Orion Photo Group Success Story Podcast
Orion Photo Group Success Story Podcast
Elevating the Engagement Photography Experience
Ever wondered how to make an engagement session resonate with the unmistakable melody of a couple's love story? Strap in as I, Jason Group of Orion Photo Group, whisk you through the labyrinth of capturing the perfect engagement photos—those that sing with authenticity and sparkle with personality. It's not just about snapping pretty pictures; it's about weaving a narrative that prefaces the wedding album with charm and character. Learn the secrets to not only connecting with your clients but also to elevating your photography game, as I share insights on using engagement sessions as a playground for experimentation and growth.
From the importance of pre-session prep to understanding the nuances of location, attire, and theme coordination, this episode is a treasure trove for both budding and seasoned photographers. We'll dissect the symbiotic relationship between a successful engagement shoot and the magic of the wedding day, revealing how one sets the stage for the other. Expect anecdotes and advice on building trust and delivering a service that's more than just a transaction—it's the first stroke on the canvas of your clients' love story. So, pull up a chair, and let's unravel the art of capturing the perfect prelude to 'I do.
Hey there, welcome to OPG's Tips and Tricks. Here I'm going to share some quick tips and some tricks that I think you'll find very useful. Let's get right to it. Hey there, welcome to another episode of Tips and Tricks with the Orion Photo Group. I am your host, jason Group.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to dive into the art of capturing love through engagement sessions In our special time in a couple's journey, and as photographers, we have the privilege of freezing those moments in time. In this episode, we're going to explore essential tips for photographing engagement sessions that truly capture the essence of love and connection. And you know, bottom line engagement sessions are a big part of what we do as wedding photographers. I would say it's, ironically, one of the most important things we do in dealing with all of our wedding couples, because it sets the moment, it sets the tone for everything that happens, and I also feel like it's a really, really important time to get to know your clients, whether they're with the Orion Photo Group or they're with your own couples. Engagement sessions are a really, really important thing, part of the process in shooting weddings. I also feel like it's a really great opportunity for us to grow as photographers, because it's really the only time where you have the opportunity to play, try new things. I mean, you always have time to try new things at a wedding, but you don't have the real opportunity to really dig in and try new things a new lens, a new camera. More importantly, what I'm trying to say is that opportunity to fumble. You can't fumble on the wedding day. The wedding day is the wedding day. You can't mess that up. You can't experiment An engagement shoot. You know what? If you screw up the engagement shoot, it's not the end of the world. You're going to look like a jerk. But if you screw up the engagement shoot, it is not the end of the world. It would be really bad if you do. But what I'm saying is that it's a unique opportunity that we don't get when we shoot live events.
Speaker 1:Engaging photos serve as a visual storytelling tool. They allow couples to express their unique love story. Throughout this episode, I'm going to share some tips and tricks that have helped me over the years. Like I said before, it's a great opportunity to try new things and really bring out the personalities of the couples that you're shooting.
Speaker 1:Before the session begins, pre-session preparation, like anything else, is crucial to establish your rapport with the couple. It's going to help you build trust and comfort that will help them relax in front of the camera. It's going to result in more natural, authentic photos. Obviously, discussing the locations and the options and themes that align with the couple's personality will ensure a cohesive experience and a personalized experience that you have the opportunity to curate. Additionally, coordinating outfits and accessories can elevate the visual appeal of the photos. Again, that rapport that you build with the couple is so important that day. It gives you the opportunity to really get trust from them. It also gives you the opportunity to not build trust with them. That's why it's so important that you do a good job and that you make them feel comfortable and you take great pictures. Everything is going to get you the help that you need on the wedding day. Then really wowing them before with the engagement shoot.
Speaker 1:In the recent episode I talked about group photos. When you do a great engagement shoot and then you're stumbling around on a group photo or something like that, they're going to look at their family and friends and say, hey, apart up, he's trying to do a good job here because they trust you and that's the opportunity that you will afford yourself in doing a great engagement session with them. So don't be afraid to give them a little extra time. The pre-session prep is the most important part to that. So talk to them about the clothing, talk to them about the locations, talk to them about you know, give your opinions, but listen to what they're looking for and that's the most important thing hey, what are you thinking about in your engagement shoot? And locations and clothing. And then shut up and listen and write down what they say Okay, it's really important. Okay. And then from there say, if you don't know of an exact location that you were thinking of, or they can't come up with a location, don't be afraid to say you know, let me do some homework, let me get back to you on that. Or if you do know, say, hey, I think this would be a great spot, or that that would be a great spot. Talk to them about the right clothing and anything that you might feel like. You know, hey, I don't really love patterns too much. If you really want to wear something that has a big pattern to it, let's consider some options too, because sometimes patterns can be not the best thing, or you know different colors or things like that. You know, based on their you know, their skin color or their, the tone of their skin or their hair color or things like that, anything that you think might make them feel better, and then sometimes just let them do what they want.
