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Katie and Joe met me at the Atlanta History Center for their engagement session a few weeks ago. They are absolutely the nicest couple and I just love watching them together. Joe says he doesn’t have a “good” smile – but then he looks at Katie and his mouth turns up and the corners of his eyes crinkle. Katie gives little sideways looks at Joe and her whole face lights up.
They were so much fun to work with and I’m really looking forward to their wedding at Canoe, later this year!
I’ll just say it right out … for a photographer, I’m graphically challenged. I dithered over what color to pain my livingroom walls for months. I agonize over how to match fabrics for my bedroom. And for my business, when it comes to designing cards and albums, I stick with single images on crisp white backgrounds and fine black keylines. Mostly that works for me and my clients but every now and then I get jealous of those photographers who whip out amazing cards without a second thought.
That’s why I was thrilled to find a fantastic resource for card templates that not only aren’t too frou-frou, but that I can offer to my clients w/out having to spend hours and hours agonizing over various design elements.
This is the first set of cards I found that I love – clean, crisp, slightly retro lines and completely customizable for color, size, and content.
Pricing on these cards is the same as for any standard press printed card – there is no graphic design charge for cards from templates!
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I love engagement sessions for so many reasons!
Engagement sessions give me a chance to get to know a couple before their wedding day. Together we all get a feel for what works and what doesn’t – if you’re the types of people who’ll climb trees and splash barefoot in puddles, or if you’re more the type of people who would rather just relax with each other quietly. And that gives me the knowledge I need to create images of you on your wedding day that really reflect who YOU are – individually and as a couple.
More importantly, though, an engagement session lets you get to know me. Being on the business end of a camera can be kind of intimidating, and especially for someone who has never worked with a professional photographer before. (And let’s be honest – getting your mug shot in the yearbook or for a passport photo doesn’t really count!) You don’t know what you might be asked to do or how the photographer acts when she is working. Everyone has heard horror stories about grumpy photographers, so an engagement session is a perfect opportunity to see exactly how I relate to you (and by extension, will relate to your family and friends).
Once we’ve worked together, you can relax and look forward to your wedding day portraits knowing more of what to expect, instead of being edgy about them (in addition to all the other nervous-making things you’ll deal with on your wedding day). You’ll know how I’m going to pose you (or not pose you). You’ll have a better idea of what I mean if I give you direction. And you won’t be nearly as uncomfortable if I want to straighten a boutonniere or fix a loose strand of hair if I’m not a complete stranger touching your hair or clothing.
An engagement session is also a good opportunity to get photos of each of you individually as well, not just for each other, but for your parents and relatives who might want a more casual photo in addition to a wedding day portrait. Besides, there are some pretty awesome things you can do with engagement photos – everything from save-the-date cards, to signature books, to online cards for your guests.
For that reason I include an engagement session with every coverage I do. They’re my gift to you; I don’t charge extra for them and I include the high resolution images with your wedding files as well. I’d much rather take the extra time to do an engagement session and get to know you.
So there you have it … my advice and thoughts on engagement photos is – quite simply – don’t skip them. They’re very much worth the time!
I told Abbey when they met me to talk about wedding photography that they may have been the easiest consult I’ve ever had in my entire career.
Click to continue reading “engaged! abbey + kyle at piedmont park in atlanta”
Here’s just one from Sunday’s engagement session with David + Julie. Aren’t they cute?
Visit their full engagement gallery here: David & Julie’s Engagement Session (password required).
Just one from the engagement session with Taina and Greg at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. This was a couple of weeks ago and we managed to squeak in an hour of shooting before it began to absolutely pour down rain! I just love the storm clouds in this image – they just give everything such a moody feel.
Be warned when shooting on the pier, however … the attack ducks were in full force that day. Apparently showing up on the pier without a suitable offering of bread can get you mobbed by hungry (or greedy) ducks!
Jennifer and Frank picked the absolutely gorgeous Cator Woolford Gardens for their engagement session this past week. The session had a bit of a crazy start, but it wasn’t long before we were laughing and joking and just having a great time. We even found the hidden stone circle at the back of the gardens and the biggest blooming hot-pink fuschia I’ve ever seen in my life. Jennifer and Frank danced, climbed into the trees, and even rolled around on the lawn just because I said it would make great photos! What can you say about clients like that … except that I can’t wait to work with you guys again!
This week it was back to Piedmont Park in mid-town Atlanta for a session with Neveen and Hassan. It’s amazing how the same location can be so different just a mere week later. We had a great time just wandering around the park – I think we spent as much time watching people as we did taking pictures! And Neveen and Hassan? Utterly too cute. I had the best time photographing them and I hope we get to work together again soon!
I couldn’t resist this series – totally unprompted and isn’t Neveen too cute!
I met Jen and Brian for their engagement session on a drizzly, windy day at Piedmont Park in mid-town Atlanta. They were completely willing to brave the cold weather and the possibility of rain. We more than made up for it, finding gorgeous blooming dogwoods and lush green grass everywhere we looked. We had such a great time – the park was nearly deserted which gave us our choice of just about any location we wanted. Jen was even a complete trooper and climbed a tree IN HER DRESS! Doesn’t she rock?
