Exercise
- 1.6 Three Tips For Preventing Any Client Frustrations
- 1.7 How Frequently Should You Be Communicating With Your Clients?
- 1.8 Every Client is Your Only Client
- 1.9 Chapter 1: Quiz
The Initial Meeting
- 2.1 Chapter 2 Intro
- 2.2 Know Your Audience
- 2.3 8 Keys To Building Trust With Your Clients
- 2.4 The First 15 Minutes | Part 1
- 2.5 The First 15 Minutes | Part 2
- 2.6 Five Reasons You Need an Engagement Shoot
- 2.7 Discussing The Engagement Shoot | Part 1
- 2.8 Discussing The Engagement Shoot | Part 2
- 2.9 Five Reasons You Should Have Clients Create a Mood Board
- 2.10 Chapter 2: Exercise #1
- 2.11 Discussing the Mood Board | Part 1
- 2.12 Discussing the Mood Board | Part 2
- 2.13 10 Timeline Points to Discuss During the Initial Meeting
- 2.14 Wedding Photography Timeline | 3 Tips On Managing Time Constraints
- 2.15 Discussing the Timeline | Part 1
- 2.16 Discussing the Timeline | Part 2
- 2.17 Chapter 2: Exercise #2
- 2.18 Two Reasons to Create a VIP List
- 2.19 Discussing The VIP List | Part 1
- 2.20 Discussing The VIP List | Part 2
- 2.21 Four Reasons We Love Formals Lists
- 2.22 Discussing the Formals List | Part 1
- 2.23 Discussing the Formals List | Part 2
- 2.24 Discussing Photo Versus Cinema Coverage | Part 1
- 2.25 Discussing Photo Versus Cinema Coverage | Part 2
- 2.26 10 Tips & Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner
- 2.27 Four Reasons We Love to Promote Using Planners
- 2.28 Chapter 2: Exercise #3
- 2.29 Discussing Wedding Planners | Part 1
- 2.30 Discussing Wedding Planners | Part 2
- 2.31 Chapter 2: Quiz
Prepping for the Engagement Talk Through
- 3.1 Chapter 3 Intro
- 3.2 Post Booking Email & Requests
- 3.3 The Ideal Timeline Planning Guide | Part 1
- 3.4 The Ideal Timeline Planning Guide | Part 2
- 3.5 Preparing For The Talk Through
- 3.6 The Engagement Talk Through | Part 1
- 3.7 The Engagement Talk Through | Part 2
- 3.8 Post Talk Through Confirmation
- 3.9 Chapter 3: Quiz
Engagement Shoot Prep & Communication
- 4.1 Chapter 4 Intro
- 4.2 Preparing for the Shoot
- 4.3 Same Day Location Scouting
- 4.4 The First 15 Minutes | Part 2
- 4.5 The Foundation Posing Framework Primer | Part 1
- 4.6 The Foundation Posing Framework Primer | Part 2
- 4.7 How to Address and Resolve Shoot Concerns | Part 1
- 4.8 How to Address and Resolve Shoot Concerns | Part 2
- 4.9 10 Ways During the Shoot to Build Trust, Confidence, and the...
- 4.10 Four Reasons Why Teasers Are So Awesome
- 4.11 Delivering the Final Engagement Photos
- 4.12 Chapter 4: Quiz
Prepping for the Wedding Day Talk Through
- 5.1 Chapter 5 Intro
- 5.2 Pre-Wedding Talk Through Email
- 5.3 Preparing For the Talk Through
- 5.4 The First 3-5 Minutes | Part 3
- 5.5 The First 3-5 Minutes | Part 3.5
- 5.6 Tuning into Their Vision | Part 1
- 5.7 Tuning into Their Vision | Part 2
- 5.8 Timeline Walk Through | Part 1
- 5.9 Timeline Walk Through | Part 2
- 5.10 Discuss the Family Portraits | Part 1
- 5.11 Discuss the Family Portraits | Part 2
- 5.12 Condensed Itinerary and Information
- 5.13 Chapter 5: Quiz
Wedding Day Preparation & Communication
- 6.1 Chapter 6 Intro
- 6.2 Preparing for the Wedding
- 6.3 Our Wedding Day Arrival Policy
- 6.4 Team Planning Walk Through | Part 1
- 6.5 Team Planning Walk Through | Part 2
- 6.6 10 Ways to Amaze and Impress Throughout The Wedding
- 6.7 How to Address and Resolve Wedding Day Concerns and Case Study |...
- 6.8 How to Address and Resolve Wedding Day Concerns and Case Study |...
- 6.9 Five Reasons to Create a Same-Day Slideshow
- 6.10 Delivering the Final Wedding Photos
- 6.11 Tips On Client Satisfaction, Reviews, & Testimonials
- 6.12 Chapter 6: Quiz