Is an engagement session worth it?
For most couples, yes, and the reason is rarely the one they expect. The photographs matter, but the larger return is that you and your photographer learn how to work together before the day that cannot be repeated. Couples who have done one are visibly easier in front of a camera at the wedding.
How much does an engagement session cost in New Jersey?
Four hundred and fifty dollars for an hour with twenty five finished photographs, or seven hundred and fifty for two hours with fifty. Published on the pricing page, with no travel fee in Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean or Somerset.
Who photographs engagement sessions in New Jersey?
I do, across the whole state. Text me where you are thinking and what date suits, and a fixed price comes back within a few hours.
Find me an engagement photographer in Monmouth County
That is home, and it carries no travel fee at all. Red Bank, Rumson, Spring Lake, Asbury Park, Sandy Hook and the parks between them.
Can I book an engagement session without booking a wedding?
Yes, and plenty of couples do. There is no obligation attached to it and nothing is bundled. It is simply an hour of photographs of the two of you.
Do I have to use the same photographer for the engagement session and the wedding?
No, though there is a real argument for it. The whole point of the session is that by the wedding you already know each other, which is lost if you book two different people.
How far ahead of the wedding should we do it?
Six to nine months before suits most couples. Early enough that the photographs are usable on a save the date, and far enough from the wedding that you are not adding it to an already busy month.
How much time should we set aside?
An hour covers most comfortably. Two hours suits a couple who want more than one location, or a change of clothes partway through.
How many finished photographs come with each length?
Twenty five finished photographs from an hour and fifty from two hours, at full resolution, yours to keep and print for as long as you like.
How soon are the photographs ready?
Within five to seven business days, through a private link. A handful can be finished sooner if you need something for a save the date.
Where should we do our engagement session?
Somewhere that means something to you beats somewhere that photographs well, every time. The place you met, the town you live in, the beach you walk at. Failing that, Monmouth and Ocean give you water, parks and towns within twenty minutes of each other.
Can we do it at home?
Yes, and home sessions are quietly the best ones. Nobody is self conscious, nothing is staged, and the photographs look like your actual life rather than a location you visited once.
Can we do it on the beach?
Yes, and the hour before sunset is the reason people ask. Some shore towns want a permit for a booked session, which I check before the day rather than find out on the sand.
What time of day should we book it for?
The hour before sunset, almost always. Early morning is the alternative if you want nowhere to be busy.
What should we wear for an engagement session?
Whatever you would wear to a nice dinner, and something you can move in. If you want the two of you to sit together in the frame, keep the tones in the same family rather than matching exactly.
Should we change outfits?
Only if you book two hours. In one hour a change eats a quarter of the time and you end up with two half sessions rather than one good one.
What if it rains on the day we booked?
We move it, at no charge. There is no reason to stand in the rain for an engagement session when the date is entirely flexible.
Can our dog come?
Yes, and dogs usually improve the photographs rather than ruin them. Bring somebody who can hold the lead when you are both in frame.
Can family come along?
They can, though most couples find it easier without an audience. If you want family photographs as well, say so and we book two hours rather than one.
We are not photogenic, is this going to be awkward?
Everybody says this and almost nobody means it. Being photographed together is a skill nobody has practised, which is exactly why doing it once before the wedding is worth the money.
Can we use the photographs on a save the date?
Yes, and that is the most common use. Anywhere else too. The licence has no expiry and no further fee, so the same photographs work on the invitations, the website and the wall.
Can we use them at the wedding itself?
Yes, and couples often do, on a welcome sign, a guest book or a slideshow. Nothing further to pay.
Do you post engagement photographs online?
Only if you are happy for me to. Say no and the answer is no, with no discussion. Mention it at booking rather than afterwards.
Is an engagement session the same as a couples shoot?
In practice yes, and I price them identically. The only difference is usually that one of you is wearing a ring.
We already got engaged, is it too late?
Not remotely. Most engagement sessions happen weeks or months after the proposal. If you want photographs from the moment itself, that is a different booking and it has its own page.
Do you photograph the proposal and the engagement session together?
They are usually separate, because a proposal shoot is about one moment and an engagement session is about the two of you afterwards. Some couples book the proposal and then come back a month later.
Is there a travel fee for an engagement session?
None in Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean or Somerset. Everywhere else is a flat published figure charged once for the visit rather than by the hour.
How far ahead should we book the session itself?
Three to four weeks is comfortable. Sunset on a Saturday in spring and autumn goes faster, so earlier if your date is fixed.
What if we want to do it in New York City?
Perfectly possible, at two hundred and fifty dollars travel charged once. Worth knowing that most New York parks require a permit for a booked session.
Does booking an engagement session get us a discount on the wedding?
No, and I would rather say so plainly. Every price on this site is published and nothing moves depending on what else you book. The reason to do it is the photographs and the practice, not a saving.