Last Saturday morning, an engagement shoot planned and I woke up to rain! Not the best start however the couple I was photographing were still up for continuing and as their location was Norsey Woods - Billericay, I hoped for some cover from the wet stuff!
If it was a wedding we would of course proceed regardless of the weather - I have in fact shot a wedding in a near storm!
Marisa & Jamie got engaged very romantically last New Years eve, on the roof of a building in London near Big Ben while the fireworks were going off! and are currently planning their wedding for next year. When discussing the shoot I asked them to think of something special to themselves so we could incorporate it into the images, Big Ben was not possible in rural Essex! so we settled for a book and a rugby ball. Jamie also gave me a challenge to get a good image of him as he currently has five images on his ID cards and all are rather scary looking! Hopefully Jamie agrees that I completed the challenge!
We started with some basic couple shots and looking to include the all important engagement ring.
Props are always fun to include and in this instance the golf umbrella also provided some shelter from the rain.
Engagement shoots are using natural light and basically are about having fun! the couple learn how I work and become more comfortable about having their images taken and this means I can capture gorgeous images of them relaxed and happy.
Items that mean something special to my couples give us a focal point - in this case we used a favourite book as Marisa is a great reader and also a rugby ball for Jamie. Unfortunately being a non sports person myself I did not realise that the rubgy was actually on of the day of the shoot! Jamie was very good about having to watch it after our meet and also when I got confused between Rugby and American Football in terms of him setting up a move to teach Marisa!
Many of my brides have concerns about angles etc and I use the engagement shoot to show them exactly how I can work with them to make sure they are happy with their finished images. This means come the wedding day they are not worried about the photography and can relax and enjoy their day.
If you like these images and would like to book an engagement shoot with me for yourselves please do get in touch. My wedding couples have an engagement shoot included in their packages, however if you are not at that stage yet an engagement shoot costs £95 and includes two 5 x 7 images.
My thanks to Marisa & Jamie for their participation and allowing me to blog their session.
Tracyx