Duke Gardens Engagement in Durham, NC

No matter how many couples want to do their engagement photoshoot at the Duke Gardens in Durham, I never get tired of going and finding new spots within the park to photograph. The Duke Gardens are 55 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens at the heart of Duke University. I love shooting here because they give off an elegant, yet lush vibe with water fountains, flowers, paths, and greenery everywhere. It’s easy to find new areas of the Gardens where I’ve never photographed before even if I visit several times a year. My clients and I are always taken aback by the beauty no matter what time of year it is. For K and H’s engagement session, we stayed near the front area of the gardens, but we still got several different backdrops throughout their session. Raleigh might have Durham beat in the amount of free parks, but The Duke Gardens are absolutely stunning. If you’re in the Raleigh-Durham area and are thinking about an outdoor feel for your engagement session, this spot would definitely be on my list of recommendations.

While I never make my clients send me a Pinterest board, some couples are really excited to share theirs with me. K was no exception to this fun part of the planning process. K’s engagement photoshoot inspo board was filled with natural greens, dreamy shots from near and far vantage points, and in the moment posing that just captured the romance between the couples. I could tell she wanted a timeless and dreamy documentary style without her even having to describe it that way. For their engagement shoot, I focused on movement based poses to get some candid laughs from K and H. At the beginning of our photoshoot they were excited but didn’t really know what to expect, but towards the end they seemed super confident and got a lot more intimate and flirty with each other. That’s always one of my goals! I’ll be capturing their wedding in Durham this October and I’m so excited to get to document their love once again.