engagement shoot tips and what to do with your e-shoot photographs

With the warm weather hopefully lasting a bit longer, it's an ideal time to photograph your engagement shoot. While an engagement shoot has always been included in wedding photography packages in North America, it's a relatively new idea here in Ireland and in the UK. Since it's new, some need to get their head around what it actually is. The idea of an engagement shoot is to document in an artistic fashion the way a couple is before they get married. An engagement shoot should be fun and tailored toward the couple. It should express them as individuals, and them how they are as a unique couple. For example, Gill and Jason above are both from Wicklow and we thought it would be nice to have Glendalough as the location for their e-shoot. It's nice to have a couple engaging with other in the photographs, and so I asked Jason to bring his guitar. Soon they forgot that a camera was in front of them and became themselves and enjoyed the shoot.

A nice idea is to bring along a change of clothes for the shoot. This gives some variety to the set of pictures and kind of refreshes the mind after the first part of the shoot (a shoot will typically last 1-2 hours). Wear something you're comfortable in, but is a bit special. If you are the type who likes to really dress up, then go for it! Have some California-flavoured inspiration from Jasmine Star's e-shoots here.

An engagement shoot is also about getting photos of the individual before they are married. Believe me, you will certainly become a different person after marriage! It's nice to have this opportunity to get some photos of yourselves as you are at this time in your lives.

And an engagement shoot is a GREAT way for you to find out what it's like to be behind the camera of your chosen photographer before your wedding date. You'll see if you're comfortable together and get along. And if you love your engagement shots, you're almost certain to relax on your wedding day because you know you'll look fab in the photos!

Have a look at this free e-book by a stylist and photographer who work in London. They have some great tips for your engagement shoot! http://thaoski.com/booklet/

And stay tuned for tomorrow on how to use your photographs.

And some of my recent engagement shoots from this year:

Gill and Jason

Mary and David

Claire and Cian

you can win a FREE engagement shoot with Lisa O'Dwyer Photography; spread the word!

Yesterday I was walking through one of Dublin's best little secret places, Iveagh Gardens, when I came upon this little heart made of stones. I had noticed a few couples cuddling in the park earlier, so maybe it was one of them? A little idea popped into my head: I would like to offer one lucky couple a chance to win a free engagement photo shoot here, or somewhere in Dublin (or within an hour of Newbridge County Kildare where I live).

Engagement shoots have been included in wedding photography packages in the United States for ages, but have never been popular here in Ireland. Maybe this is what keeps the price of wedding photography so much lower here (in the US, $3000 is the average price of wedding photography which includes the engagement shoot). I offer engagement shoots as an extra add-on to the couples that choose me to photograph their wedding. It's a great way for the couple to relax and see what it's like to be photographed together. It's a great way for me to see how the couple will interact on their wedding day and if one of them might need to be loosened up with a drink beforehand! Plus it's great to have photos of each other without all of the wedding regalia. I think engagement shoots are going to become more popular here and I want YOU to be my models!

Without further ado, I'd like to invite a lucky couple, or a lucky couple and their children if they wish, to enter my first contest. This contest is for a free engagement photo shoot and the disc of all edited images in high-resolution from which you'll be able to print and enlarge at your own convenience. You MUST be free to do the shoot on the 15th of May 2011. This is a Sunday, and I'd like to do some golden sunset photos around 7-8pm if possible. If the time doesn't suit, we can do earlier, BUT the date of May 15 sticks.

How to enter:
1.) You get one entry for "liking" Lisa O'Dwyer Photography on Facebook and posting  (copy and paste this) "I would like to win a FREE engagement shoot with Lisa O'Dwyer Photography because..." under the CONTEST post on my Facebook page.
2.) You can get an extra entry if you post a comment below this post here on my blog on why you would like to win. Please write your email there so I contact you if you win.
3.) You get an additional entry if you Tweet on Twitter "Lisa O'Dwyer Photography wants YOU to enter a contest for a FREE engagement photo shoot in Dublin http://tinyurl.com/6ary92t" 


So you have the option to get THREE entries per person. One for "liking" and posting a comment on my Facebook page, two for posting a comment below on my blog, and three for Tweeting about the contest (please leave a comment below on the blog to tell me that you have tweeted and what your Twitter name is).

***This contest will end on the 21st of March. You have two weeks! The winners name will be selected at random and contacted by email. You do NOT have to book me for your wedding photographer. You don't even have to have a wedding date set! You just have to be in LOVE!

Spread the word however you can!!!