DIY engagement photos?

If you have a photographer already, have you considered them for the engagement pictures, sometimes they are willing to neogotiate the cost if your also using them for wedding pictures. Other than that, I would make sure they have a good camera SLR/DSLR, if you have photoshop you can make wonders with your pictures using it.

I agree with christina. we're having to do this ourselves as well. plus my grandmother is handy with a camera so i know she'll do a good job. but i like doing it ourselves that way we have a little more freedom and aren't limited by number of sets because of cost or anything. have fun with it!

I think doing them yourself is a great option! Especially if your friend has a digitala camera. You can be as picky as you want that way...with professionals you can be limited to what they are willing to take. You will also be able to choose your setting. My daughter and her husband had theirs taken at WalMart!!!!! No one knows where they were taken, only the immediate family!

Good Luck!

As a professional photographer you really ought to opt for a professional as we are experienced in capturing you in the best and most flattering light. If your budget does not allow for this added expense than be sure you use a good camera. Some point and shoots can do a good job but be sure to use the largest file size to capture your images. Opt for a nice background that is not too busy and is in open shade rather than indoors or in bright sun. This will yield better results as your on camera flash tends to be too harsh. If you must use flash try this little trick.....place a piece of scotch tape covering the flash bulb, it will help to soften harsh shadows.

Good Luck!

You need to shop around. Some photographer have free engagement photo sessions. Some Provide an engagement session in their package. A lot of Photgrapher work with you budget as well. You have over 1 year to pay for your wedding. That's more than enough time to find a reasonable photgrapher that can provide what you want for the right price.

As a professional photographer I also reccomened chatting with your wedding photographer about this option. I include an engagement session with most all of my collections. I personally feel that the esession is an important part of the overall wedding photography. The esession allows you to get to know each other better, to get confortable in front of your photographers camera, for you to get a great idea of what to truly expect on your wedding day and from your wedding portraits, and from the photographers standpoint, it allows the photographer to get a better idea of your preferred style of portraits so that on your wedding day they can focus heavily in that direction.

All of our engagement pictures are DIY. My mom took ours and I think they turned out wonderful! I say go for it! This way you can take as many as you want and do them over and over until you get them the way you want and you dont have to worry about the expense.. unless you take your friend out to eat or something for doing it for you haha! Good Luck and have fun with them! I think they will turn out great!

I would not recommend doing this if you plan to use the photos for...anything. Although for a wedding website, it's pretty common to have a lot of casual, non-pro photos. Anyway, the potential to screw up something important is pretty high, while portraits are generally a small facet of your wedding photography budget.

As others have said, talk to your photographer if you have one, and see if you can get an engagement session deal if you don't have one yet. Pretty much every photographer really wants to do an engagement session with you, just because it gives everyone a chance to get comfortable with each other. This is so important, because they are going to be around you pretty much your entire wedding day! You need to know if you can get along.

That said, you could always just take your own photos and see how they turn out. You have more than a year until your wedding! If you don't like them, you can just hire a pro later. Just be sure that you're happy before you print anything!

I agree. I think that this is something that you can do by yourself. Especially, if you have a computer or access to one. You can crop the photos, change to coloring (black and white, sepia, etc.), and a lot more. Use your imagination.

We took our own engagment photos with a tripod and a digital camera on a timer, and they turned out great, and we had a lot of fun taking them.

If you are having DIY engagement photos, you can save a lot of money by doing your own make up, or even having a friend learn how to do your make up for you.

http://www.youarethesupermodel.com

Ok, so you want to shoot your own. That's cool. It will be fun and you will have a few shots you could use. But that said, you waited this long to get married why not take it to the next level? Most pro wedding photographers love what they do and would hate for you to end up with just an ok engagement shot. If your photographer didn't include this in the package they might negotiate with you. I can't tell how many times I have seen poorly lit and sub-par pictures blown up and used as the 1st thing you see at the guest sign in. Best wishes,

Sincerely,

Chris

CC WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY