This woodsy camping themed engagement session with Kayla and Jace (and Clover of course) was the perfect way to get to know them before their elopement in the Spring! They chose this specific spot on their family's property because they also wanted to have a part of the elopement here come May. So they showed me around and we got to explore this beautiful woodsy property in St. Maries, Idaho, the perfect place for their camping themed engagement photos with their adorable dog!
Tips for Taking Photos with Dogs
While we definitely got some adorable photos with Clover, like most dogs they love to do their own thing, so if you want to do some engagement photos with your dog, here are some tips to keep in mind, referenced from this blog post!
-Tips to Take Engagement Photos with your Dog
Tip 1: Upon reaching out for the kind of photos you want, just let your photographer know that you want to bring your fur baby with you to the session! That way we can be prepared with some cute poses that include your dog.
Tip 2: Get your dog groomed before the session! We want them to look their best too, so getting them bathed and brushed and smelling fresh is perfect! This was the case for Clover, and the groomer put absolutely adorable flowers/bows in her ears.
Tip 3: Bring some props like chalkboard signs, custom bandanas, etc! This also works great if you want to put your wedding date/save the date on these signs. Here's a cute example of a save the date bandana you can order on Amazon!
Tip 4: Bring an extra friend to be a dog wrangler, so they can hold your dog for a few photos of just the two of you, and they can also hold the treats to get the dog to look towards the camera.
Tip 5: Going along with tip 4, bring your dog's favorite toy/treats to get their attention and to reward them.
Also, how cute is this GIF of Clover?!
Couples Photos in a Hammock
To go along with our woodsy camping theme, Kayla and Jace brought the perfect prop: a hammock! The property had a ton of trees so we found a pretty spot to hang it, and these photos turned out SO CUTE. You can never go wrong with bringing a hammock to your session/elopement.
If you're wondering what outfits would be cute to wear in the forest for your engagement photos, here's a link to my Session Style Guide to give you some ideas! Kayla and Jace nailed their outfits in these photos! You can never go wrong with nice boots and layering with a jacket.
Truck Bed Engagements
To go along with our rustic engagement photos theme, they brought a cute fringe blanket and we took some photos in the back of their truck bed! We also used the side view mirrors on the truck, which you will see how cute those turned out later on in the blog post! I had Jace angle the truck to get the beautiful trees and the sunset as the background.
Campfire Engagement Photos with Smore's
And come on, who doesn't wanna roast some smore's and get cute photos at the same time? Jace lit us a bright bonfire so they could roast some yummy smore's and cuddle under the blanket. We took their photos in October so the nights were definitely getting chilly at this point. Nothing a warm bonfire and warm gooey smore's can't fix (I definitely had at least two smores as well, haha!)
Engagement Photos with a Dog
Here's some more of the photos from their woodsy camping themed engagement photos with Clover! This theme was perfect for these North Idaho engagement photos!
Idaho Engagement Photographer
It's always great to get to take photos of my couple before their elopement so I learn what it's like to take photos of them and to get to know them, and they get to learn what it's like to work with me and learn my process for posing! Just because you're choosing to elope doesn't mean you have to skip out on the engagement photos, do it! Engagement photos are always fun to have, and to look back on that time in your life later on. I'm always for documenting different parts of your life, and engagement photos are no different!
To see more Idaho engagement session inspiration, check out these links below!
