Dallas Apartment Lazy Sunday Engagement Portrait Session

Who do you want to be photographed with?  Who doesn’t love a lazy Sunday at home with your loves?  Why not be photographed where you are comfortable?  99 times out of 100 when couples contact us who wish to have engagement portraits made, they want to dress up, get out of the house and find a beautiful location for their portraits.  And I love photographing on location.  I can use the light, the terrain, the textures and create poses and scenarios for any couple to shine.  When Kim and Derek contacted me, Derek asked me to capture his proposal to Kim at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas.  The day was beautiful and their proposal was as sweet as can be.  Derek was brave to do that in such a public space.  But what Derek and Kim enjoy is time at home with their rescue dog, a glass of wine, a nice cheese tray, and some fresh baked cookies.  Like the Lyle Lovett song says “I like to sleep late on Sundays”, they agree.  And since we got rained out for two previous sessions planned outdoors, AND it was cold and rainy on the third day we scheduled, we had the idea to just work in their apartment.

When I walked in, I immediately had a vision of simple, black and white, relationship portraits.  The only exception to the finished images is the one of Derek and Kim on the bed.  I loved the color of her skin in this light and thought the hazy tone fit the day so perfectly.  Sit on the couch with your shoes off, wrap up in each other’s space, and let me shoot.  They were more than willing to take direction, but mostly, they just did what couples do on a lazy Sunday.  Derek poured the wine.  Kim baked the cookies, and they really just enjoyed each other.  I appreciated their love for each other and got a glimpse into their real lives.

Kim and Derek have the sweetest, most shy rescue pup ever.  He’s a pit bull mix and came from an abusive home.  Although it took a few treats and some gentle words to get him out from under his bed, he came along for his closeup and some bed time with mom & dad.  Photographing dogs is very rewarding.  I take pride in being a dog person, and being able to understand and work with a dogs mood and posture to eventually create a portrait.  My goal with this pup was to tell his story and how he relates to his people.  He likes his treats, he likes his naps, but he LOVES being on the bed with them.  Once they shared that with me, the location for the shot was an easy one.

As far as the lighting and techniques used, luckily, their apartment had two large windows in both of the rooms we worked in.  I LOVE window light.  The play of highlight and deep shadow are fantastic, and I believe it is the most flattering light for any portrait.  And nothing says morning coffee like sitting by the window with your sweetheart.  For the kitchen sequences, I did add in some off camera flash, which the doggie did NOT like!  He ran under the bed again, so we had to sooth him and get the flash put away before he would come back out.  No worries, he likes cookies more than he hates photography equipment.

Enjoy the images and leave us a comment about who you’d like to spend a lazy Sunday with.

Sunday with.