Top 10 Couples Prompts For Perfect Photos
The most fun and (best results) prompts for creating the perfect photo moment
1) Bump your foreheads together
2) Grab their head and dip them
3) Squeeze them tight and cover their face in kisses
4) Hold your arms out together, and pretend you're flying like a plane
5) Whisper your grocery list in a sexy voice into their ear
6) Tell them what you love most about their eyes
7) Have a staring contest
8) Hold hands and bump hips together
9) Give nosey rubs
10) Run up from behind and hug them
If you are madly in love and looking for someone to capture the magic, I'm the gal for you! Click below to reach out, I am booking now in DFW, Houston, and San Antonio!
Senior Sessions | 2022 Grads | Now Booking
f you are a senior, or you have a senior in your house this year there is probably a long list of task that you have never done before, and are racing to checkoff before the big day! Senior photos are a classic rite of passage, and I urge you not to skip out on this tradition! Having images you love to put on your gradation announcements or use for your school photos is a small par pf why these photos are so important. It's a unique opportunity to do anything YOU want with your session, the whole point is to be yourself, and have fun. Senior photos have been taken at Whataburger, car washes, laundry mats, etc. The point is, even if you're not super in to any particular sports or hobbies at a school, there are still a million ways your senior photos can be personalized, and fun for you.
Not sure where to start? If you're in the San Antonio area, here are a couple fun ideas:
- The gorgeous river at Guadalupe state park
- Karaoke bar
- Skate rink- could be themed form the year you were born + your graduation year
- Bowling alley- this one is especially photogenic and fun
- The botanical gardens has tons of variety that can fit your aesthetic, all gorgeous!
- Our famous missions are a unique and beautiful location for your photos
- San Antonio offers a variety of interactive art museums specifically for taking photos, such as The Flower Vault, The Wonder Chamber, and Hopscotch
- Hays Bridge offers a great city view
- Downtown around the riverwalk
- Country views at Cibolo nature center
- Modern Essex City is colorful, vibrant, showcases some amazing art, and is a memorable place for your senior photos
These are just a few ideas, my goal is to get to know you personally, and tailor something one of a kind and unique to you!
Now, I'd love to make this busy season as easy for you as possible, so here are a few notes and tips about your senior photos.
- The guys may complain about photos and acts as though they don't want to do it, but 99.9% of the time they are happy that they were made to have photos done anyway. I can understand and relate to why they may feel dread over being in front of the camera, but I promise I can help them feel comfortable and even make their session fun. A big part of this is planning a theme or location that they can get on board with. Leave it to me, I'm pretty good at my job!
- Parents, this is a monumental moment for you too. Plan on being in a few of the photos with your senior. It doesn’t have to be the photo you send out, just for your sake and theirs, get in the photo!
- Don't wait until your cap and gown come in to get your senior photos session on the calendar! By then, the opportunity to get your ideal date and location may be passed.
- The focus is on the senior, and their journey. Less about the school. In fact, some seniors don't plan on wearing their cap and gown to their session but instead plan on having a casual look and a more dressed up, fun or formal look. If you want to get a lot of variety out of just a few outfits, bring accessories like jewelry and hat changes to mix it up.
- High school besties or boyfriends/girlfriends don't always last forever, but they are nonetheless a significant part of this chapter in your life. It's an added bonus if a bestie can make it into a few photos at your session, just don't make it the focus!
- I'm not heavy on the "props" with my style of photography, but there are special "trinkets" i suggest bringing to your senior session. You can print out some of the papers yo worked the hardest on writing and enjoying tossing them into the wind (I'll clean up afterwards)
- You can bring a small pile of some of your favorite reads
- Bring a photo of you on your first day of school, even if that was daycare.
- If you plan an instrument or a sport, we want to incorporate it!
- You can bring a board to write on what you wanted to be when you grow up, and now what you're planning on doing after gradation!
I've got ton's more tips, but we can go over them in your consult! Just reach out with any questions or needs you have. Wether it's me or another photographer, I hope your session is fun, feels and looks like you, and ends your school career on a high note. Congratulations grads, you did it!
Click here to send me any questions or request, schedule a phone consult, or ask to see my 2022 pricing guide for seniors! I can't wait to connect with you.
Sweet Sister Session + New Location Alert | San Antonio Portrait Photographer
I've shot in San Antonio long enough that I have a good list of all my favorite location whatever the occasions calls for, but there are few things more exciting than stumbling across a new "secret" location! I discovered this quaint bridge off a quiet place along the riverwalk recently, and I have been so excited to have my first session here.
Although I will say, it definitely isn't a total secret as I was rubbing shoulder with about four other photographers while I was there! Still, with this bridge and the surrounding view of downtown buildings, cozy stairways leading down to the river, and ivy growing along the stone walks there was plenty of room for us all and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to capture the sweet bond between these three sisters an their momma.
The Best Pumpkin Patch in | San Antonio | New Braunfels | Austin
My dearest readers, pumpkin spice season has descended upon us in a cloud of cinnamon once again. And so begins the race to stuff out October weekends with all the Autumn fun we can fit in those short eight days. It's beyond my understanding why pumpkin patches don't remain through November, but apparently all pumpkin turn to mush on October 31st at midnight, so this month I'll be rushing to soak up as much of the pumpkin magic while I can.
