Engagement Pictures!

Last weekend was our first execution of a real wedding event. We took our Engagement Pictures!!! Being a photographer, I was surprisingly comfortable being in front of the camera versus behind it. We both had a blast. Most photographers will give you a 2 hour engagement package as part of the entire wedding photography package. But, we could not do this since we needed our engagement pictures to be in Chicago and the wedding is in California. So, I scoured all the photographers in Chicago to find Gabriel and Lidia of Radiance of Light .

Given that this was just an engagement shoot they gave us over 5 hours of shoot time. Try being a model for 5 hours straight....it was exhausting....but so so so much fun!!! I have fully lived my little girl dream of being a model :-). 

We started our shoot in Glenview Woods, where Gabriel has shot pics like this....

We then went to the Botanical Gardens, which of course, holds very special meaning for us (where we met and where we got engaged)....and yes, we shot tons of pictures with our beloved tree!

 

Surprisingly, Saurab really got into it as well. He didn't complain once, and at times I think he was having more fun in front of the camera than me!

I can't wait to get the pictures. It should take a couple weeks to process and get all the Pics on a DVD. I am so excited!!! I think it will be hard choosing one or two to go on our save the date! I'll have to enlist some help in choosing....

Said and done, here are some tips for choosing an engagement photographer:
1. It 's not a bad idea to have a separate engagement and wedding photographer. You can get comfortable with the camera, and learn multiple styles. With one photographer, you are stuck with their style and their way of "seeing through the lens"
2. You don't have to go all out for engagement photographers. Being a photographer myself, I think this is a great opportunity to find a "diamond in the rough" and go with a photographer that is up and coming, and trying to get their business off the ground. They will be willing to work with you a lot more and they'll give you 110% of what they've got....and you get to help out a budding career by being a reference. It's a win-win.
3. So, how do you find the Gabriel's of the world, that have SO much talent and catch them before they become "famous"? My advise is to start with flickr.com. Put in some search critiera that makes sense for the type of pictures you want. I typed in "indian wedding" because I wanted someone who had shot people in indian clothes. Several contenders came up - some of which we professional, some of which were amateur, and some of which were...well, miscategorized. So, there is some leg work involved...but it's fun and at the end of the process, you will end up with someone as wonderful at Gabriel and Lidia. OR if you are in Chicago, just cut the leg work and hire Radiance of Light! :-)

This weekend is our engagement party!!! Yay....this is becoming more and more real!