Whew, look at me, blogging two times in a month, ha!  I'm impressed with myself!  I couldn't pass up blogging an additional engagement session this month, as I gear up to shoot an engagement session next month.  

Like the previous engagement session I blogged, this particular engagement session also fits within the 3rd pillar of how I run my business, in that I value long term connections and want to document your family's and extended family's milestones.  This couple is family friends with one of my family friend's and she generously gifted them an engagement session as their wedding gift.  When "R", the bride-to-be and I met over coffee, with her mom and her sister and our family friend in common, I knew we were meant to be.  We could have talked for hours and the laughs were non stop.  From there we planned the perfect engagement session for her and J!  Take a look!

As we were getting ready for their engagement session, we strategized on location, outfit changes, doggies, and doggie handlers.  And I have to say, it was all worth it!

So pro tip on including our beloved fur babies....No matter how well behaved they are, it's a must to have a doggy handler, as well as a leash/harness and scooby snacks.  The ideal doggy handler is someone that is used to your dog, knows how to handle them well, and someone whom your dog likes.  They will need to be in charge of your dog for the majority of the session because your fur baby will only be included in a few shots.  In our case, R's sister came and did all the doggy handling duties and she was wonderful.  I always say dogs are like toddler.  When you need them to cooperate, they probably won't so you just need to be flexible and not be tied to a certain outcome.

We used natural breaks in the session, where we changed backgrounds to do outfit changes.  The reason for this is it provides lots of variety in the couple's final gallery of images, which gives them different "looks" to use for various purposes, like "Save the Date" cards, wall art for their home, or a guest book for their wedding reception. 

We couldn't pass up this gorgeous aspen patch and pathway as we were starting to wind down our session. 

So my last bit of pro advice is if you are going to a location that has a water source that you can photograph in, make sure you do those shots last.  Why you ask?  Well, in the rare chance that someone should accidentally lose their footing and fall in, the session is almost over anyway so it doesn't matter that clothes and hair have taken a little dip. Ha! 

If you know me, even a little bit, you know I love a good laugh.  If we have ever hung out together you know that I can make some really fun faces when I'm telling a story.  When you see the collage I put together below you will know why I included every one of these photos in R + J's gallery.  I am a sucker for outtakes and anything that makes me laugh out loud while I'm editing will end up in your gallery.  You can thank me later for making you laugh!

I hope you've enjoyed this session as much as I have and you've taken away a few tips for planning your own engagement session.  As always if you or someone you know is getting engaged and want to talk about session options, you know where to find me - 

makiaimages@gmail.com