He Was Going To Wear Jeans

The bride-to-be offered to meet me at the location where she and her fiance were hoping to have their photos done. We spent twenty to thirty minutes exploring and I was figuring out what might work. As we were getting to leave, she mentioned what they were thinking about wearing.

"I have a white dress and he'll probably wear jeans and a collared T-shirt".

Mentally, I freaked a little bit. I've learned enough from my teachers to know that wardrobe is important. How to convey that nicely? What do you say?

The important thing is to convey that you're thinking of the couple and how they will want their photos. I mentioned maybe khakis, if he had them, just because then it's be a little dressier, but it's not like you're dressed for church. Also, these are your engagement pictures! Dress up a bit, enjoy them!

I offered my opinion and she was thoughtful about it. When they arrived for their session, I was very pleased to see that he was wearing khakis and not jeans.

Would it have been the end of the world if he had been wearing jeans? No. Absolutely not. I still would have been able to capture great photos for them and it would have been lovely. But I think they will be much happier with their images because of the slightly more classy look of the khakis. You might be thinking, "it's a pair of pants! How much of an impact can it have?". I would say, "a lot". I mean, if casual is the look you're going for, then obviously, jeans are the way to go. But I knew she would have a nice dress on and I wanted their looks to work together for the best results possible.

The moral here is, when offering suggestions to your clients, make sure they know you're saying this because you want them to love their photos. They are hiring you for your expertise and often they don't think of these things. But also make sure they know that you are happy to do whatever they decide. More often than not, they're going to take your suggestion. If they don't, it's our job as the photographer to still give them the same experience and the same high quality photos.

The blog post from this engagement session is coming soon! Stay tuned.

Blessings,
Sarah