The Purpose of Engagement Photos

March 16, 2014 Steve Vansak

Most wedding clients choose an engagement photo session of some sort. I offer quite a few different options and thought I'd go into the purpose of these sessions and tell you a little bit about them too.

I think the best reason to have an engagement session is the chance to capture yourselves as a couple without the grandeur or the pressures of the wedding day. It's just cool to have professional shots of yourself in regular clothing and to see yourself in a moment in time as most others see you. Engagement sessions are romantic, casual, relaxed. I encourage my clients to pick the engagement package that most represents them.

Some clients love the city of big shoulders and will choose my Chicago Session package. I love this session as it affords me a chance to really deliver unique and romantic images for my clients. There are just so many photo ideas there. I shoot it all in color, but then turn everything to black and white and make it all look like old film shots from the 1960's. You can see examples of the Chicago Engagement packages here.

Other clients despise the hustle and bustle of Chicago. If you are a couple who enjoys a casual stroll through Deep River County Park or a sunset off the beach, then you should choose a Local Engagement session. You can find more examples in my engagement gallery here.

So what do people do we these images? Here are examples of what most of my clients do with their engagement photos:

display a large print as well as other smaller ones at the reception hall as guests enter
use for Save the Date cards designed by me or elsewhere
have them on display at the reception hall in a Wish Book
display them in their new home

Another great purpose for engagement photos is getting used to being photographed. I spend the entire wedding day with my clients and I'm soon accepted in and trusted. This enables me to get great and fun candid moments. However, getting to know each other during an engagement session can break the ice even quicker. I've found that couples are much more relaxed in front of the lens after an engagement session.

There is no reason to take two dozen portraits either. Sometimes there is no need to even be facing the camera. Perhaps we want to show off the wedding date for some shots. Maybe we are going for a tender moment or two or just maybe we want to get a little edgy with some sex appeal in our photos. We can do all of these things. I'm very used to shooting for books, telling a story, so I like to provide you with many different images and looks.

I would encourage you to not be afraid of the dark either!! I often like to split my Chicago Sessions up between day and night shots. This can be done locally as well. It's quite unique to have night time images. Feel free to change clothes too.

Sometimes due to time constraints or budget, a couple may choose to get studio portraits done as their engagement photos. A couple of 8x10's in frames will be next to the guest book when friends and family sign in. It's another great and classy way to showcase your story. Since I do studio work as well as on location, I can provide you with this option as well.

No matter which option you choose for your engagement photos, I know you are going to have a lot of fun and cherish them always. I'm looking out the window as I'm typing this and can FINALLY see grass again. This tells me Spring is on the way and engagement sessions are just around the corner. Think about how you want yours to be and contact me here to get on the calendar.

Chicago Engagement Photos - Love, Leaves, Football, Trains and More

November 19, 2013 Steve Vansak

A groom to be dips his fiancé lovingly in front of the Centennial Park fountain in Chicago, Illinois for their engagement photo.

Jeremiah and Brieanne brought it all to their recent engagement session in downtown Chicago. We needed to show off Fall leaves to blend with their wedding next September. As Indianapolis Colts fans, their devotion to their team also needed to be included. They also fell in love with some recent night time Chicago skyline images I had done as well as my Chicago Sessions Engagement Package that features all the images turned into vintage photographs, evoking old film from the late 1960's and 70's.

So off we went on this brisk November day incorporating all the windy city has to offer. As is tradition with this session, we met at the South Shore train station with the train arriving to take our couple for their adventure.

A couple in love kisses on the platform of the train station.

I shoot these Chicago Session engagement photos in vivid color and then turn them into vintage looking black and white images afterward. Since this is only a sneak peek of last weekend's session, I'll mainly be showing the color versions today. The black and white versions will all be put into a book to tell the story of the day. However, the color versions will be available for the couple as well.

So, let's hop on board and see where this windy city adventure takes us...

A couple clutches hands while taking the train into the city of Chicago for their engagement photo session.

A couple in love shares a laugh on the South shore train going toward Chicago.

I tried to keep my eyes peeled for any Chicago Bears fans who might want to pelt my clients with rocks as they showed off their Indianapolis Colts pride. I can see this image as a Save the Date photo for sure.

An engaged couple writes their wedding date on a football while they kiss in the background wearing their Indianapolis Colts jerseys.

A groom to be tackles his fiancé while playing football in the park in downtown Chicago.

A couple smiles and embraces as they are surrounded by Fall color in the park in downtown Chicago.

Love and football had now been accomplished, now it was time to capture some Fall color. We weren't sure what'd we get this late in November, but I think it worked out pretty good. Brieanne and Jeremiah were up for anything as they braved the winds and the steadily falling temperatures.

A couple embraces as they take a rest during their Autumn engagement photo session in Chicago.

A couple playfully looks at each from each side of a large tree in Millennium Park.

