Raleigh Engagement Photographer
Your engagement is a season you’ll only have once. We’re Amelia and Matt, a husband-and-wife photography team based in Cary, and we photograph couples across Raleigh the way they actually are together. Not posed. Not performed. Just real true emotion and love.
This Is Your Story
Take a look at our work and see if it feels like you. If it does, we'd love to connect.
Start Planning Your SessionReal Connection. Raleigh Backdrops.
Raleigh is a genuinely beautiful city to have engagement photos taken in, and we’ve had the chance to explore a lot of it with our couples. The NC Art Museum, City Market, Boylan Bridge, Union Station. Each location has its own character, and part of what we do is help you find the one that fits yours.
But the backdrop is just the backdrop. What we’re really focused on is the two of you. The quiet moments between prompts. The way you lean into each other without thinking about it. The laugh that comes out of nowhere. That’s what ends up mattering most in the photos.
A Look at Our Raleigh Engagement Sessions
What an absolute joy it was to have not just one, but two incredibly talented photographers capturing every angle of such a special moment. This duo works seamlessly together and has a real gift for making you feel elegant and at ease throughout the entire shoot. Their encouragement and energy bring out the best in you, even the most camera-shy person can't help but smile around them. Highly recommend!
What Your Session Feels Like
Most couples come into their session a little nervous. That’s completely normal, and it’s something we work with every time. As a husband-and-wife team we shoot simultaneously from different perspectives, which means we’re capturing more of the session without it ever feeling like a production. We give you enough direction to feel comfortable and confident, and leave plenty of room for the real moments to happen on their own.
The couples who tell us they’re not photogenic are usually the ones who walk away with their favorite photos they’ve ever had taken.
Your Raleigh Session Starts Here
We keep the process simple from the first message to your final gallery. Check our availability and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.
See If Your Date Is Available
From Planning to Your Final Gallery
The process is designed to be straightforward from start to finish. Fill out our availability form and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours to confirm your date. From there we work with you ahead of the session to nail down your location, talk through outfits, understand your story, and make sure everything feels cohesive and right for you. No guesswork, no last-minute scrambling.
Sessions are one hour, with the option to extend if you want more time, locations, or outfits. We guide you through everything on the day so you never have to wonder what to do next.
Once your engagement session wraps, your gallery is delivered within one to two weeks. You’ll receive a private online gallery with all of your best images in both color and black and white, fully edited and ready to download, share, and print. No picking favorites, no paying per photo, and a full print release so you can use your images however you like. If you need your gallery sooner, priority delivery is available when you book.
What to Expect on the Day
Come as you are. We take care of the rest. Most couples tell us partway through that they forgot we were even there, and that’s exactly what we’re going for.
How Long Is an Engagement Session?
Our engagement photography sessions are one hour long. As a husband-and-wife team we’re shooting simultaneously from two perspectives the entire time, which means you’re effectively getting two photographers for the price of one. That makes a real difference in how much ground we can cover, more portraits, more moments captured, and more variety in your gallery than a single photographer can deliver in the same amount of time. That gives us room to move through a couple of spots within your location, try a few different looks, and let the session settle into something that feels natural.
If you would like to be able to have more time for multiple outfits or locations you have the option to upgrade to an extended session.
Where We Love to Shoot in Raleigh, NC
Raleigh has more variety than most people expect. Here are the spots we keep coming back to, and what makes each one work.
Downtown Raleigh
City Market and the surrounding streets are some of our favorite places to spend an evening with a couple. The cobblestone alleys, warm brick walls, and golden light in that area photograph beautifully.
The grounds of The North Carolina Capitol Building are one of our favorite spots for portraits in downtown Raleigh. The historic architecture, tall columns, and quiet tree-lined walkways create such a timeless backdrop, especially in the soft evening light. We also love wandering the surrounding streets nearby, the mix of classic brick buildings, iron details, and city charm photographs beautifully for couples and engagement sessions.
Boylan Bridge adds a skyline view that’s unique to Raleigh. Downtown is a great fit for couples who want something with texture and a sense of place.
Learn more about some of our favorite Downtown Raleigh Locations
Historic Oak View County Park
Historic Oak View County Park is one of our favorite locations for variety. The open fields alone are worth the trip, big enough for a picnic setup, some candid walking shots, and that soft golden light in the evening without another soul in the frame. But if you want a different backdrop, the property also has a white barn, an old farm house, and a small orchard with grape vines just a short walk away. Most couples end up doing two or three spots in one session because everything’s so close together. It’s a great fit for engagement sessions especially, since you get so many different looks without driving all over Raleigh.
