There’s a certain type of photo that has slowly taken over many a social-media feed. I’ve learned to recognize them on sight: a couple wearing coordinating colors, holding each other in a field, dappled with golden light. Or a couple in formal wear kissing in front of a backdrop of blurred-out trees. Or maybe a couple wearing white and holding hands at the beach. (Sometimes, there’s even a dog by their side.) What’s clogging my feed is engagement photographs.

Engaged couples getting their photos taken isn’t new—the practice has been around for decades, starting with the stilted portraits accompanying newspaper wedding announcements. But that’s a far cry from what’s become the new normal: booking a photographer to do a full-on photo shoot. Typically, these pictures fall into two categories: furtively snapped pictures of the actual proposal, bended knee and all, or—more commonly—staged photos taken sometime during the engagement itself.

Most people are quite uncomfortable at the thought of having their picture taken by a professional photographer, especially if they have never had photos taken before, like ever!

They feel uncomfortable and awkward and don’t quite know how to relax, how to pose, or how to display emotions. Limbs tend to get stiff, bodies becomes rigid, and forced smiles cause the jaw to lock up.

This awkward and uncomfortable feeling is usually reflected in the photos.

An engagement shoot can help eliminate this discomfort. It is an opportunity for clients to practice being in front of the camera, and get used to the idea of being intimate with their significant other in the presence of another person.

What you wish for determines how you’re spending a juicy part of your day.

If you wish for something you can’t control,

that might fill you with frustration or distract you from wishing that could lead to productive work.

They are the kindest and perfect for each other, just as God intended.