I would love to hear from some seasoned pros about E-Sessions.

1. How long is your typical session?

2. Do you stick to one spot, or move around a lot? How long in each spot?

3. Let's say you have 80 photos you really like ... and you've already trashed any questionables or pure duplicates (same angle, lighting, action level) and you thing any photo there could be a framer in someone's eyes. Would you still pare it down to 20 or so?

Now let's say 6 of those 80 are amazing portfolio material. ... do you just post those and let them think you're increadible?

Thany you so much for your answers. I'm only getting started and am having trouble with this.

I'm interested to hear answers to this too,

I have only done 2 sessions, both were very similar, so I'm no "seasoned pro", but this is my answers to your questions:

1: 2 hours minimum
2: 1 main location, but try to find a location with some diverse backgrounds (haha - sounding like a seasoned pro in my head)
3: I took about 100 shots (just over) both times, and processed only 24 and 27 images, which I really liked. I guess I could have cut it down further, but for 2 hours of thier time I figured 20-ish excellent shots was better than just 8 supreme shots. I could have processed a couple more, but again 20-ish shots felt about right.

Hope this helps, looking forward to hearing more answers.

I'd like to hear what others say too. I have much to learn on this one.

I'm not seasoned at all, but I like to walk around, get a few different locations in (maybe 5-10) over the course of a couple hours. Because they're portrait stuff, I like to give quite a number of options and probably end up posting too many. I think my last one had about 300 and 20 favorites. Yeah...that IS too many!

Yeah, interested in others' replies too.
-Eddie

I typically stick to one location. I pick a location that has a lot of oppertunities. My sessions usually last about an hour, and I give them betweeen 40-80 proofs. In my contract I say only 20, but it is always more.

I figure you never know what they like. It seams that most of the time they don't choose my favorite ones. Then, they will pick the very plain traditional head and sholders pose. That is why I try to give them a vairiety.

I have shot about 30 e-sessions and every one is different. I might use some of the same locations but I have spent ½ an hour and I have spent 2 hours with them. It all depends on the people. As far as time at each location I have shot 2 shots and moved on and I have shot 20 shots and then moved it’s never the same.

I will show about 60 (30 color 30 B&W) proofs on-line for about 90 days they also get a proof book from us but that only has about 30 images in.
Hope this helps

1-2 hours. park at one location a walk around where ever the mood takes us. I try not to stay on one spot of pose for too long as it can be tireing. I may show them 100-150 images but I take a lot and the ones that i show are different enough. I of course have my favorites and let them know what they are. THis is a fun time a good chance to see how the couple interacs and how far you can take them creativley.

1) 60-120 minutes
2) we move around, generally i am in one spot for less than 5 minutes
3) i take 300-500, keep 150-250 and show those

Wow, this is so surprising. I figured most would only post 20 or 30, but I see that many go over.

I'm just starting out and had my 1st yesterday. Actually; it was a mock session to flush out flash technique that I'm weak on.

We spent 1 1/2 hours (too long, we were tired). They wanted to see results so we went to Starbucks and looked at them on my laptop.

They felt better then and we did 15 minutes more in a more shaded area, but they appeared "done" so we didn't linger.

I posted 78 photos and was advised (by a respected pro) to pare it down by about half. I think it\'s because my poor sunlight flashing technique made him cringe a little, but I have such a hard time picking the "best" that I thought to overkill it. (now looking back, I want to delete all those taken in direct sunlight). They had such great looks, but my exposure made the shots technically less than perfect.


Additional question: Do you instruct them much?

What's your protocol for giving instruction?


Thanks so much for all your answers. It's a great help! I'm glad to hear there are other newcomers here who can relate.

again, I'm no expert, but the way I did it was let them set the tone and then adjust the pose a little as I go.
Posing is not my strong suite so I'm interested again in the responses.

I'm not a seasoned pro, I've only done a handful but heres my info:

I like to shoot for a while.. maybe 3-4 hours over 2-3 locations to get a lot of variety.

I would typically shoot 300-400 images, and edit down to about 100 images to post online (no duplicated, all different). I'd pick probably 25 of my images to use in slideshow.

I interact a bunch... go over there, look like you love each other, give her a kiss on the neck, spin around...

the last engagement portrait session i did the couple LOVED me not only because the pics turned out great, but because we had so much fun shooting together. She's since posted all over theknot.com how much she loved me and sent her slideshow to literally hundreds of people.