The NC Art Museum
The NCMA gives you two completely different looks in one location. The glass pavilion and reflecting pools offer something clean and architectural. A short walk away you have open fields and sculpture garden paths with a much more natural feel. We can cover both in a single session, which is part of why it’s one of our favorite spots.
Other North Carolina Locations
If you have somewhere in mind that feels specific to your relationship, we want to hear about it. We’re always open to exploring somewhere new and will make it work. We serve couples across the Triangle including Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex, Morrisville, Garner, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell, and Mebane.. Contact us if your are interested in having your engagement photos taken outside of the triangle.
Amelia and Matt did a great job with our engagement photos!! My fiancé and I were both very happy with how they turned out 🙂
Ready to Plan Your Perfect Engagement Session?
We'll help you choose a location and outfit that fits your style and handle the planning details so you can focus on each other.
Claim Your DateQuestions We Hear All the Time
We want the experience of working with us to feel easy from the very first conversation. If something is on your mind that isn’t covered here, just reach out and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
When should we book?
Earlier is always better, especially if you’re planning to use your engagement photos for save the dates. Most couples send those out six to eight months before their wedding, so working backward from that deadline is a good place to start when thinking about timing. Spring and fall are our busiest seasons in Raleigh, so if your date falls in either of those windows we’d recommend reaching out as early as you can.
That said, if your timeline is tighter than you’d like, reach out anyway. We’ll do our best to find something that works.
When is the best time of day for Engagement Photos?
Golden hour is our favorite time to shoot, and for good reason. In Raleigh that window falls roughly 60 to 90 minutes before sunset depending on the time of year. The light is warm, soft, and flattering in a way that’s hard to replicate at any other point in the day. It also tends to mean fewer people around at popular spots like City Market or the NC Art Museum, which makes a difference in how relaxed the session feels.
Midday light in the middle of summer is the one condition we try to avoid. Harsh overhead sun creates unflattering shadows and usually means a lot of squinting. If a midday session is the only option we’ll steer you toward a shaded location that works around it.
If golden hour doesn’t fit your schedule we can also work with morning light, which has a similar softness to it and works particularly well at spots like Dorothea Dix where you have open sky.
When you reach out we’ll look at your preferred date and talk through the best time window based on the location and time of year so you don’t have to figure that out on your own.
What should we wear?
A good rule of thumb is to choose outfits that feel like you on a nice day out together, not so dressed up that you feel stiff, but put together enough that you feel confident. Coordinating tones tends to work better than perfectly matching outfits, and softer or more neutral colors photograph beautifully in most Raleigh settings.
That said, you don’t have to figure this out on your own. Once you book we’ll work with you to brainstorm outfits to ensure you are comfortable and feeling your best in your photos.
What if it rains?
We monitor the forecast closely and stay in touch ahead of your session. Overcast days actually produce some of our favorite images since the light is soft and even with no harsh shadows. If we’re looking at a genuine washout we’ll reschedule and find a date that works for both of us.
Do we have to know how to pose?
Not at all. We guide you through everything with natural, simple prompts. Nothing stiff, nothing that feels like a formal photoshoot. Most couples relax faster than they expect to.
How many photographs do I get?
Unlike most other photographers in Raleigh, we don’t charge by the image or put a cap on your gallery. You receive everything from your session that meets our editing standards, delivered in both color and black and white. For a standard one hour session you can typically expect 50 or more images, though that number varies based on how the session flows rather than a fixed limit we’re working toward.
The goal is a gallery that tells the full story of your session, not a set number we’re trying to hit.
How much does an Engagement Session cost?
Engagement sessions start at $350 and include a fully guided one hour session, help with location and outfit planning ahead of time, and a private online gallery with all of your best images in both color and black and white. You also receive a full print release so you can download, print, and share your photos however you like.
If you want more time together or need your gallery back sooner, we have upgrades available to extend your session or add priority delivery. You can see everything that’s included and all available upgrades on our Investment Page.
Do you shoot outside of Raleigh?
Yes! We’re based in Cary and photograph couples across the Triangle regularly. If you have a location in mind outside of Raleigh, NC just reach out and we’ll talk through it. Our travel to locations within the triangle is included in the cost of your session, contact us for pricing of sessions outside of the triangle.
Let's Make Something Beautiful Together
Raleigh has some incredible settings to work with. All you need to bring is yourselves and we will handle everything else. We would love to hear your story and start planning your session.
Plan My Dream Session