Autumn Couples Photo Session (+ Dog) - Tips & Tricks!

I met Victoria a few years ago, a mutual friend of ours had recommended that she come to me for a boudoir session to gift her husband on their wedding day. We had a great time taking photos and I knew that she was the type of client that I would always hope to come back and she did!

She messaged me several months ago saying that she wanted to book a fall session of her, her husband and their puppy, Saige. I knew that photographing a dog with the couple was going to be difficult but I decided to take on the challenge.

Tip #1: When photographing animals such as dogs, always have the owners bring treats and have them stand directly behind you so that it seems as if the dog is looking directly into the camera.

We met at a large Park/Gardens and walked throughout the entire location to pick out the best. They had pumpkins set out for the fall season which were perfect for the type of session we were going for.

Tip #2: When photographing people who don't necessarily love being photographed be sure to find something that they find funny or entertaining, it creates genuine emotion in the photographs making them better.

Tip #3: If you have a lens that has a low aperture try to stay away from shooting too low otherwise your images won't be as sharp because of the fast moving dog. Higher shutter speed helps capture the .5 seconds that they are actually locked onto the camera.

I made sure that they met me about an hour and a half before sundown to get that good golden hour sunlight. It turned out perfect because of the shaded areas throughout the park.

Tip #4: With people who are having a hard time smiling a "real smile" tell them to make a serious face, most of the time they will get tickled from struggling to make a serious face and give you a genuine smile instead. Works nearly every time!

I made sure that I went over outfits prior to the shoot with Victoria. I didn't want them to "match" but I wanted them to coordinate, sometimes that is difficult for people to understand but they nailed it!

Tip #5: When shooting couples, tell them to love up on each other, it creates a genuine moment. Just be sure to position them in an area that you want to photograph them and then give them a moment to get comfortable. Voila!

Tip #6: Include the guy, he's going to feel awkward in front of the camera unless he's a complete ham. Tell him to make her laugh and wrap his arms around her, I can almost bet he can get a good laugh out of her.

Finally, Here is my favorite image from the entire shoot. You can tell the way that they look at each other how much they truly love each other. They've been married for roughly a year and a half, they've been through a lot but they still love each other dearly.

Gear : Canon Rebel T2i + 50mm f1.8 & Canon 6D + 70-200 f4.
Post Processing : Shot in Raw + Photoshop + Lightroom

xoxo - Nicole

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