Caitlyn & Ryan’s Engagement Session with their fur-babies at Huntsville State Park in Huntsville TX
Caitlyn & Ryan asked early on if I was ok with them bringing their dogs to their Engagement Session…
Let me just state for the record:
YES!! Bring your fur-baby(s) along!!
They are such an important part of your life! HOWEVER, I’ve got tips to set expectations and help make your session much smoother if you follow these.
3 Simple Tips for bringing your Fur-baby to your Engagement Session
1. Bring someone to be in charge of your fur-baby.
I know, YOUR fur-baby is the worlds most behaved pet…and at home, this is probably ABSOLUTELY the truth!!
But when you are in an unusual setting with unusual circumstances (ie a stranger pointing a weird contraption at their face making a fool out of themselves *i’m the stranger, and yes i tend to make a fool out of myself with children and pets haha!*…well let’s just say things don’t go as expected! And that’s OK!! But it is also why I highly suggest having someone as the assigned pet sitter when we are no longer going to be having the fur-baby in the pictures.
Just like children, I usually suggest starting with the fur-babies first, and then allowing them to roam off with the assigned person or even leave.
2. Bring Leashes, Treats and make sure to have PATIENCE!
Leashes, because in an unnatural environment (like mentioned above) your sweet one will probably not sit as well as they normally would at home, and you may need to hang on to them if a squirrel happens to catch their attention lol! Treats can always help me! I sometimes will take a bag of treats (as long as they aren’t the type to lunge for them!) and shake it to get them to pay attention, and then they get a little reward after the shot!
And last but certainly not least…patience. Remember they are in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar person. Just like a toddler they may take some warming up, and they may not do exactly what you wish. Thats totally ok!! I’m in no hurry, and if we show we are patient I promise we still end up getting good shots! Sometimes if I’ve got a rambunctious one, and they are just too wound up to sit still at the moment, I’ll just have you guys start playing! These are always super fun and adorable candid pictures. Once they’ve gotten that out of their system and maybe walked with us as I take time to shoot the two of you, then they normally calm down and we are able to get plenty of the pictures you are hopeful for!
3. Do not expect a TON of time taking pictures with your Fur-baby.
The majority of this session is about the two of you. And while I do not mind ONE BIT if you bring your fur-baby and we will for sure get some great shots in…be prepared that we will not spend a lot of time with them. Short attention spans and all;) I try to get everything done as soon as we start with them, and like I mentioned above, if they need some time to acclimate we will wait a bit and have some fun with them, but overall I tend to get them done first! It is also because I want us to get into a groove of shooting.
My system helps you guys relax and fall into it naturally so that you can have fun and feel good about the final product! I want you to always remember feeling blissfully happy during your Engagement Session, and not be distracted (because let’s face it, your fur-baby is probably the cutest thing ever and that kind of adorableness is a distraction lol)!
Caitlyn & Ryan did all of these things. They had a caretaker for their sweet little fur-babies and we got their family portraits done first. They were super patient with their pups and it turned out great! We were then able to focus on the two of them!
I had so much fun with these two, and I just cannot WAIT for their Wedding next March!!
