E-pics - Necessary?

samiam0270

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the boards, I got engaged in September 2009 and planning for a June 2011, so slowly taking in all the excellent advice from everyone.  

I was wondering if engagement photos are really necessary, what people typically use them for, and how far in advance prior to the wedding they are usually done?  

I really wanted to get married in Hawaii but unfortunately the whole family wants to be there for it so we are doing it in the area, but the idea crossed my mind to maybe take a trip to Hawaii next year and while there get e-pics taken (so I can say Hawaii was some part of this experience).  But in reality, will I really use them?

Any advice/opinions/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

spuccio

I think I am in the minority here, but we didn't get e-pics done and I haven't missed them for a second. I really enjoy looking at everyone else's, though :-)

erilouboston

We weren't going to get e-pics done, but then our photographer offered to do them for free after we booked her - and I'm SO glad we did them. We really worked out a lot of kinks about what we wanted for the wedding by doing a shooting session together beforehand (ie, I discovered I really dislike kissing shots after this - so we had almost none in at our wedding). 

Your case is different, if you want to have them shot somewhere else, you likely won't be using the same photographer for the wedding (unless you pay travel expenses). But I think even being in front of the camera together before the wedding is beneficial - we are a little awkward, and we worked that all out in the engagement session so the day of the wedding we just fell into poses with each other.

As for using them - I made an album and it sits on our coffee table. I also printed a few out, and have them framed, but they'll be getting swapped out for wedding pics soon. So while I don't look at them all the time or anything - they are still nice to have. Especially since they captured one of my favorite hairstyles of all time LOL

A good person to ask about this is *jenwindy* - page her - she did a photo shoot in another country before the wedding! And I think they are thrilled they have those photos, since their outdoor ceremony got rained out. 

KBackus12

We're going to do them either but they came free with our photographer. I'm giving our parents/grandparents a framed photo for christmas,  using it for our engagement announcment in the paper, and adding them to our guest book (which also comes with our photo package)

coreywalk

We did them, but my father took them--I didn't pay for them.  He has a knack for photography and I am really glad we did them.  Without them, most pictures of us are at parties or have other people in the background.  It is really nice to have some pictures of just the two of us.

HTH

Corey

samiam0270

Wow, you guys are fast, LOL.  Thanks for all the advice, that makes sense that it's a good chance to test the photography waters of who we'd be using and also how we are in front of the camera.  I would probably just look on the Hawaii boards to see which photographers out there are recommended and hire them, but that's just an added cost I might not need.  Definitely something I'll think about over the next year or so!  If I were to do e-pics, when should I do them if I'm planning for a June 2011 wedding?  Does it matter how early/late you do them?

Jaclyn619

There's no need for them really.

I DID get them done and we're giving them to our parents. It's just a nice picture to have, nothing super special

FtMrskram

We used them for our save the dates and signing board at our wedding.  I love mine...I am So glad we got them!!! 

junelley

We would not be having a engagement photo session if it wern't included in the packge we got.  I don't think it's absolutely necessary since they are usualy casual pictures of the couple, but it's a nice little opportunity to get acquainted with the photographer and have some nice pictures taken of just the two of you.   Some photographers offer a complimentary engagement session or include a session in their packges so you might want to look for that.  I don't think we would have spent more money just for an engagement session, though.

noodle_oo

We want to do them, mainly because we never really get nice pics of us taken together and this is a good opportunity.  I think it is nice to have some regular portriats of us in our normal clothes vs. all the wedding pictures in formal clothes.  Actually, it is funny, our photographer calls it a "lifestyle" shoot as opposed to an engagement shoot since she doesn't focus on the ring and typical posed shots, she more tries to capture us naturally.  I also think it is a great way to get comfortable with the photographer and see her work before the wedding and also get comfortable being photographed.  We'll probably make a nice album of the photos and maybe use them for save the dates or a guest book

samiam0270

Thanks for all the great advice everyone!  Another question...where did some of you go to get them done?  I just right outside Boston, so pretty much anywhere that's a 30-40 min drive north, south, or west would work for me if I decided to do them in this area with the same photographer who'd do the wedding.  Any suggestions on good outdoor locations (gardens, near water, etc)?

jkepros

Definitely not necessary.  We decided NOT to have e-pics done, but then heard of a photographer (not the one we booked) who was offering free B&W portrait sessions, so we did that instead.  I do think it was nice to do a dry run (like, we realized that FI gets all stiff & posed in pictures, but once I started saying silly little inside jokes and things like that to break the ice, he relaxed a LOT and the later pictures look a lot better).  We got 1 free 8x10 with the session, plus I bought another 8x10 and we might frame one of those and have it on display by the guestbook or something.  Don't look at the pics much, but like pp, it IS nice to have a few nice pics of just us.

