First off, yes, the title of this blog is a nod at Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 hit remake (whose music video is SOOO 80s by the way 😂). But that doesn’t make the title any less true. Guys (and girls) just want to enjoy themselves, and to most men, engagement sessions do NOT sound like a ton of fun. However, we’ve had countless fiancés look at us at the end of a session and tell us, “Wow, that wasn’t too bad”, or even “Man, I actually had a great time”!

 

But we know how it is. Maybe you’re stressing out about it anyway, or maybe you think your guy will be the exception to the rule. Here’s a few questions we’ve gotten in the past from our brides who are worried about their guys during their engagement session, or even the portrait hour on their wedding day.

 

 

Isn’t 90 minutes too long to take photos?

Keep in mind: we’re real people, not just photo taking robots. While 90 minutes may sound like a long time, we’ve found that it’s the perfect amount of time to capture your love story in two parts. With a 10-minute break in the middle to switch into your second outfits, it’s really more like two 40-minute sessions, which really fly by. Throughout the process, we’ll be chatting with you two and getting to know you better, as well as giving direction through different posing.

 

Although it isn’t the norm (people have busy lives, us included!), we’ve had a few sessions end with our couples asking us out to drinks or even dinner! Apparently some couples didn’t think that 90 minutes was nearly enough time to hang out with us!

 

 

Won’t my fiancé/husband get bored during the photos?

If you or your guy have ever had a bad experience with photography before, we understand why this might be the expectation. Maybe he’s remembering school photos where he had to stand or kneel a certain way on some cheesy backdrop and hold his chin just right for WAY too long. But that isn’t what a session with us is like at all. We keep things lively and interactive. We’re always switching up the posing, the location, and even the mood! And we’re talking with you two and building a relationship the entire time.

 

More often than not, we look at our watches and think to ourselves, ‘There’s no WAY we’re already THAT far into this session! It feels like we just started!’ And our couples often tell us the same thing: ‘Wait, the sun set already? It feels like we just got here!’

 

 

What if his face shows that he doesn’t like photos?

We’re always doing our best to make laughter and genuine smiles a part of your session. Plus, much of our posing dynamics lead to him looking at you, not us. We know that “smile and look at the camera” may not lead to many warm-and-fuzzy smiles, but even our toughest and manliest guys crack a real smile when we ask them to look at their bride-to-be.

 

Plus, like we mentioned before, we’re not robots. It’s genuinely difficult to look at another smiling human being and maintain a stone-cold neutral face. And we laugh and smile a lot during sessions (have we mentioned that we really like our jobs?!).

 

 

What can I do to prep him for the session?

If after all of this, you’re still afraid that he’s going to dread the photo session, the best thing you can do is have an open and honest conversation with him. Share with him some of the things we’ve mentioned in this blog. Let him know how important the photos are to you, and why you chose us (or another photographer) for your session. Show him some of our work and educate him as to what the engagement session means to you. Even the most photo-weary guy will light up on camera if he knows he’s loving his fiancée well by being a part of the session!

 

 

We sincerely hope that this blog helps you and your man have the best engagement session experience possible! Helping you two feel confident and comfortable in front of our cameras is our number one goal, because we know you’ll look good if you feel good, and you’ll have a much better time while you’re at it!

 

If you’re interested in learning more about an engagement session or wedding photography experience with us, click here to contact us!