How Long is a Typical Engagement Photo Shoot?
By Eivan’s Photo & Video Editors
An engagement photo shoot is one of the most amazing and memorable events you can experience in your relationship. As a newly engaged couple, there’s a first for everything and planning your engagement shoot is one of them. With that comes a lot of questions and concerns, such as, how long is a typical engagement photo shoot?
How to Determine the Length of Your Engagement Shoot
Before you can decide how long your engagement shoot should or needs to be, there are few things you should know beforehand. Here are some questions you can ask yourself so you can have an idea of this planning process.
How does an engagement shoot work?
Recently, engagement photo shoots have become a fundamental part of pre-wedding activities. Many couples now include engagement plans along with their wedding plans. It has become a norm that a wedding is not complete without this exciting event. Many photographers even add an engagement shoot as a package deal.
On a typical engagement photography session, we’ll ask you to express certain poses so they can capture the shot. You will most likely have to perform the same pose multiple times so they can get multiple angled shots.
How the engagement shoot runs is entirely up to you, but the key is trusting your photographer’s abilities. They are there to follow your lead and capture your vision.
What do you want to accomplish at the engagement shoot?
In order to have a successful, enjoyable engagement shoot, both sides need to be on the same page. Once you are set on the idea, you should inform your hired photographer so they too can prepare. It would be beneficial to also hear what they have to say about your plans to see if they have any valuable insights or ideas to add.
Be sure to plan ahead to achieve everything you and your partner want. For example, if you want ocean-themed engagement photos, you’ll want your photos taken at your favorite beach.
Usually, our photographers will let you know how many shots they can take and will offer you deal options. Additionally, you will discuss how long you want to hire them for or for how long they’re available.
How long is an engagement photoshoot?
Obviously, the length of your engagement session will last according to how long you want it to go for. The majority of photoshoots are about an hour. This is the ideal time length that many professional photographers suggest. This one-hour engagement photo session is usually enough to take all the photos that couples need.
However, if you have planned such as changing into multiple different outfits, or traveling to multiple different locations during the shoot, then you might need to allocate more time to the session to accomplish everything you want for the day. Keep in mind that your photographer has a timeframe to work with, so sure to plan ahead.
The time of the day to have your engagement shoot session is also your choice, highly recommend having your photos done before the sun goes down, typically 30 minutes before sunset. This time of the day, which they refer to as the golden hour, gives them the perfect sunlight or lighting that makes photos look exquisite. So, it would be worth it to at least have a few pictures during this time.
How can you ensure the best engagement photo results?
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Have fun
It’s important to remember that this event is supposed to be a fun activity to have with your soon to be spouse, so If you’re having some engagement shoot jitters, think of it as a another standard date. Do what you two would normally do and enjoy the moment.
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Show your love
Another way that you can ensure you receive the best results is to express how you truly feel towards your partner. In these photos, you want to display your love for each other. A picture is worth a thousand words, so you want love written all over it.
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Be yourself
We understand the awkward or embarrassing feeling that can come with engagement shoots. But just like all new experiences, once you get comfortable, you’ll make like Rihanna and “shine bright like a diamond”.
What to Expect from an Engagement Shoot
For most couples who have just gotten engaged, not knowing what to expect from an engagement session tends to feel like a big issue.
That is a perfectly normal feeling, and to prevent you from getting too overwhelmed, you can count on us!
Lets answer some of your questions:
What do you specialize in?
For over 30 years, we’ve focused on high quality wedding photography and videography services delivered on time and within your budget.
As you speak with our consultants while deciding on a package that fits your needs, you will naturally get to know what they’re like both as a person and a professional. They believe the perfect photographer should have a good personality and be great at taking photos, and will gladly direct you with the right one for you.
When will I see my photos?
Another great question to ask our consultants! It’s vital that you mention in the discussion if you want to use your photos for save-the-date cards so that you can get the photos before it becomes too late to send out the wedding invitations.
This will also lead your discussion into areas such as how they process engagement photos and how much changes or edits they make to each photo. Generally, you can expect to receive your gallery of engagement photos between 2-4 weeks or within a month. But, it does depend on the photographer and other factors such as the time of the year and how booked or busy they are with other photography shoots.
With this article as your guide to knowing how long is a typical engagement photo shoot and what to expect from an engagement session photography, you can be a little more ready to face this special event with confidence. You can also feel assured that with a hired professional photographer, all your engagement needs will be met. Then, your day will become less of a task and more of a day of fun.