In this economy, many photographers are looking for creative ways to market their studios, increase referrals, and generate more revenue. One of the most overlooked, yet cost effective ways do all three is to shoot engagement sessions. As easy as it sounds, you might be surprised by the benefits of shooting an engagement session for every wedding client you book. Here are just a few of the many benefits of shooting an engagement session:

Increase the Perceived Value of Your Packages: When you include an engagement session as part of each wedding package, its perceived value increases. Clients understand the value (and cost) of your time and by adding an engagement session to each wedding package, clients will feel they are getting more for their money.

Put Your Clients at Ease: When you shoot an engagement session, you are given an opportunity to get to know you clients better and let them learn more about you. Let them ask questions during the session and assure them about any qualms they might have before their wedding day. It’s also a great time to make your clients more comfortable in front of the camera. Your clients will feel more at ease when you shoot them at their wedding if they are comfortable with you shooting them. You also benefit by learning which angles do and don’t work for your clients and what you need to do to get the perfect shot.

Increase Sales Opportunities: After you shoot an engagement session, post it online to a Collages.net Premium Website. Clients will surely want to purchase images from their engagement session and share their photos with friends and family. This easy step equals increased print sales. Engagement sessions are also a great time to shoot photos for guest sign-in albums, wedding invitations, save the dates on magnetic backing, or photo boards for guest signing during the wedding. The possibilities are endless!

Build Your Portfolio: Engagement sessions provide you with fresh images to post on your website and creates an excuse to post a new entries on your blog. The more opportunities you have to shoot your clients, the better your work will become and the stronger your portfolio will be.

Kathleen Trenske of Robert & Kathleen Photographers in Bridgeport, CT understands the importance of shooting engagement sessions before every wedding. She states, “We love engagement sessions and recommend them to all of our couples. It gives the couple an opportunity to see how we work and get an idea of what it will be like to be photographed, which makes them much more comfortable on the wedding day. It gives us a chance to further build our relationship with them and learn about how their interact with each other. By the time we walk in on the wedding day, we’re greeted like old friends.”

Husband and wife team Eric and Alice Yeh of Serendipity Photography in Sugar Land, Texas, also believe in the important of shooting engagement sessions. Eric states, “To us, engagement sessions are not just a portrait session. It’s the only time before the wedding to hang out with our couples and have fun, just like a double date. When couples display their sign-in albums and enlargements at the reception, we get rewarded by showing off our work to their friends and families. Engagement sessions bring our clients closer to us and that’s why we include an engagement session in every wedding package.”

Whether you are just starting out or are a veteran wedding photographer, shooting engagement sessions can have a positive impact on your studio’s success.

Photo Credit: Robert & Kathleen Photographers, Serendipity Photography