When couples email me about engagement and wedding photos, the question underneath is almost always the same one: are these two separate things I'm buying, or one thing? After 17 years shooting weddings across Los Angeles, my answer is blunt. They are one thing. The engagement session is not a cute bonus you tack on because the studio offered it — it is the rehearsal for the most expensive photography you will ever pay for, and treating it as a separate purchase from a separate vendor is how couples end up with two galleries that look like they belong to two different couples.

So let me lay out how I actually think about the pairing: what the session is for, what it costs in this city, when to shoot it, and why I push couples toward one team for both.

The engagement session is a paid dress rehearsal

Here is what nobody tells you. On your wedding day, you will have roughly 25 to 40 minutes of dedicated couple portraits. That is it. Everything else is ceremony, family formals, cocktail hour, toasts, dancing. Those 30-odd minutes are when the images that end up on your wall get made — and they happen on the single most emotionally overloaded day of your life, on a clock, with a coordinator hovering because dinner is being plated.

If that is the first time you have ever been photographed together as a couple, you are going to spend the first ten of those minutes learning how to stand. I have watched it happen hundreds of times. The couples who did an engagement session with me three months earlier walk into those portraits already warmed up. They know what I mean when I say "walk toward me and talk to each other, ignore the camera." They know their own faces. That is worth more than any lens I own.

It also tells me things I cannot learn from an email thread. Which side of your face you prefer. Whether you get stiff when I talk too much or when I go quiet. Whether one of you hates being touched in photos. I take all of that to your wedding day, and it saves us both time when time is the thing we're shortest on.

What engagement photos actually cost in Los Angeles

A standalone engagement session in LA typically runs $300 to $900 for a working professional — an hour to two hours of shooting, one or two locations, 40 to 80 edited images back. Under $300 you are usually hiring someone building a portfolio, which is a legitimate choice if you know that's what you're doing. Above $900 you're generally paying for a top-of-market wedding photographer's brand or a session with hair and makeup built in. I broke the pricing tiers down in detail in my post on what an LA engagement session should cost, so I won't repeat all of it here.

What matters for this decision is the arithmetic when it's bundled. Most LA studios, mine included, either include the session in a wedding photography package or discount it heavily when you've already booked the wedding — because I'm not selling you a session, I'm buying myself a better wedding day. My published wedding photography starts at $1,599, and photo plus film together starts at $3,500. A separately-hired engagement shooter at $600 is real money on top of that for something your wedding photographer will often fold in.

I'll be blunt about the one case where hiring someone else makes sense: if you want a wildly different look for the engagement photos than your wedding photographer delivers — hard flash, film grain, editorial styling — go hire that person on purpose. Just do it knowingly, not because nobody told you it was included.

When to shoot them, and why the calendar matters more than you think

Four to eight months before the wedding is the window I push people toward. That is far enough out that the images are useful — save-the-dates, the wedding website, invitations, the guestbook you'll want printed — and close enough that you still look like yourselves. I have had couples shoot 14 months out, then change their hair completely, and quietly not use a single frame.

Season matters here in a way people underestimate. If your wedding is in August and you shoot engagement photos in January, Griffith Park is green and the hills are alive; by your wedding it's all burnt gold. Neither is wrong, but the two galleries will not sit next to each other comfortably. I get into the timing logic more in my guide to when to book your engagement session.

The other calendar reality: book your wedding photographer first. Engagement sessions are easy to schedule — a Tuesday evening works fine. Saturday in October does not exist. Lock the date that can't move, then slot the session into it.

Where I actually shoot engagement photos in this city

LA gives you an absurd amount of range inside a 45-minute drive, and I tell couples to pick locations that mean something over locations that photograph well, because the second thing is my problem to solve.

  • Malibu — El Matador or Point Dume. Gorgeous, and a logistical trap. Parking at El Matador is a small lot that fills by 4pm on weekends, and the tide decides whether the good rock formations are reachable. I check the tide chart before I confirm a Malibu session, every time.
  • Downtown — the Arts District, Bradbury exterior, Broadway. Best on a Sunday morning, when it's empty. Hard afternoon light bouncing off buildings is genuinely lovely here, which is not true in most places.
  • Griffith Park and the Observatory. The Observatory lawn at sunset is packed with tourists, but the trails on the way up are quiet at 6:30 on a weekday and the view is the same view.
  • The Huntington, Descanso, South Coast Botanic. Beautiful, and permit-required — the gardens charge photography fees and enforce them. Budget $100 to $300 and book it in advance.
  • Your own apartment. Genuinely my favorite. Coffee, dog, unmade bed, the kitchen you actually argue in. Ten years from now that room will be gone and those will be the images you can't replace.

Golden hour is 25 minutes, and it decides everything

I schedule engagement sessions to end at sunset, not start at it. In Los Angeles the light that everyone wants — that low, warm, wraparound glow — lasts about 25 minutes, and it's shorter at the beach because the marine layer eats the last of it. So we start 90 minutes before sunset, work through the harder light in shade and open doorways, and arrive at the good stuff already loose and warmed up.

