Rules for Engagement Announcements

Please give me all the rules you know for making an acceptable engagement

announcement. Include everything you know about publication issues as well. I would

like to combine your comments with my own to make the "ultimate engagement portrait:.

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My own:

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This engagement announcement will be seen by a wide audience. do not want this

audience to find symbols in the picture that will cause their friends to laugh: at the

woman's long nose; at the lips of the couple; at the clenched fist which is too clenched.

Each person still has her dignity, even though they may be casual and playing around.

Later, when the couple sees the picture, the bride-to-be will look at her lips, and every

part of her face and body. She will ask herself if she looks fat. She will ask herself if you

made her look fat. She will look under her chin to see if you hid her double chin. And on

and on it goes when you serve the public. And this is the adaptation that you must make

to serve the public. It is a give and take of rules and conditions. Those rules come from

society, from convention, from style, from fashion. If make clowns out of the bride

and groom, it has to be a special kind of clowning. The audience has to end up adoring

the clowning-around photo. You see, showing a fat body part can spoil the laugh (for

example).

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remember these people are not [my] friends. They are not relatives. do not know

what their thoughts and dreams are.

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And these considerations make my job difficult. Breaking

the rules, and 'walking over the net' is the easy part. But first, need to know what and

where are all the rules and where then they apply.

 

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When people own pictures, they tend to find more 'errors' and

defects the longer they look at the picture. And their friends will see things in the picture

that are unmerciful. I know this, and I make a living being concerned about these details.

They may see their distorted noses, their too dark eyes, the uncomfortable way they are

leaning against...whatever. The difference between them and me, is that I rapidly, in

seconds, see all the defects. I don't need anyone to point them out. I have heard all of the

conversations and complaints and suggestions of previous customers. It may sound trivial,

but I remember when a bride criticised me for simply asking her to touch the limb of a

tree: She said later that I made her look like a monkey! Well, I was a new professionial, and

I had lessons to learn then. She made me feel really bad. It hurt.

 

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Serving the public is not 'art photography' wherein can simply do as please.

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It only takes a few years of constantly serving the public to find that (as a

photographer) must consider the vanity and (bad) symbols that could be created in

something as harmless as an engagement picture. If you actually saw my engagement

pictures, you would see that I have gone way past traditional portraits. I put a fashioney

slant to it. I added sexiness; we did theatrical things to make the groom look like he was

"eating up the bride" (he was dressed in a top hat). I have put them on the floor.

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But although I created something different on the page from all the other engagement

announcements, I keep a discipline of remembering their vanity and need to look good no

matter what I did with their bodies and placements.

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Please give me your rules and thoughts on doing your engagement announcements.

I allow the couple to pick the photo that expresses what they wish to project. <p> As a woman, I can tell you that I know which image is most desireable to "me" of myself. Interestingly enough - it is not about the picture that makes me look slim, cute, beautiful -- but the picture that shows my husband and my personality the best! <p>I had engagement photos done last spring. My favorite was of Randy leaning over me on the bench in a very playful way and my head was back all the way and I was laughing. He had his wonderful teasing, loving smile across his face. I didn't think twice about it and picked it as our showcase shot which I displayed at the wedding. There was my laugh lines around my eyes and mouth....my weak chin...my profile that I don't love but the picture was so US. No one would laugh at the imperfections and I knew that. Instead they would smile at the obvious fun and love between us because it was just one of those spontanteous, and obviously loving images that showed our personality so well. <p>Granted - that's me. So my opinion is to understand your client as best you can and trust that they will pick the shot that reflects their taste. Some brides are more self concious and usually they tell you ahead of time that they don't like their profile, or their nose or whatever. I still shoot some shots with an eye toward flattering the bride and groom and some fun - non-fussy shots and quite often (but not always) brides end up picking those "imperfect" expressive shots for albums and engagement announcements.

i suggest you look at fashion photography for ideas.

I always do engagement shots with a digital camera and explore the effect of different lens

draw on the subject's face. This gives me a clue about the wedding shots to come later.

 

Immediately after we load them on the computer for the couple to review. If they are

delighted with one or more, then we're done. If we're not there yet, we do more. The

clients leave with their prints and CD.