Lauren and Kyle had recently bought their house, and it was still mostly empty when we photographed their at home engagement session. There were a few pieces of furniture, plenty of open space, and a very excited dog who became a big part of the afternoon. Honestly, I was pretty happy with that setup.

They didn’t need to finish decorating before we could make interesting photos there. The house already meant something to them, and photographing it at this stage was part of the point. These were the rooms they were just starting to make their own, before everything had found its place.

We worked with the front steps, the kitchen, the window light and the backyard, mixing creative portraits with plenty of laughing and a little help from their dog. What I enjoyed most was finding how much we could do with a place they already had, rather than looking for somewhere else.

Creative Indoor Engagement Photos in a Mostly Empty House

I love layers in my photographs. Something close to the camera, something happening farther back, a reflection or a little detail you might not notice straight away. A mostly empty house gave me a different challenge because there wasn’t much filling the rooms. I had to look a little harder at what was already there.

The window gave us soft light for portraits of Lauren and Kyle standing close together, and a reflection added another version of them below. From the darker hallway, the open front door became a frame around the couple and their dog. Photographing through foreground elements in the kitchen gave a bright, simple room a completely different look.

We also made a portrait from outside, looking back through the bay window. I liked that the house became part of the photograph instead of disappearing behind a close crop. You could see where they were, which mattered for a session built around their new home.

That was the fun of it for me. We weren’t adding a bunch of things to make the space interesting. We were changing the angle, working with the light and finding different ways to photograph the same place.

Kitchen Laughs and Backyard Engagement Photos

The kitchen photos had a different kind of energy. Lauren and Kyle had their initialled mugs in hand, and there was plenty of laughing, including Lauren sticking her tongue out at Kyle. Those photos belong in the story just as much as the more carefully composed portraits.

I like having both. We can spend a little time making a reflection work or finding the right angle, then leave room for you to be silly together. You don’t have to stay in serious portrait mode for the whole session.

Outside, the front steps, garden and deck gave us more variety. The greenery softened some of the portraits, while the brick wall and deck railings gave me stronger shapes to work with. Photographing from above the landing turned an ordinary set of stairs into a completely different composition.

Lauren and Kyle also changed from their casual outfits into a dressier look. We were still in the same backyard, but the photographs felt different. It’s a good example of how much variety you can get from one location without spending part of the session travelling somewhere else.

Engagement Photos with Their Dog

I love dogs, so including theirs was never going to be a problem. He brought so much energy to the session, and I really enjoyed finding ways to photograph him with Lauren and Kyle without making every image about getting all three to sit nicely together.

Sometimes he was between them on the front steps. Sometimes he was in the kitchen foreground while they were farther back. In the garden, he had his tennis ball and his own things going on, which gave me another little moment to include.

One photograph has him lying in the grass, sharp in the foreground, with Lauren and Kyle standing close together behind him. They’re softly out of focus, but you can still see their connection. That is exactly the kind of layering I was excited about during this shoot. Their dog wasn’t just filling an empty part of the picture. He brought another personality into it.

For engagement photos with a dog, I like making space for both the portraits together and the less predictable moments. We can make a lovely photo of everyone looking towards the camera, but I also want the playing, the movement and the interactions that show what your dog is actually like.

How to Plan an Engagement Session at Home

Start with the parts of your home you would actually like to remember. That might be the kitchen, your favourite room, the front steps or a little corner of the garden. Lauren and Kyle’s house was still mostly empty, and that became part of their story. You don’t need to redecorate or make every room camera ready before considering a session at home.

When we plan the timing, let’s look at the light in the spaces we’ll be using. A few phone photos of the rooms and windows are a useful starting point, especially when we’re deciding how to combine indoor portraits with time outside. For this session, the bright window portraits and darker doorway photographs gave us very different results. There isn’t one look that every home session needs to follow.

For outfits, choose clothes you feel good moving and sitting in. Lauren and Kyle’s casual clothes worked well for the kitchen photos and time with their dog, while their dressier outfits gave the garden portraits another feel. You can bring that variety into your own session without turning it into a whole wardrobe production.

Personal things can be part of the photographs too. Their mugs and their dog’s tennis ball were small details, but they helped connect the photos to them. Think about what already belongs in your life rather than buying props just for the camera. And when your dog is involved, let’s leave room for a few breaks and whatever personality they decide to bring that day.

For more help choosing outfits and getting ready, take a look at my engagement photo preparation tips.

Choosing an Engagement Photo Location That Means Something

What makes these photographs personal isn’t only that we took them at home. It’s that we photographed Lauren and Kyle there just after they bought it, while it was still becoming their place. The mostly empty rooms are part of that memory, not something we needed to hide.

So when you’re choosing an engagement photo location, don’t immediately rule out somewhere because it doesn’t look like a typical photoshoot spot. Tell me what the place means to you and what you enjoy about being there. We can work out the creative part together.

You also don’t need to arrive knowing how to pose. I’ll help with direction when we’re working on a portrait, and I’ll leave room for the laughing, the little interactions and the things we couldn’t have planned. I want you to enjoy being there, not spend the whole time wondering whether you’re doing it right.

Planning Your Own At Home Engagement Photos?

A new house, a place you’ve shared for years, or a backyard where you spend half your summer can all be worth considering. What interests me is what makes the place yours and what we can create there together.

You can explore more of my engagement photography to see the mix of candid moments and creative portraits I love making. Or tell me about your engagement session, where you’re thinking of having it and what you would love the photos to include.

And definitely mention the dog.

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More Engagement Photo Ideas

Your engagement session doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. We can stay home, wander around the city, or make a little adventure out of it. Here are a few other sessions where we worked with the place, the people, and whatever happened along the way.

Explore More Engagement Sessions