Boy, how times have changed. It used to be that an engagement photo was just that–one photo.  Traveling to the nearest Olan Mills Studio for a perfectly posed photo was just about all it took.  But now, that just won’t do.  Stepping up process, it’s no longer a photo–it’s an event!  Orchestrated and planned by the couple and their photographer, these engagement photos bring the relationship front and center, showcasing the couple’s fun side, interests, where the live or even give a glimpse of how they met.  It’s a veritable expose!

With all that going on, it’s important that these babies turn out right.  To get the most out of your wedding engagement photos, True Photography suggest these tips (and from the look of their amazing photos, they’re right!):

1)  Long exposures can help create great movement in the shot.  Everyone knows that the world doesn’t stand still when you kiss, but this picture says that it certainly feels that way.

2)  Showing that you have fun together, shows how much you love each other.  Look for ways to incorporate your personality into the shot.  A good photographer can also catch the natural, spontaneous fun you’re having that day as well.

3)  Bring a very simple prop that will add interest to the photograph. (Hey, I wonder if a unique wedding favor qualifies as a prop?  Talk about adding interest!)

Personally, I’m not sure which side of the “natural or retouched” debate I’m on when it comes to wedding photos. If you’re planning a wedding, and it includes photography, you have to make your own decision. I think it comes down to money and vanity. Time for a reality check.

The Cost Factor

After a bit of research, I discovered that some photographers feel retouched photos distinguish professional images from amateur images. You should decide ahead of time if you want your photos retouched or not. If you want them retouched, ask potential photographers 1) if they do digital retouching and 2) if it’s included in the cost they quote you, or if you have to pay extra. High-end photographers usually include retouching as part of their quote, so you can expect exceptional images for which you’ll pay dearly.

“Censorship is the height of vanity.”

Martha Graham made the above statement, and you have to decide how you feel about it. After all, getting your wedding photos retouched to make you and every image of your wedding appear perfectly beautiful is what I would have to call censorship. You are, indeed, removing flaws from the photos you don’t want others to see—and, clearly, you don’t want to look at them yourself.

Are retouched photos honest images? Is your wedding album the one time it’s okay to gloss over the truth for the sake of perfection? Yes, celebrity photos are almost always heavily retouched. When we see celebrities in candid photos, we’re stunned at how different they really look (although I suspect the tabloids retouch those photos, too, to make the celebrity look worse.) In a world where it’s getting harder every day to believe what you see and what you hear, perhaps an unretouched wedding album would be a breath of fresh, believable air. Will it be yours?