Couples who book a noon session because it fit their schedule get noon photos. I'll make them work, but I'd rather have the 25 minutes.

One team, one look — the case for photo and film together

This is where the engagement-and-wedding question gets bigger than photos. At ConneryFilm I shoot both — wedding photography and cinematic wedding film, one studio, one team, one set of people who already know your timeline. That's not a package upsell line, it's a day-of coordination argument.

When photo and video come from two different companies, they compete for the same 30 minutes of portraits. I have watched a videographer and a photographer negotiate in whispers behind a bride while the coordinator taps her watch. When it's one team, we planned that block together three weeks ago, we're standing in agreed positions, and nobody is in anyone's frame. Same with the engagement session: if we're also filming your wedding, that session is where I learn how you move on camera, which shows up directly in the film.

The color grading matches too. Your photos and your highlight film come out of the same studio with the same look, instead of one warm and filmic and the other cool and contrasty. Small thing until you see them side by side on your website.

How many photos you should expect, and what to do with them

A 90-minute session should give you 40 to 80 finished images, not 400. I've written about why the number is smaller than couples expect — the honest answer is that 60 strong frames beat 300 near-duplicates you'll never sort through. Turnaround from me is two to three weeks for an engagement gallery.

Use them. Save-the-dates, invitation suite, the sign at the entrance, a guest book you actually print, the framed one for your parents. And send your wedding photographer your three favorites with a note saying why — that's the single most useful piece of direction I ever get from a couple.

If it were my wedding

I'd book the wedding photographer first, on the strength of full galleries and not an Instagram grid. I'd take whatever engagement session they include, shoot it five months out, at two locations — one that's ours, one that's beautiful — ending at sunset on a weekday. I'd hire one studio for photo and film so the day has one crew and one look. And I'd spend the money I saved by not hiring a separate engagement shooter on a bigger album, because the session's real value isn't the gallery, it's the wedding day it makes better.

Common questions about engagement and wedding photos

Do I have to use the same photographer for both?

No, but there's a real cost to splitting. You lose the rehearsal value, the two galleries won't match in look, and you'll usually pay $300 to $900 for something your wedding photographer would have included or discounted.

How long does an engagement session take?

60 to 120 minutes is standard, and 90 is the sweet spot — long enough for two locations and an outfit change, short enough that you're not exhausted by the end.

Should we hire hair and makeup for engagement photos?

If you're doing a trial run with your wedding artist anyway, schedule the trial for the morning of the session. You're paying for it either way, and it doubles as a test of how the makeup photographs.

What if we're camera-shy?

Then you specifically need the session. Every couple I've shot who called themselves awkward was fine by minute 20 — the first 20 minutes are the awkward part, and I'd rather spend them at Griffith Park in March than during your cocktail hour.

How far in advance should we book the session itself?

Four to six weeks is usually enough for the session date once you've booked your wedding photographer. The wedding date is the one that needs nine to fourteen months of lead time in Los Angeles.

Can we do engagement photos after the wedding?

People do — it's usually called an anniversary or "day after" session, and it's a lovely idea. But it doesn't do the job we've been talking about here, which is preparing you for the wedding day.

If you're planning an LA wedding and trying to figure out how the engagement session, the photography and the film fit together, I'd genuinely rather talk it through with you than have you guess from a pricing page. Call or text 818.749.7039, or come see the full galleries and films at ConneryFilm.com — tell me your date and your venue and I'll tell you honestly whether I'm the right fit.

Meet the Author: Connery Davoodian Hello, I'm Connery Davoodian, the visionary behind ConneryFilm, and I'm thrilled to share insights from my 17-year journey through the world of wedding photography and videography. My passion extends beyond simply capturing images; it's about artfully weaving your unique love story into a timeless, cinematic masterpiece. My artistic path began long before I ever picked up a camera, deeply rooted in music as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. This diverse background in directing, producing, and editing has cultivated a unique perspective, allowing me to approach each wedding not just as an event, but as a dynamic narrative waiting to be beautifully told. This blend of technical mastery and creative storytelling is the heartbeat of ConneryFilm, ensuring that every frame, every shot, and every film is infused with depth, emotion, and unparalleled artistic integrity. At ConneryFilm, we believe your wedding memories deserve nothing less than bespoke luxury. My philosophy centers on capturing the authentic, unscripted moments – the genuine smiles, the tender glances, the joyful laughter – that truly define your day. While we obsess over exquisite details and sophisticated aesthetics, our true joy comes from making you feel completely at ease, like a "friendor" who genuinely celebrates alongside you. This calm, organized presence allows your true personalities to shine, resulting in images and films that are as real and vibrant as your love itself. Based in the heart of Los Angeles, California, my team and I are privileged to serve couples across the globe, bringing our signature high-end wedding photography and videography to destination weddings worldwide. Through these blog posts, I aim to share invaluable insights, luxurious inspiration, and practical, fun advice to guide you through your wedding planning journey, helping you make informed decisions about preserving your most cherished moments. Thank you for trusting ConneryFilm to be a part of your extraordinary adventure. I'm excited to share my knowledge and passion with you, helping you create memories that will last forever.