Last week I shared my Best of 2017 Weddings posts, and today this post is full of top 50 favorites from my 2017 engagement and couple sessions!! If you missed my wedding posts check them out here: Part 1 and Part 2!!!
It has been so fun to look back through all of my favorite photos from 2017. This was a year of growth for me! I set out specifically to work on improving my client experience and my posing. I can proudly say that I made major improvements in both areas!!! Katelyn James has been such a huge role model for me in both of these areas!! I remember one engagement session a couple years ago that I thought was going really well. I was getting some great shots – the lighting was beautiful, and the locations were stunning! But about half way through the shoot the soon-to-be-bride said to me, "Um, do you think we could do some different poses? We've been doing this one a lot." Yikes!!! I knew right then and there that something needed to change!!
I began working as hard as possible to learn better posing techniques and ways to make my clients feel more comfortable in front of the camera!! This year, I haven't once blanked out on what poses I should do next or how to keep the energy going during shoots. Yeah!!! Thanks to Katelyn James's posing evolution, I've also been delivering WAY more quality images to my clients because there is so much more variety in my posing! I've come a long way, and for that I'm so grateful!
I've also made some changes in my client experience!! I'm a firm believer that how people feel while having their photos taken by me is a major factor in how much they will love their images. Let's be honest. No one likes having their photos taken!! But if I can make my clients feel CONFIDENT during their photo session, then they will love their photos so much more, because they'll remember that they felt good while having their photo taken!!
Not only that, but I love to make my clients feel like a million bucks!! I love surprising them with prints and gifts. This year I created a welcome package for my 2018 brides!! I want them to know how grateful I am for the opportunity to be a part of the best day of their lives, and that I take my job very seriously!! The main gift inside my welcome package is a 70-page bridal magazine that walks them through the photographic process from our engagement session to wedding album!! Planning a wedding can be stressful because there are SO MANY THINGS to do! I hope that my bridal guide will help lighten the load and give them a better wedding experience! Some of these couples in this post are my 2018 couples, and they received my welcome packages!!
I LOVE engagement sessions because we have so much time to explore locations and create unique poses!! There is no pressure of having to walk down the aisle in a couple of hours. They are relaxed and confident! And we can take as much time as we want! I use my engagement session time to get to know my couples better so that I can better serve them on their wedding day! It also is a great time for them to know how I interact and for me to teach them poses! We can save so much time on the wedding day and get many more images because they're already pros at posing!!
I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity that I have to photograph such happy times in couples lives!! Your wedding will only happen once, and it FLIES by SO FAST, but the images will last forever!! I have to say thank you again to all of the amazing couples that let me photograph them in 2017!! Now, enjoy more of my favorites from this year's engagement and couple sessions!