This Modern Romance: The Artistry, Technique, and Business of Engagement Photography

Stephanie Williams

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781134100668
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Arte
• Subtopic: Fotografía

Love is less confined than ever, as is our desire to capture it.

Engagement photography has become an essential and valuable component of wedding photography for both your clients and your photography business. Successfully booking romantic portrait sessions and providing your couples with creative, playful, and beautiful images can mean a lasting –and lucrative- relationship. Award winning photographer Stephanie Williams shares her approach to engagement photography, including her thoughts on the psychology of shooting and directing couples, current industry trends, and the use of blogs and social media. Discover photography tips on romantic styling, workflow, and branding that will help get your engagement sessions recognized by prospective clients and industry publications. Whether you are an aspiring photographer or established professional, this book is sure to inform and inspire your next photo shoot.

Read tips and testimonials from prominent wedding professionals, bloggers, editors and stylists, as well as Stephanie's actual clients.

Learn how to build your brand and get your work published.

Improve or refresh your technical skill through practical lighting, equipment, and technique guidance.

Diversify the way you interact with clients and style your shoots.

Be inspired through gorgeous photographs.

Chapter 1

Building Your Portfolio and Educating Clients

Getting engaged is like falling in love all over again. Butterflies in the stomach, an ear-to-ear smile every day and the fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing you’ve found your soulmate are intoxicating. The opportunity to capture and celebrate these rare moments gives engagement photographers a very special role. As the years pass, the images and memories created become more and more precious. This unique period in your couple’s life, combined with an artistic and vibrant wedding industry, makes this an exciting time to be a photographer.

With over a decade’s experience in the wedding industry publisher and editor-in-chief of Southern Weddings magazine, Lara Casey states that:

in my opinion, there is nothing more valuable in the tangible world (besides people) than great photographs. Engagement sessions give you the opportunity to immortalize your love for generations to come. I only wish my grandparents had candid photos of them in love! What priceless memories!

Getting Started

Engagement sessions can be a great way to expand your portfolio by integrating fun, stylized imagery that strengthens your brand. By improving your directing and shooting skills, you can create and display imagery that attracts your ideal client. Photographers, regardless of how long they have been shooting, will benefit from regularly revisiting and revitalizing their portfolios. Designing your business to reflect your photographic style will challenge you creatively and help you develop a current and marketable portfolio.

To construct a flourishing business that also satisfies you as an artist, you must invest in more than just costly equipment and a modern website—you must also spend time nurturing your photography and directing skills and streamlining your style. Your portfolio and branding are what sell “you.” It is what clients are initially drawn to and a substantial reason that they chose you as their photographer. Devoting your time and energy to producing a polished portfolio that showcases your style will help you attract the kind of clients that you want. If engagement sessions are new to you or you’d like to create a new niche for yourself, try shooting a few stylized sessions with friends to get the ball rolling. On the other hand, if you have been in the industry for a while, energize your current portfolio with fresh imagery by creating new work in your unique voice and by staying up to date on current trends in the wedding industry. Like any hard earned accomplishment, mastery of your craft comes with time, hard work, and patience. Malcom Gladwell, author of Outliers: The Secret to Success, affirms that the secret to achievement in almost any area is having practiced it for 10,000 hours. While you may have an intrinsic talent in your creative pursuits, the only way you will ever be able to grow is through dedication and regular practice.

Both images shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24–70mm 2.8L II lens, ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/1600 sec

“This vibrant young couple were all smiles at the beach right before sunset. For the walking image, I asked the couple to walk toward the water, smile and look at each other. Part way through the walk, I asked her to glance over her shoulder at me.”

“I recently began incorporating film coverage alongside digital and continually experiment with different film stocks and exposures during test shoots. I found that I love the look and grain of Ilford FP4 plus 125.”

Canon EOS-1V, 50mm 1.2 lens, f/2 at 1/125 sec. Ilford FP4 Plus 125 Black and White film

Show to Sell

Like attracts like, they say. In order to work at a certain level or attract a specific client, you must show that you are able to produce the type of work desired by that client. The images that you show on your website and portfolio, along with your branding, will draw in clients that are seeking that style. Whether you are a hopeless romantic with a penchant for soft and dreamy photos or fascinated by strong lines and hyperreal images, like those of photographer David LaChapelle, creating work that echoes your style will benefit both your business and your sanity in the long run. Many photographers make the mistake of trying to market and appeal to everyone, only to find that they are not directly targeting their ideal client, nor are they displaying a consistent voice. Find a style that excites you and fill your portfolio with only your best images.

Instead of churning out pictures of couples wearing matching white-collared shirts and jeans, tap into your artistic side and plan shoots that involve the locations, colors, and props that suit the type of client you want to attract. If you spend time shooting images that you don’t love, you will be unsatisfied in the future with the direction of your business. Shooting images that you do love, on the other hand, will attract clients who harmoniously sync with your style.

“Shooting images that you do love, on the other hand, will attract clients who harmoniously sync with your style.”

Canon EOS-1V, 50mm 1.2 lens, f/3.8 at 1/125 sec. Fujifilm Pro 400H

“For this image, I asked her to jump into his arms and kick up her heels for a kiss! It’s OK to have your couple try this a few times to get just the right shot and it usually elicits a lot of genuine laughter.”

Canon EOS-1V, 50mm 1.2 lens, f/2 at 1/250 sec. Fujifilm Pro 400H

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 50mm 1.2 lens, ISO 100, f/3.5 at 1/320 sec

Test Shoots

Successful commercial and fashion-based photographers often expand their portfolios by setting up unpaid photo shoots so that they can experiment with a new look, play with a new concept, or test out a new piece of equipment or film stock. The fashion industry refers to these unpaid sessions as ‘test shoots.’ Commercial and fashion-based photographers are expected and encouraged to do test shoots in order to develop as skilled professionals and artists. Why shouldn’t wedding and portrait photographers do the same? No matter how long you have been a photographer, always look for a reason to pick up your camera and do what you love. Scout locations that excite you, find people to photograph that inspire you and plan shoots outside of your paid jobs. You will learn a lot by educating yourself through books and workshops, but nothing can replace actual experience.

Test shoots provide an opportunity to work out the kinks in your shooting strategies and mature your workflow without the pressure of a paying client. Brainstorming new ideas involving color palettes, pre-scouted locations, and props will inspire you to move away from conventional portraits and adapt yourself to current trends while maintaining your unique voice as an artist. Setting up a test shoot takes time and effort but they become easier to plan over time after you establish relationships with other industry professionals. When looking for local resources, reach out to friends and family or aspiring models. Websites like Model Mayhem (www.modelmayhem.com) and, to a lesser extent, Craigslist (www.craigslist.com) can connect you with people who are eager to collaborate with photographers. Involving local coordinators, make-up artists, hair stylists, and aspiring fashion stylists is not only great networking, but can add a sense of excitement and style. Working with people who are enthusiastic about being photographed will initially help develop your directing style. When testing or sourcing mo...