Aquarium Couples Photoshoot at Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida

When I started thinking about where I wanted to photograph my brother and his girlfriend, an aquarium just made sense.

They both love fishing, being around the water, and anything coastal. Even their home has little touches of that throughout it, so I wanted their couples photos to happen somewhere that actually connected back to things they already love.

Mote Aquarium in Sarasota ended up being such a fun choice.

They had already been there together a few times before, which made it even better. Instead of choosing a random location just because it photographed well, we got to use a place they already enjoyed spending time together.

Couples Photos Do Not Have to Happen in a Field

I love a pretty outdoor location, but your couples photos do not always have to mean a field, beach, or park.

Sometimes the best location is somewhere connected to something you both genuinely enjoy.

For them, that was the aquarium.

We walked through the different exhibits, stopped whenever we found light or a backdrop I loved, and basically turned a normal aquarium day into their couples session.

There was so much color and movement happening around us that every little area gave the photos something different.

And yes, I brought film too.

Shooting Film Inside an Aquarium

I was honestly a little nervous about how the film photos were going to turn out because aquarium lighting can get DARK.

But somehow, the film held up way better than I expected.

Between the blues from the tanks, the glow from the exhibits, and that grain from the film, some of those photos ended up having such a cool feel to them. It made me want to experiment with film in more unexpected locations because sometimes not knowing exactly what you are going to get is half the fun.

Photos That Actually Became Part of Their Home

One of my favorite things happened after the session.

They printed the photos and actually hung them on the wall in their house. They also used one as their Facebook profile picture, which made me realize how much they genuinely loved them.

Obviously they are my brother and his girlfriend, so I am probably a little biased, but knowing the photos became something they wanted to see every day made this session even more special to me.

And the whole day was just FUN.

After we finished at the aquarium, we went to Yard House for food, which was my first time going, and oh my God. So freaking good.

It ended up feeling less like we had planned an entire photoshoot and more like we had planned a day together and I happened to bring my cameras along.

Planning an Aquarium Couples Photoshoot in Florida?

Your photoshoot location can be something connected to the two of you.

Maybe you love aquariums, are constantly fishing together, spent at museums, arcades, bookstores, or somewhere completely different.

That is the kind of stuff I want to know.

If you have been wanting couples photos but a traditional location does not really feel like you, tell me what the two of you actually like doing together and we can start there.

Looking for a couples photographer in Florida? Reach out through my contact form and tell me what kind of date you two would actually want to go on. We might just turn it into your photoshoot.