Engagement Photos ~ Why All the Fuss? Part Two

So engagement sessions help a couple get comfortable in front of the camera, but why else are they important?

It's a trial run with your photographer. It's a start-to-finish run through of the photography process. In a way that's not as crucial and high-stress as your wedding. You can always have an engagement session do-over.

What am I talking about?

I'm talking about getting to know and trust your photographer. How fast does she email back? How well does she prepare you for the session? How comfortable do you feel around her? How quickly do you receive your images? Do you love them? Do you receive what you expected and what you were promised?

I think a lot of brides and grooms choose their wedding photographer based on the images they see in a portfolio gallery. Which they should! But there is a whole lot more to the photography experience than just the final outcome.

Let's consider a worst case scenario:

A bride and groom choose an irresponsible photographer who doesn't answer emails often and can't deliver on the quality of images displayed on his or her website. They might not discover these issues before the wedding day because they haven't planned an engagement session. They haven't really contacted the photographer since they booked. Until a couple week's before the wedding when they have a few timeline questions. And their emails go unanswered for two weeks. Cue freak out! (Trust me, I know what this feels like! I had to find another baker just a few months before our wedding, because I never heard back from the one I originally booked.)

But let's look at the same scenario with the couple doing an engagement session:

The couple has trouble nailing down their engagement session date and time because their photographer doesn't email them back much. They arrive to the session and the photographer is 15 minutes late. He seems frazzled and doesn't give them much posing direction. Then they don't hear from him for two more months until he sends them 10 images through email and they don't look anything like the photos on his website.

That's rough. BUT it's still 6 months before the wedding. So they still have time to find another photographer.

Now this is definitely a worst case scenario. Most wedding photographers are not like that. They are in the industry because they truly love capturing a beautiful bride and groom that are super in love and they behave professionally.

But the engagement session still gives you a trial run and helps you get to know your photographer's style.

Their posing style - Are they hands on? Do they mirror the pose for you?)

Their shooting style - Do they use a variety of closeups and wide angle shots? Are you moving around a lot or just using one basic backdrop area? Do they shoot at a wide aperture to get bokeh?

Their editing style - Light and bright? Moody? Heavily black and white? Subdued color? Vintage?

Everyone's style is different. And that's not a bad thing. But if it's not what a bride and groom personally likes, they have the opportunity to do something about it.

So even if a couple doesn't need engagement photos for their save the date cards, they can still benefit greatly from doing an engagement session with their wedding photographer.

Peter & Wendy Wed ~ A Peter Pan Stylized Wedding Shoot

When Wendy says goodbye to Peter at the end of their adventure, my heart is full of faith that they will soon be together again. That Peter will realize he can’t live without her and come back to the nursery window. That he will choose to grow old with her. To make their marriage his greatest and most wonderful adventure. Because true love is worth growing old for.

Featured: Peter Pan & Wendy Wed on Glamour & Grace

I'm so excited to have our Peter Pan & Wendy Stylized Shoot featured on Glamour & Grace today! What an honor!

I'm especially excited because that means I can show off all the beautifulness on the blog now! Check out our gorgeous feature and then pop back in tomorrow to see my favorites from the shoot.

Photography | Caitlin Gerres | Florist | Studio Posy | Cake | Cakes by Crystal | Hair & Makeup| Tiana Marie Artistry | Jewelry |Enchanted Leaves | Embroidery Hoop | Makenzi and Madilyn | Bouquet Charm | That Family Shop | Engraved Forks | Baby Puppy Designs | Burlap Bunting | Carolina Vintage Co | Stationary | Holly Carton | Models | Ian and Holly Carton

And some bloopers and behind the scenes photos are coming soon as well!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I felt like a bad daughter. As soon as we hung up the phone confirming our vacation booking, I realized we'd be missing Mother's Day. That seemed unforgivable somehow.

But Mom didn't seem to mind. She's nice like that. And then we made up for it by inviting my parents to join us on the last couple days of our vacation. (Bonus points for me!)

It was a beautiful and relaxing week. And then we came back and celebrated again, this time for Mom's birthday.

This week's photo challenge is something about my mom that I don't want to forget. That's a really hard question. I don't want to forget anything. She's perfect.

6 Things You Can Learn About Me From Instagram

I love to bake more than I love to cook.

I like hashtags - I'm trying not to go too crazy with them, but I especially love categorizing my shots with unique labels. You can follow my crochet projects (#caitlincrochets), my cute hubby shots (#mrfancybusinessman), my photography (#caitlingerresphotography), and my not-so-beautiful kitchen creations (#myfoodisntprettybutittastesgood).

I love food - at least a fourth of my shots are of food.

I take a lot of my food pictures on my kitchen table - It's the spot with the best light!

I have yet to conquer the selfie - I rarely take phone pictures of myself, so my face won't show up on Instagram that often. (I'm trying to work on that!)

I'm not afraid to Instagram the computer screen, the back of the camera, or the television - Sure it might not be the best quality photo, but I still want to share the moment. (And I love #backofcamera pictures!)

Follow me on Instagram!