Amanda and Sercan Engagement Session

Meet Amanda and Sercan. When they arrived for their session I really liked the unique outfits they chose. I even told Amanda she looked like an international spy, which inspired in part the turning of several of their final images into black and white.

Prior to their session Amanda and I had many discussions about the look of their session. She wanted them to be unique and capture them having fun. Additionally she wanted them in non-typical locations for an engagement session. Outside of the HP Pavilion we found a cute wooded area, these two are part of my favorite series from there.

Soon everyone was ready to go to our main location, the train station in San Jose. In a moment that turned out to be serendipitous, at first we couldn’t get parking anywhere near the station, so we found street parking quite a hike away. On our way to the train station I found an area I couldn’t resist having them incorporate into their session.

I really like how not only is there a Rail Road crossing sign, there is even a sign which at that moment instructs people to look both ways, one of which is the direction where our happy couple is enjoying the moment. At first after a few photos, Amanda wanted Sercan to take his sunglasses off, instead I encouraged Amanda to put hers on to match him, and I really liked the result.

I really didn’t know how much time I’d be able to spend photographing in the train station. I had thought maybe I’d be asked to stop, yet even after firing off a few frames, an adding a flash, no one seemed to care that I was using the station as a backdrop. Amanda thought it would be cute to steal her fiance’s hat, though he saw the humor, he really wanted to keep it on for the photos. I love how Amanda and Sercan are having so much fun with this, especially as at first they’d been nervous it would be hard to relax in front of the camera.

After having some fun inside, it was time to shoot outside. Though we’d planned to visit the train station, we hadn’t made a thorough study of the arrival and departure times of the trains. We were happy to see a train outside and used it to take many shots, then caught some great moments as it was departing. I really like the emotions in this shot as the train goes by, especially in classic black and white.

We all noticed a train coming in the general direction of the station at the same time. Had it gone down one side of tracks we would have taken a different series of photos then we did. Just when we thought it would go away from us, the tracks switched and it came in our direction. This is another of my favorites of the day. Sercan had the last word on the session, remaking that having the two trains in the photos added a little extra coolness to them, and I agree wholeheartedly.

Incorporating Dogs into Wedding and Engagement Photography

Especially in California, people seem to take their dogs everywhere they go. What if you want to incorporate your four legged family member(s) into your engagement and wedding photos? Here are some suggestions for you.

What should we consider before having our dog in our engagement or wedding photos?

Your dog should only be included if your wedding photography locations specifically allow dogs. Additionally, consider their temperament; it is best if they are generally calm around many people. Jackson, above, who is actually a trained clothing model, demonstrates a very calm dog who would work well in posed photos.

If including them in the wedding, you may want to note this in the invitation and on your wedding website, as some people may be afraid of, or allergic to them.

What roles can our dog play during our engagement session or wedding day?

With any session, specifically your engagement session, you may want to walk and run with them, hold them in your arms, and just have fun playing with them. For your wedding day, small dogs can be pulled by a child in a wagon, and dogs of any size can walk someone down the aisle.

What other details should we remember when including our dog on our wedding day?

Your pet must rely on you to provide food and water, so make sure to have them and dishes available. You should also have someone in charge of walking and cleaning up after them. Even if dogs are welcome at your reception site, they may not be comfortable with all the noise and activity, so you probably would want to arrange for someone to take the dog to your home or another agreed upon location beforehand. If bringing them to the reception, have your designated dog handler be ready to take the dog(s) home early if the excitement gets to be too much for them.