You may have seen Josie and Jake in my blog post about their January elopement at the Des Moines Botanical Garden. While their winter nuptials had just about everything a nontraditional wedding photographer could ask for, one thing we all missed on their big day was their cats. It was one of the first things Josie and I bonded over during their initial call–one of my favorite things in the world is your cats making a little surprise (butthole) introduction by walking across your keyboard. I work with a LOT of dogs, but cats can be tricky because, well, let’s be honest, taking them out of the house often results in a less-than-happy cat.
But being the ever amazing and loving people they are, Josie’s family decided to gift them an in-home session after their wedding to document them with their fuzzy babies. We were so thrilled to spend some quality time together catching up, but our time together became even more special when Josie was accepted into a prestigious nursing program. As a result her and Jake would be selling their first home together and moving for their next chapter together, meaning our session would also be documenting a very special time in their lives.
Having the opportunity to befriend and spend personal time with clients after their wedding day is sincerely one of the most special things about my job. Being welcomed to someone’s wedding as an outsider is already an incredibly special experience, but being welcomed back into their home as a friend is truly a blessing. I arrived at their home in Ankeny and was immediately greeted by the “SOLD” sign in the front yard–a bittersweet moment as I walked up to the front door. But a homemade dinner, fancy-pants cocktails, and lots of chatting and cat corralling left us all feeling grateful.
A lot of the time I see in-home sessions that are very highly curated, which totally makes sense. As a photographer, having more control over your environment and your subjects means definite results. But honestly, there’s something that always feels a little un-comfy about my taking control in someone else’s space. How you dress, act, interact in the safety of your own home–that’s kind of sacred. So for Josie and Jake our main priority was letting them exist in their space with as little intrusion or instruction from me as possible. And, let’s be honest, it’s not like you can get cats to do literally anything you want anyway. So it felt right to just simply show up and exist in space together.
If you are looking to document photos with pets, an in-home session is an excellent option–especially for those animals that might not do so well in a new or unfamiliar environment. But it’s also just a great excuse to spend quality time at home documenting your day-to-day. Because quiet moments equally deserve to be documented–they’re the ones that fill the majority of our lives. It’s important to take the time to cherish them.