Speaker 1:Okay, the thing that you can control is understanding lighting and timing. Lighting is going to play a significant role in creating those great photos. Finding the right time of day to do it whether it's a morning or an evening, you know, obviously, if you can do it during, you know an afternoon, during golden hour is great, or you know any kind of atmosphere that you feel you know will give you the best options. Sometimes you, you know, a lot of times in the spring I would deal with rain, you know, and you don't have another date that you can do it on, or you're just one of those people that you know what. This is the day I have and we're going to make it work, no matter what, having options for that day, making the best of it. Go out and shoot in the rain, go out and shoot in a cloudy condition. You know, understanding those lighting conditions are really important. Now, if the couple is saying I want a sunset shoot, you got to give them a sunset shoot. That's. That's just the way it goes and you do the best that you can.
Speaker 1:But you know, many times a lot of people talk about shooting during the golden hour. It's not my favorite time because it is the most difficult lighting situation that you could put yourself in. The light is changing every 30 seconds and, you know, quite often doesn't give you the best light that you really really want. So what I always suggest is shooting through the golden hour, meaning that you're shooting an hour before that really great light and you're shooting for half an hour after the sun goes down, because that's going to give you the most natural flat light that you could ask for. Adding a little reflector or an LED light or, in my case, an off-camera light, is going to give you exactly what you want. And then I used to love shooting into the evening, especially in New York City, if you live in an urban location or downtown that you can shoot. You know, shooting at night is not something that they do often, and if you can create some rock star images at night, I always suggest that. It always makes for great pictures that they would never, ever, really ever do.
Speaker 1:So composition, posing techniques always elevates the ordinary to extraordinary. Guiding your couple and talking to them, natural, flattering poses so that they can look their best, experimenting with different angles and perspectives, lots of different choices and capturing the unique dynamic between the couples is what you're looking for, and every couple is different. That's one of the things that I loved about shooting engagement pictures and wedding pictures for that matter is that it's a challenge every single time because you don't know what you're going to get. You get some couples sometimes that are just I know exactly what to do. I point my lens at them, they make magic and all you have to do is worry about lighting, and composition Makes it easy for you and you can get very creative. And then you get couples that are just awkward. They don't like touching each other. They love each other, but they don't like posing for a lot of different photos. So you do things like hey, hold hands and walk towards the camera. Hey, sit over here and just talk to each other.
Speaker 1:I always kind of avoided the things like whisper in his ear, in her ear, and tell things, stuff like that. I always avoided those kind of cheesy things. But you know what, sometimes it just works. Sometimes you get a guy that just won't smile for you and you got to employ those things just to get a couple of smiling shots. You got to put yourself out there sometimes and just make it work. Sometimes, just getting them to do something that they enjoy doing works.
Speaker 1:I'll give you one example. I was struggling with a couple one day. They were awkward. I had remembered that when they told me a story about when they first met they would go out. He was studying, he was a med school. The only time that they would really have for a date per se would be to go out for ice cream once a week. It was their thing. They loved to date and drink. They were hardworking students and they liked going out for ice cream. That was their thing. It was like 18 degrees outside when we were doing this photo shoot. I said to them let's go get an ice cream cone. They looked at me like I was crazy. They got a cup of ice cream and they sat on a stoop and they ate the ice cream and they kissed and they conversed with each other.
Speaker 1:All I did was shoot pictures of them eating and kissing and enjoying each other's company. They were amazing pictures. You know what? They took a series of those and they hung them over their mantelpiece. It actually brought tears to my eyes when I went to their apartment to deliver their wedding album later on. I don't want to give them away. Also, it really helped me to get rid of that. I wanted to stand in the scouting room. They were like that that's one of the best Judeans in the history. It led to all the comments and views called inappropriate things, plus no-transcript looking for when it comes to an engagement shoot, and sometimes it's just as easy as that.
Speaker 1:And again, location and scouting and creativity are important things. Hey, what kind of places? Where did you guys meet? Where did you get engaged? Is there a special spot? You, as a professional, too, should have some ideas of places that you like to shoot, and you should be afraid to communicate and collaborate with them on that. You can say to them I've always wanted to shoot in this spot and maybe it's something you want for your own portfolio. Suggest that to them. They like the idea and, again, like shooting any other pictures.
Speaker 1:Attention to details is key to capturing those engagement pictures paying close attention to small details Hair, clothing, accessories. You want that polished look. You want to avoid distractions in the background. Again, it's about drawing focus to the couple. Don't spend the entire time shooting with a wide-angle lens and from far away where you just have all of these great location shots of them in this location, but they're basically just landscape shots. Zoom in, zoom out, try lots of different things and give them lots of options. If you've only got 30 minutes to shoot, it's plenty of time. It's plenty of time to get great shots of them. Move quickly, move with purpose and that will get you the shots that you're looking for.
Speaker 1:And again, as we wrap up this episode, remember that each engagement session is a unique opportunity for them and for you, and it's that opportunity to capture that love, which you cannot do on the wedding day. It's just you and them and spending that time. It's often, many times, my couple's favorite part of the wedding process and they will always look back on those pictures as something that they really enjoy. That did Make it an enjoyable experience for them, whether the weather's good or not. Make it an enjoyable experience for them and for you. I hope that helps. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Tips and Tricks with the Orion Photo Group. Until next time, keep capturing those love stories, people. We'll speak to you later on the next episode. Take care now, hey. Do you have a tip or trick you want to share with us? Please email me jgroupatorionphotogroupcom. I would love to hear your tips or tricks, and we'll even send you a nice little award for doing so. Until then, thank you.
