San Diego Engagement Photos

10 Reasons Why You Should Have an Engagement Session

I like to begin your wedding experience with an engagement session because I firmly believe it is an essential part of the entire wedding photography process. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to get to know me, see how I shoot, and how I handle all of the details involved in capturing your special day. These photos will preserve this special time in your relationship as you prepare to take the next step in life together. Below are my top 10 reasons why you should take your San Diego engagement photos!

Top 10 reasons why you should take your San Diego engagement photos! 

1. Get comfortable in front of the camera

When talking to wedding couples, one of their biggest wedding photography worries is that they will feel uncomfortable in front of the camera on their wedding day. This is why I always suggest an engagement session. This way, you can get a preview of how it will feel on your wedding day and it allows you to relax into the process, which creates more natural and authentic photos. 

2. Get comfortable with your photographer

We probably never worked together, so by doing an engagement session you can get a feel for what your photographer will do and how they will interact with you on your wedding day. Having a pre-existing relationship with your photographer prior to going into your wedding day will help you feel more comfortable on your wedding day. 

3. Your photographer will get to know you and your best angles

I absolutely love to work with my wedding couples prior to their wedding day so I can learn their personalities and what angles, prompts, and poses work best for capturing photos of their love. By meeting ahead of time, I am able to learn what things make you feel more confident and can better tailor my direction and approach on the wedding day to you and your needs. 

4. Your photographer will get to see how you interact on camera

Interacting with one another in front of a camera may be different than how you would normally engage. Taking San Diego engagement photos prior to your wedding day will help lessen your anxiety about having your photos taken during the wedding, and when it comes time for the bride and groom photos, you will already know exactly what to do.

5. Utilize your hair and makeup trial

It is standard to have a wedding hair and makeup trial prior to your wedding day. Rather than letting this look go to waste, go straight to your engagement photo session immediately following your trial to make the most of your look . 

6. Use your engagement session photos on your wedding save the dates and invitations

If you want to use photos on your save the dates or wedding day invitations, I recommend using engagement session photos instead of non-professional photos. This will give your guests an idea of what they can expect when viewing your wedding photos, after the wedding. 

7. Celebrate and reconnect during the, sometimes stressful, wedding planning process.

Wedding planning can be stressful, so take a break from the busyness and take a day for the two of you to get your engagement photos done. Choose a location that is close to your heart and somewhere you enjoy spending time together. This will provide a much needed, playful break from the planning. 

8. Stress free photos with less time constraints than on the wedding day

On wedding days, we have to stick to strict timeline schedules, which can eliminate some of the playfulness and easiness of a normal shoot. Utilize your San Diego engagement photo session as a time to show off the carefree and relaxed nature of Southern California without rigid time constraints. 

9. Make it more personal and fun than formal wedding photos

Wedding photos tend to lean more towards the formal side, where engagement sessions are a great place to be more personal and fun. If you are an adventurous couple, we can shoot at the end of a hike at the top of a mountain or if you are a couple who loves to spend time at home we can take photos of your two snuggled up on the couch. Use your engagement session to get memorable and purposeful photos that capture your relationship exactly as you are. 

10. Incorporate things/locations you love

Do you love surfing together at Moonlight Beach or do you have a specific furry friend you would like to include in your photos? Use your San Diego engagement photos to showcase places and things that are most meaningful to you. 

If you are still in need of an engagement session photographer or wedding photographer, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me through my website or just click here. I focus on capturing life’s most precious moments and turning them into lifelong keepsakes.

For more engagement sessions check out these other blogs:
Sailboat Engagement Session
Coronado Beach Engagement Session
El Matador Beach Engagement Session