For starters let make sure we're on the same page in regards to what makes a pumpkin patch, the best! For me,(a lover of taking cute photos and blessing my offspring with fun), the things I look for are:
Float in, checks all the boxes. It is for the time being my favorite pumpkin patch in the San Antonio area. If you want to out in the wild, ranch day experience and, perhaps a pumpkin patch with hayrides, corn maizes, and abandoned school buses may be a better fit for you, but for a magical l evening out with the fam or a quick afternoon patch visit, and especially for the best photos, this one is perfection.
Alas my gals and ghouls, what kind of photographer would I be if I didn't leave you with some photo tips for your pumpkin patch outing?
For this particular tradition, there are some photos I want to be sure and capture every year. I also like the consistency of side by side photos as my kids grow every year.
Take this checklist with you, and tag me on instagram in your favorites!
Well your fairy photographer mother is out for this one. I hope you get to check out this patch and make magical memories with the kiddos there.
Food Photography Must Know | Let's Have A Coffee Chat
I was once rated one of the six best food photographers in San Antonio, TX which I am positive was a clerical error, or an assignment given to someone who was looking to slip out of the office early that day. While I'd like to think that I could hold my own among the best, it's certainly not what I have branded myself as, well, to be fair I am terribly and niching down to begin with, but especially since I pulled the plug on the anna angenend blog, I rarely play with and photography my food anymore.
Every type of photography is so different, and each requiring their own skill set. Posing newborns is a whole set of skills not everyone may have. The stamina and organization to shoot a full wedding day is no joke. Helping families and individuals feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera for a session that is fun and capture genuine emotions is also its own skill set, and requires practice.
There are certain types of photography that I know are not meant for me. But capturing families most important memories. I LIVE for that. Taking crazy silly mom life photos, it's a part of me. Food photos? It's writing a story with an image, creating something just for the sake of being beautiful. It doesn’t have to be totally realistic, it just needs to create a FEELING and make someone want to jump into the photo. It's literally playing with my food. Photographing flatlays, products, or food wraps me up in a fantasy of a whole different life I imagine I could have one day, just photographing food or products...with feeling.
Anyway, without further ado. Here are the simple and basic five tips to keep in mind when you're playing with your food.
1) What you need:
- a table
- a window
- a backdrop
- one off camera light source or some really cool windows
- camera
- staging props
Possibly why food photos is one of my favorite things, is because it's like creating a micro reality. You can turn just two small square feet into a dreamy fantasy. You can totally fake it. Scroll the aisles of home depot, or the thrift ship to find interesting textures and colors that can be used for backdrops and props. Grab laminate, tiles, and poster boards to turn your table into a mini studio. For props, think of the flavors you are photographing and what they remind you of; Summer days? Being at the each? Cozy cold mornings? Use textures, props and colors to enhance the details for that story.
2) Setting your lighting
Often people use one large window, and face the table and props towards that window to photograph the items from various angles. This works, especially for bright and airy photos, or for creating some fun shadows angle the table sideways to the window, and play flowers between the light source and the props to create artsy shadows. Often there is a need do bright, simple, photos. But, these can appear very one dimensional and I gravitate towards the moody and dark imagery.
For this, I put my table by a window in evening light (it was super diffused low light) and used my ring light on the left side as a key light-this hits the coffee pour, and the sugar just right to add pops of highlights and dimension. I used a box on the side of the table opposite of the light, to block out any light pollution and subtly bounce some light back onto my props. The background? Just a chalkboard I pulled off my wall.
3) Camera settings
- Adjust ISO necessary for light source, but I always try to keep it lowered to avoid a lot of noise.
- use an aperture of f/10. or above so that everything is in focus when you're shooting an overhead image. Play with aperture to focus in on one smaller item at a time.
- I adjust my shutter speed based on what I wanted to capture. To get images of steam, or a steady coffee pour, I lowered my f stop to 1/80 sec as long as my camera was on the tripod - anytime my camera is handheld, I keep my shutter speed at 1/200 of above.
- On the canon 5D Mark IV I used the interval shooting setting with my camera on my tripod, so it would take 10 photos, one ever two seconds, while I poured coffee or sugar.
4) Staging
- In the world of commercial food photography, nothing is what it seems. Bowls of cereals are often just cereal floating in glue. Burgers have invisible slips of cardboard in between each ingredient. Some items are made out of clay or plastic to be able to withstand hours and hours of shooting. None of the food is edible by the end of their shots. For us home cooks, I like to photograph real food as often as possible, and use natural elements to make it look mouth watering, finger licking, good. Texture is a big part of this; Condensation on the edge of a drink (you can use a spray water bottle) steam coming off food (you can use piping hot food, or blow out a tea light candle behind your item to create more smoke). Create movement, make big splashes or drop a biscuit and let the buttery crumbs tumble off of it.
- use silverware, towels, dishes, flowers, food items, etc. that draw attention to the main item, and bring continuity to the story.
5) Editing
I do the bulk of my editing in lightroom, and only use photoshop if i need to remove certain prop items, blend backgrounds, or move stuff around. In lightroom I use one of my custom presets to start. Then I do detailing with brush edits. For these photos, around the edges I darkened the exposure, lowered the texture and brightened the shadows. This pushes the light and focus to the center of the images. On the main items, I turned up the clarity, texture, sharpness, and brightened shadows to make those areas pop out.
I hope you picked up some new tricks to inspire you! Please tag me in the food photos you take, I love to look at dreamy food images.
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What's your favorite food photo hack?