I like to take a good amount of time when I do my Chicago engagement sessions, I do it because i really love it, but it also provides a great story for the album that is included. The city has a photo idea every ten feet it seems. We often take a coffee break and then onto another area. In this case, it was a terrace overlooking the skyscrapers of Chicago. We knew it was going to be cold at this point with nothing to shelter us from the winds off of the Lake Michigan. Brieanne and Jeremiah were very dedicated as I shot the scene a number of times to get the image just right.

The blue Chicago skyline at dusk with a happily engaged couple sitting on the terrace of the Adler Planetarium at the Museum Campus on the lake.

A couple embraces on the shores of Lake Michigan at night with the lighted Chicago skyline in the background.

After night fell, we used the city lights as our backdrop for romantic shots of the couple together celebrating their upcoming marriage. It was a wonderful experience for me and one I think they will cherish forever. There will be many more images to come from this session. For updates, stay tuned here and the Region Weddings Facebook Page as well.

A couple tenderly embraces as city lights blur behind them at night.

A newly engaged couple smiles for the camera on the streets of Chicago at night.

Fall Engagement Photos at Lemon Lake

October 25, 2013 Steve Vansak

Couple is perched in a tree at Lemon Lake Park in Crown Point, Indiana for their fall engagement photos.

When I discussed engagement photos with Rachel and Dustin, I encouraged them to pick a location that would best portray who they are. As people who enjoy the outdoors and nature, they chose Lemon Lake Park in Crown Point. We took these images on a windy October day hoping for Autumn colors and boy, did we ever get them. When I arrived at the spacious Lake County park, I immediately noticed the deep orange leaves on a nearby tree.

A man smiles toward his fiancé for their Fall engagement photo with a tree with bright orange leaves in the background.

We broke out the fishing poles for a few shots and Rachel joked that it would be funny if they actually caught a fish during the shoot. No fish took the bait, perhaps next time.

A couple fishes on the edge of Lemon Lake.

A couple relaxes on a lake pier with their fishing poles in the foreground.

Nothing beats a lazy afternoon in the park....

A couple kisses all alone on the pier of Lemon Lake in the Fall.

I'm one of those photographers whose a bit of an instigator so I encouarged this leaf fight while staying out of harms way. I'm not sure who won here although I think Dustin got the brunt of it...

An engaged couple has fun throwing leaves at each other during their engagement photo session at Lemon Lake County Park.

A couple playfully rolls around in a pile of leaves during a romantic walk in the park.

I love taking these fun photos of couples, but I also enjoy the romantic images too...

A romantic engagement photo of a couple laying on a blanket at Lemon Lake Park with Fall leaves all around them.

Lemon Lake Park is so vast and we were able to get many different types of scenes ranging from the open sky to a kissing spree deep in the heart of the woods.

A couple embraces between trees and underneath the open sky for an Autumn engagement photo.

A couple in loves kisses romantically while walking in the woods.

We ended our day at the playground where we caught Rachel off guard when the swing decided to take a sudden dip!!

A couple plays on a swing set at the playground of a local park.

For me, it was an incredibly fun session and I think it was for Rachel and Dustin as well . These are just a few of the many images taken at Lemon Lake Park. Stay tuned here and the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more images.

Romantic Engagement Photos in Downtown Chicago

September 27, 2013 Steve Vansak

An engaged couple takes a romantic dip on the streets of Chicago.

If you follow this Journal, you may recognize the following image. It is the signature opening shot of the Chicago Session, my romantic engagement package of a day in the windy city. This is the session in which I meet my couples at the train station and we shoot on the train and of course all around the city. I then take the color images and turn them all into black and white and make them look like old film shots from the 1960's and 1970's. This post is merely a sneak peek with many more images (including the black and whites) to come. For now, we will mostly show the color images. To view more of these types of sessions, go here.

A couple in love huddle up on the train platform in East Chicago.

Kate and Greg were a bit nervous when they arrived at the train station in East Chicago. I can't say I blame them as I'm sure they thought of walking around the city with a camera and lighting on them would attract attention and they'd rather be anonymous. However, natives of Chicago are used to all kinds of activity and they paid us little attention. Soon they were doing romantic dips in the street as well as casually hanging out for candid moments to be captured.

A close up photo of an engaged couple holding hands on the train.

A candid moment between a romantic couple in a garden area in Chicago.

A couple in love share a romantic kiss on a park bench in Chicago during their engagement photo session.

I love going into this city for these engagement sessions. Using the buildings as our backdrop can make for some wonderfully dramatic images. I also love the character of the city and how we can wander just a few feet and have 12 different photo ideas. It's also nice to just have my clients take a rest while I spy on them from a distance making images.

A couple sits at the edge of a flower garden with the tall buildings of Chicago in the background.

An engaged couple overlooks the Chicago River during their engagement session.

Please stay tuned here and on the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more updates on Kate and Greg's romantic engagement photos in downtown Chicago. Once all the black and white images are ready with all of their film textures, etc. I will be sure to post a followup.