Couple about to kiss in golden backlight, his hand on her cheek

Couples & Engagements

Engagement & couples photos that feel like a love story

For the ones who are falling, the ones who already fell, and the ones who keep choosing each other.

Most couples tell me the same thing in their first message: we're awkward in front of a camera. Good. So is almost everyone. A couples session with me isn't about knowing how to pose. It's about spending an hour or two together somewhere beautiful while I quietly pay attention.

I'll give you little prompts, things to do rather than ways to stand. Walk ahead and turn around. Tell him the worst joke you know. Read to her. What you see later looks like how it felt, because it was real.

Couple embracing inside a green revolving door, her heel lifted

A real example: A + K

One of my favorite engagement sessions was A + K, an engagement and save-the-date story on city streets at golden hour. A green revolving door, a shop window that caught their reflection, marble steps, a stone archway, and a newspaper with their date on the front.

That's what I mean by cinematic. Not effects, just a setting with character, warm light low in the sky, and two people who forgot about me for a minute.

Mountains, city or somewhere that's yours

The best location is one that means something, or at least one that suits you. Around Asheville we have ridgelines and grassy balds on the Blue Ridge Parkway, gardens at the NC Arboretum, and brick, murals and old storefronts in downtown Asheville and the River Arts District.

In Charlotte, think Uptown at blue hour, the mill buildings of NoDa, or the gardens at Daniel Stowe. Your kitchen counts too. Some of the most romantic sessions happen at home.

Couple kissing behind an open book in tall golden grass

What to wear and bring

I'll send you a short guide after you book so you don't have to overthink it. The short version:

Choose outfits that move: dresses that catch wind, soft knits, a jacket you can take off.
Earthy, muted colors and textures photograph like film. Avoid big logos and neon.
Bring something that's yours: a record, a book, a thermos of coffee, the dog.
Comfortable shoes for walking, and the nice ones in a bag.

Save the dates and beyond

Engagement sessions do double duty for save-the-dates and the welcome sign, so tell me what you need and I'll make sure we get a few clean, simple frames along with the cinematic ones.

And if you're not engaged, not getting married, or married for twenty years, you're still exactly who this session is for.

Black-and-white couple, she kicks up a heel holding a save-the-date

Questions

Asked and answered

How long is a couples or engagement session?

An hour or two of slow, unscripted time together. Longer if we're hiking to a view.

When is the best time of day?

Golden hour, the last hour or so before sunset, or right after sunrise. In the mountains the sun drops behind ridges early, so I plan around the actual light at our location, not just the clock.

Do you do engagement sessions in Charlotte?

Yes. I'm based in Asheville and travel to Charlotte for sessions. Some Charlotte couples also choose to come up to the mountains for theirs.

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