Why my packages include engagement shoots

Call them what you like: engagement shoots, pre-wedding shoots, couple's shoots - whatever you call them, every couple should have one!

Of course I would say that - I'm a photographer! But the thing I hear the most when talking to new clients... "I'm/we're not great in front of the camera", "I'm not sure <insert name> would go for that". And I totally get it. I go out of my way to avoid having my picture take - hence, being the one behind the camera.

My job is not merely to take pictures, My job is capture moments. To capture emotions. To capture the manifestation of love between two people. All that is impossible if you're not relaxed, comfortable and natural. And this is where pre-wedding shoots come in. An opportunity for you and I to meet in person (which may only happen on the wedding day itself) and to get to know each other. You get to know how I work and I get to know you as a couple; how you are together, individually and when you're at your most relaxed. Whether you hold hands or not, who's the more affectionate and so on and so forth. Armed with this knowledge and experience, I can optimise the way I shoot your wedding day and how I approach the crucial couple's portraits.

There are other benefits, namely you get some banging photos of the two of you - something a lot of couple seemingly don't always have. And you can bore your friends on Instagram with them in the lead up to the wedding or display them proudly in your home. Many couples in the past have used them on the wedding stationary, like orders of service, save the dates etc. or as a signing board in place of a traditional guest book (I always do a little dance on in the inside when I turn up to a wedding and see these things).

Hopefully this gives you a bit more insight as to why I offer them as part of my packages (there's no pressure to do one...). Below is a handful of shots from pre-wedding shoots from clients who had weddings in 2024. Taken in all sorts of locations - woodlands, country houses, secret RAF bases (shhhhh....). Dogs and children welcome.

Rob