So you’ve decided to come for an engagement shoot hey? That’s great news, engagement shoots are a great way to settle in in front of the camera, get to know each other and of course to get some cracking shots before your wedding. Since most of you won’t have been through one of these before I’ve attempted to answer some frequent questions below. If you have more don’t worry about asking me though; questions are always good!

What to wear:
This is always a tricky one. It very much depends. The honest answer is something which is you. That said, there are a few things which work better than others for the photography. The main one is, wear solid colours – try not to wear clothing with print on it or lots of stripes. Remember you’re both going to be photographed together so try and wear clothes which complement each other without looking too identical. You might also want to bring a couple of different looks with you, possibly something more casual and something a bit more glam. If possible try and make them things you can easily change into: who knows what we’ll find in the way of changing facilities! Oh and I’m sure the women don’t need telling this but guys, just because your beaten up old Converse All Stars have always been there for you, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best ones for the shoot

Signing Print or Book:
All of my engagement sessions come with either an engagement print (a mounted photo) or an engagement book. It’s usually best to try and figure out which of these you would prefer before the shoot. That way we can gear the shoot to either getting a few individual amazing images for the print or something more in the way of a story for the book.

Fee:
Ah, the horrible subject of money. If you could transfer the fee in advance by bank transfer that would be grand. If not feel free to bring cash or a cheque on the day.

Locations:
Finding good locations for an engagement shoot can be difficult. I’m based in Cambridge and as such I tend towards the local areas. Cambridge is fairly pretty artistically and if we can get into some of the colleges that can be really quite beautiful. Generally for engagement sessions I try to get a bit ‘behind-the-scenes’ of you as a couple: what you get up to normally, how you met, what makes you both tick. As such if you have any ideas for locations which help with this please let me know.

Pets:
Yep, some people are dog people. If you want, let me know in advance as it could be quite cool to incorporate them in the photos. It doesn’t just have to be dogs either: horses, hedgehogs, even zebras can add to the fun.

Times:
You should probably set aside an afternoon for the engagement shoot. Depending upon where we go it typically lasts about three hours. It’s always good to have a bit of extra time though for coffee and a chat after, and also means we don’t have to rush too much.

Right I think that should just about cover it. I look forward to seeing you both soon!

Alex