Today,
an engagement picture can be anything you want it to be-formal,
casual, silly, serious, in a studio, a home, or even outdoors.
Years ago, well-to-do couples took a formal, studio portrait
at the time of their engagement, to print in the society pages
announcing their betrothal. The practice of announcing a couple's
engagement in their hometown newspapers is still fairly popular,
but you will notice a wide range of poses accompanying those
announcements. Since social convention has waned, the engagement
photo can be the couples' first opportunity to display their
unique "shared" identity.
Your
first decision is whether you want an engagement photo at all.
There is no obligation to have one. But if you do, your opportunities
to use it will be endless. Beyond the obvious-a newspaper announcement-some
couples have used it as their first formal portrait to hang
in their home, others have incorporated it into the design of
their wedding invitation or program, still others display it
at the many wedding-related social events, such as their engagement
party, shower, and rehearsal dinner. You may want to use your
engagement photo to start an engagement album-to document the
activities leading up to your big day. Or, you might mount the
engagement photo on a mat board for your guests to sign at the
wedding reception. The whole thing can be framed later on, to
create an interesting and personal memento.
Once
you have decided to take an engagement picture, your next decision
will be what you want that picture to look like. As an experienced
photographer, I encourage my clients to incorporate their personalities
into the photo. If you're not the formal types, you might consider
matching pullover sweaters or sweatshirts with your college
mascots-especially fun if you went to the same or rival colleges.
If you find the "dress up" thing too silly, you might
consider personalizing the shot by having it taken at a location
that you find particularly beautiful or meaningful to you as
a couple-the spot where he (or she) proposed, the place where
you met, your home, your favorite hangout, a mountaintop, or
beside a beautiful lake. This is called "environmental
portraiture." To learn more about my technique, go to the
"Portraits" section of my web site.