Vvyger -- can we see some samples from this shoot?

I hope to nail down the bright sunlight flash thing soon, but the shaded shots turned out well.





A lot of them were like this, where he was trying but she was talking about nothing and fiddling her fingers. Also like this in that my flash was inadequate.

1. 90 minutes...sometimes more, sometimes less depending on travel, weather, mood of the couple (mainly the guy) for the photo session
2. Typically two spots...one formal (sometimes in studio), and one informal. The formal shots are like 10% or less.
3. I shoot around 300-400 images and show around 100. For duplicate pose stuff I like to play around with some PS actions just so that most of the images are unique in some way.

As far as instruction...I tend to give a LOT more at the e-session than at the wedding. I'm probably 60-80% PJ at the wedding, but 60% or more posed during the e-session. Part of that is just learning the couple -- how they take direction, how they react to each other, how much they want to "play." But the engagement shots are also a marketing message for me -- I want them to use "save the date" cards, a signature mat or book, and other gimmicks to show off my work (some people are doing "save the date" magnets) WITH MY WORK. I also use the best e-session shot (my choice) as my event card photo. So I do take the time to make sure that I make the couple look good.

And each couple is different so in my opinion a flexible game plan for the e-session is probably the best approach. One reason this works for me is that it shows the B&G how adaptable I am to various shooting situations. The more planned out ("we're going to go over to that tree and sit you and that rock and have you posed this way") the less you have a chance to show your adaptability. Often times it's that "callling an audible" approach that makes the session wonderfully fun for the couple (typically WAY beyond the groom's expectations) and they start raving about you even before the wedding date.

Another one of my tricks is to chimp only with the most amazingly fun shots. I don't bother showing the formal shots or the rigid shots (typically the first 40% of the session)...but usually by the very end of the session we're all having a blast...that's when I start chimping a few shots. They walk away excited about the possibilities that lie ahead of them...

That's just my approach...I'm sure others have different strategies...(and I'm all ears, too!)

EDIT:

Here are two very different examples of my e-sessions...taken 1 week apart back in October...

This couple was pretty conservative & formal - they wanted more traditional style shots. Add to that when we went outside...their version of "casual clothes" was more formal than I would have expected. Plus it was raining...but we still had some nice shots and they were VERY happy. (The bride e-mailed me 3 times saying "thanks"...then her mom e-mailed me too!)

This couple was more adventurous -- they didn't want anything too formal and we ended up shooting for more than 2 hours. (Dan S. helped me shoot this session...)

Ditto.

I would be very cautious about showing your stuff uneditied. It takes one bad image of the girl to predispose her to an impression of what she looks like in the rest of the shoot. I have litteraly laughed outloud while editing if Ive caught someone in mid blink and mid sentence
and they looked completely ridiculous. The next frame however will be just great.
You need to go throu gh some old posts and see if you can find some of Garrett Nudd's stuff. Hes the bomb at engagement sessions. So are alot of others on this forum, but he stands alone in some respects.
Think passion and always outside the box. Use your city as your backdrop, go to cool places and dont be afraid to get a little steamy.
Just my .02

I shoot about 1 1/2 hours at one main locations with various backgrounds. Usually a college campus offer great backgrounds and good shade. I edit down to about 100 and the clients love it. we offer and engagement signature album as a add on with about 25 images in the album. They use this in place of the signature frame that is so common. Offering this many photos they can never narrow it down. 90% of my couples end up adding these on to their packages. I always let them see the final product. I might show them one or two on the camera to let them know what I am doing or see, then they get excited, relax a little more, and are more playful.

Thanks Ross, CL, Dan, and all for your help.

I've had Doug Gordon's "Flow Posing" DVD's recommended - and Jim Kennedy has volunteered a little workshop in 2 weeks on the subject (Huntington Beach, if anyone else wants to come - $50).

Not showing unedited ... excellent point about making them self consious!

It mainly helped in this case because they saw that we (my co-shooter and I both did the E-Session) could do for them. They were far happier to return to shooting after seeing some keepers (and having a refreshment)!

It was a mock session (friends) for practice. For a paying client I was considering that their opinion of my skill will be based on the worst photo. Plus; edge burning, some nice PP actions, music, framing - nothing like polish and presentation.

I see now that matters even for freebies.