For more location types besides the Chicago beachfront engagement session go check out our favorite engagement photo location types.
When most couples are choosing a wedding photographer they, understandably so, decide using the portfolio of several different companies. It’s not often the case that we get to come face to face with our prospective clients so that our personalities and photography work make the first impression at the same time. This is usually only the case at wedding expo’s. We don’t typically do them but at the beginning of this year we decided to give one a try. Between Rue’s design skills catching passerby’s eyes and my ability to talk someone’s ear off until they are forced to pretend to like me, we stood a decent chance. This ended in some amazing Chicago beachfront engagement photos!
If you need more inspiration go check out our Top wedding venues in the Chicago suburbs!
You can also go check out our other Kemil Beach engagement sessions.
First Impressions | Chicago Beachfront Engagement
That expo is where we met Kendella. We chatted for quite a while and I knew instantly that we were going to get along great. You meet so many people at expos that it is sometimes hard to remember every personality. So I put her at the top of my list to contact as soon as possible.
Anyone who knows how we run Eight Hands knows that we love to send video texts. This helps us introduce ourselves and show our faces. I made my video for Kendella just hoping I would hear back from her and have the opportunity to work for her. For the first, and still the last time to this date, Kendella responded unlike any other client has before. She responded with a video message of her own. That right there sealed the deal for me. I didn’t care what needed to happen. I wanted to be a part of her wedding day.
Second Impressions? | Chicago Beachfront Engagement
Screening clients through multiple methods prior to booking helps Rue and I make sure that it is a couple we really want to work with. We spend so much time getting to know our couples that we need to really like them. We don’t buy into the volume business models but invest heavily in quality. Quality comes from making our couples comfortable with us and in front of the camera. From comfortability comes trust, then real moments. From real moments comes beautiful candid memories from your wedding day.
We chatted with Kendella and William over a group text after the initial consult to nail down engagement dates and locations. After a lot of discussion they decided on Kemil beach. My favorite couples are the couples that include each other in the decision making processes just like Kendella and William. After a few more phone calls discussing the location, timeline, and outfit/session pointers, we were ready to shoot.
William was pretty quiet on the phone calls/texts/zoom meetings. I didn’t have a good handle on who he was as a person yet. From the second we started talking at the beach, prior to the engagement session, I felt like I connected with him. He was genuine (my favorite, and pretty rare, human quality), happy, and truly in love with Kendella. You could see his joy through every little and big smile he sent her way. The two of them said they had really never been photographed professionally so getting them comfortable was number one. I won’t give away all of our tricks but there was plenty of talking and games. This helps us to create the real moments that we try so hard for.
Chicago Beachfront Engagement Photos
The session was incredible as you can see for yourself. How could it not be? Kendella and William are so happy, so in love, and so beautiful together. Meeting up with them to reveal their engagement photos and build their engagement album just solidified my feelings toward all the time we put into making them as comfortable as possible on their engagement session. They were so happy with the result and told me numerous times how much fun it was and how happy they were that it wasn’t awkward. We can’t wait to capture their wedding day in October and hope to continue our friendship long beyond their wedding day.
The Takeaway
I guess my summary of this post could have been left at the above paragraph but I still feel like I haven’t hit the important things I really wanted to get out to the future clients or others browsing our site. The big takeaway I want everyone to have here is that your wedding photographer should be so much more than just a wedding day photographer.
I know I am biased but I truly believe it is one of, if not the, most important aspects of your day. Photographs and video are the only documentation of the entire day. That can’t be left to just anyone, or someone you don’t know or trust. Get to know the actual photographer that will be there on your wedding day, not some random person assigned by a big company. If they aren’t interested in getting to know you, are they really interested in your wedding?
If beachfront isn’t your style go check out our other location recommendations!
This Location: Kemil Beach
Eight Hands Photography – Artistic Chicago Wedding Photographers