As far as WHEN to do it, plan out your schedule and work backward.  So if you are having your wedding June 2011....when do you plan on sending out invites?  Maybe April 2011?  Are you doing STDs?  When are you sending those out?  If you want to mail your STD in, let's say December of next year, and you want to use the engagement pics for your STD (I think that's pretty common), then you want to give at least 2 months beforehand to give the photographer time to edit & make prints, etc.  (many photographers will do this within 2 weeks, but I'd err on the side of caution and give yourself plenty of time).  So maybe have them done by Sept/Oct of next year?

If you aren't going to use them for your STD, then the timing doesn't matter as much. 

GL!

Shazzie116

PP all have great advice! It is nice to have the experience of having these kinds of pics together, like erilou, I am not such a fan of the kissing pics, which many of our epics were. 

For locations, we did ours at Duxbury Beach, Scituate Lighthouse, and then a morning in and around Boston (pics are in bio). We were lucky that our photographer friend gifted them to us, and she made a book for us to use as a guest book at the wedding. 

Other things people use them for are save the dates, gifts to parents, and just having nicer pictures of the two of you. The average picture of FI and I is at barbecues holding beers and making goofy faces, so it's nice to get a little dressed up and be a bit more poised and posed

jenwindy

Erilou is right on the money. My siggy pic below might be an indication that I'm grateful for our destination e-pics! 

I originally wanted a wedding in Hawaii but when we pitched the idea to our parents, they were completely against it, too. I love warm, tropical places so I was a little (okay, a lot) disappointed. We decided to book a photo session while we were in Vietnam instead. I don't regret it at all. It's some of our favorite photos together. When it downpoured on my wedding day, I was even more thankful to have those nice outdoor photos.

It's definitely not necessary to have e-pics, but it was a nice extra that I look back at fondly (I can be sentimental when it comes to photos though). We made an album out of those e-pic shots and displayed them at our wedding- again, not necessary, but neither are a lot of things when it comes to weddings. Weigh what's important to you personally. Photos were big for me.

The girls made excellent points about working out kinks with an e-pic session. I would recommend having one with your wedding day photographer if possible because it's a great way to get to know each other's work style, preferences, and comfort level. We learned that Bao didn't like the closeup photos that our photog liked to take. Some photographers offer complimentary e-pic sessions to couples during the wedding booking process. It's a great way for both parties to get to know each other.

Ainslie325

No, not necessary-- but nice to have.  Mine were a part of my photography package for the wedding otherwise I likely would not have done them.  We shot them in jeans and sweaters-- very much who we are-- in the city where we live.  I've used them for our photo guestbook, save the dates, and wedding announcements (local papers).  If I hadn't had them taken, I'm sure i could have easily used other photographs.  They are nice to have, though.  A link to our e-pics is in my bio.

LexiMS

We got them done but it was part of our package.  It was really nice to get used to our photographer and to get used to "not posing".  I also learned that even though we LOVE our photographer, she is not going to tell me when my hair needs to be fixed--good to know for the wedding! 

We got ours done in our apartment and our neighborhood.

samiam0270

Thanks everyone, these insights are really helpful, once I start looking for a photographer in this area I'll see if it comes with the e-pic session; if it does, great, if not, even more reason to get them done in Hawaii!  I'd love to be able to use them for STDs, but I think those need to be mailed like a year in advance of the actual date, and I wouldn't be going to Hawaii until next fall/winter, but this definitely gets me started thinking about it!

Krystalynne21

We can get them done for a little extra, but I am not too concerned with them.  If we decide to do pics for STD's, we have a friend who is dabbling in photography, so we'll have him take them.  Like Spuccio, I don't really think I will miss them!

MeaghanandMichael

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_massachusetts-boston_e-pics-necessary?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:89Discussion:7b5c1ee5-75cf-4c94-83bd-bec1c0ef9939Post:d1ede715-4dc8-4f91-9f55-3e8b3e6fcbfb">Re: E-pics - Necessary?</a>:
[QUOTE]I think I am in the minority here, but we didn't get e-pics done and I haven't missed them for a second. I really enjoy looking at everyone else's, though :-)
Posted by spuccio[/QUOTE]

I haven't even read the rest of the responses, but, I can say I completely agree with this to the max.