I always get excited when my couples ask if they can bring their dogs for their engagement shoot, mostly because it means I get to pet puppies! But bringing these wiggly props also helps for photos because in attempting to get all the pups to pose, all of the nervousness of being in front of the camera melts away. Such was the case with Monica and Justin's fun engagement shoot in February; by the time their three fur babies were in position and looking my way (and it took asking a father and son to kick a soccer ball behind me to get all eyes forward!) any camera shyness had worn off and Monica and Justin were completely relaxed and all smiles. We spent the first half of the session walking through Packs Square Park to get some family photos and then - after a brief dog pile - split off for photos of just the two of them with the gorgeous downtown architecture in the background.

Winter engagements can be hit-or-miss with the weather, but we really lucked out with this mid-February session as the afternoon sunshine glowed warm and bright. I'm really becoming a fan of harsh natural spotlights to highlights emotions, so my favorite photos by far were in front of the now-closed Vincenzo's with the beautiful mix of tile, brick and sunlight. 

While I enjoyed getting to use downtown's architecture to frame my subjects, my main goal was to showcase Monica and Justin's tender smiles at each other. And then, of course, we had to end with a few goofy photos; imperative after an hour and a half of cheek-to-cheek grinning. 

With my arrival this morning, we're now all in Ocean City, Maryland for Monica and Justin's beach wedding weekend - I can't wait to capture their destination ceremony as well as all of the other festivities of the weekend!