Why hire an engagement photographer when my friend will do it for free? Listen we all started somewhere and if you have a friend that wants to practice with you and your fiancé, why wouldn't you take them up on that offer? So what separates us from someone just starting out? I like to use this pose a good example. This pose looks very natural and that is always our goal. What you don't see are the steps that we took to get here. I asked Kevin to lean against the wall and showed him which way to shift his weight. Once he was ready I asked Grace to back into him and lower her shoulder will reaching for Kevin's hand. I then asked Kevin to turn his nose towards Grace's cheek like he was going in for a kiss. Grace's hair was in her face so I needed to sweep that so I could see more of here jaw line. I achieved this image in less than 2 minutes while perfecting everything about their pose and making sure they felt comfortable. This is the difference between experience and inexperienced. Both might be able to achieve the same result but one will take a lot less time giving you more time for different poses. If you do hire a friend just make sure it's for the engagement photos first and see how they do before you hire them for your wedding. A wedding is a completely different situation that leaves little room for error. You can't go back and recreate your wedding day so that is why we recommend always using a professional for best results.