I’m so blessed. And not in the clichéd kind of blessed. I mean the real, down-home, 110% blessed. I’m a wedding photographer and I couldn’t picture a better profession in the world. Not only am I privileged to document the most important day of a bride and groom’s life, I’m able to meet the most amazing families, experience the amorous vows of two people pledging their lives to each other, and eat wedding cake at the end of the night! Like I said, I’m blessed.
I want to thank Rhonda for inviting me to be a blog contributor and it’s my goal to offer sound wedding photography advice every week. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment box…creating dialogue between industry professionals and clientele is imperative to developing stronger cords of communication. So don’t hesitate to speak your mind, vent, or just drop a lil’ warm-n-fuzzy 
THE ENGAGEMENT SESSION
Often times, I’m asked by my clients the importance of an engagement session and whether it’s necessary. I could expound in great detail about the vitality of an engagement session, but for brevity’s sake, I’ll keep my encouragement to three main points:
1. Workin’ Out the Kinks…
At almost every engagement shoot, my clients will initially appear awkward and uncomfortable in front of the camera…and this is totally understandable! It’s not the norm to coquettishly interact in front of a lens, much less kiss in front of a photographer. During the engagement session, I’m able to stand back and watch the dynamic of my clients’ relationship, as well as photojournalistically capture their personalities. By the end of the shoot, my clients are laughing, enjoying the simple moments, and just being themselves. My goal is to show up to a wedding and have the bride and groom feel like I’m just a friend with a professional camera.
2. Do You Trust Me?
An engagement session proffers the opportunity for my clients to trust me. Really, really trust me. I’ve asked clients to run along the Pacific shore fully clothed, kiss in front of brightly-colored dumpsters, and lay on the ground in public spaces…I’ve pretty much asked my clients to relinquish their preconceived notions of photography and let me take the reigns. After the engagement session is commenced, and the pictures are produced, my clients are able to see from my mind’s eye. They know when they’re wedding day arrives, if I ask them to do something out-of-the-ordinary, I have their best interests in mind…and the pictures will prove trust was the cornerstone of our relationship.
3. For Posterity’s Sake
An engagement session is the most fun way to document my clients’ personalities. It’s not often when people have professional pictures taken, so I try to maintain a level of normalcy with each shoot. I always have my clients choose the photography location and encourage them to go somewhere that truly reflects their love for one another. This is the best way to capture emotion because they’re comfortable in their surroundings, allowing them to be real. After all, pictures are but a brief moment frozen in time…capturing who my clients are for the posterity of their family and future generations.
-Jasmine Star
Website: Jasmine Star Photography
Blog: Jasmine Star Photography Blog