When it’s possible, doing your engagement photoshoot at multiple locations is a great idea! It gives the images of you and your future spouse such a variety of looks and feels. Depending on the spots, the photos can even seem like they came from two entirely different sessions! During Melissa and Jason’s recent engagement photoshoot, for example, we took pictures of the couple in two locations that could not have been more dissimilar. The session started in the world-famous gardens behind the Smithsonian Castle. Then it continued at Fathom Gallery Georgetown and on the streets of one of Washington DC’s most iconic neighborhoods. Those two spots combined to give them engagement portraits that were distinctive, creative, beautiful and above all, very “DC!” And what more could anyone want from an engagement session in the Nation’s Capital?
What Makes the Smithsonian Castle Such a Cool Engagement Photo Location
As we mentioned above, Melissa and Jason’s engagement photoshoot kicked off at one of DC’s most famous landmarks. The Smithsonian Castle is an instantly recognizable part of Washington’s skyline and a great backdrop for couple portraits. The best part of an engagement session there, though, are the two hidden gems that surround the castle.
The Enid A Haupt Garden
Directly behind it is the Enid A. Haupt Garden, a gorgeous tree-and-flower-lined space. Though not huge by any means, this location offers a tremendous amount of diversity, photography-wse. With its crisscrossing, tree-and-flower-lined walkways, the main garden area gives you both interesting shapes and natural beauty. Both of which can make for unforgettable engagement photos!
To one side of that is the Moongate Garden, one of the coolest spots for portraits in the DMV. Its unusual sculptures add creativity and flair to the shots of you and your future spouse. The highlight of that spot – apart from the two moongates – is the small reflecting pool in the middle. We can use that to create magical and trippy images of you with the castle rising behind you.
On the opposite side of the main garden is a beautiful space for more traditional engagement portraits. Along the edges of a lovely patio area are rows of gorgeous trees that add plenty of natural beauty to your pictures. Especially in the spring, when the cherry blossoms, magnolias and other gorgeous flowers there are in full bloom. That area also just happens to have a spot that is perfect for portraits with the Washington Monument rising in the background.
The Mary Livingston Ripley Garden
You can get engagement photos with a similar vibe just around the corner in another of the Smithsonian Gardens. Tucked in a little alley between Jefferson Drive and Independence Avenue is the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden. That space is almost overflowing with gorgeous flowers, grasses and trees. Even in late October (when we did Melissa and Jason’s engagement session), the garden feels like a lovely park miles from the hustle and bustle of the Nation’s Capital.
Creative Engagement Pictures in the Enid A Haupt Garden
We met Melissa and Jason at the back entrance to the Smithsonian Castle. Which just happens to be the side that leads out into the Enid A Haupt Garden! As it turns out, that is one of the best places for getting pictures of couples with the iconic building behind them. So we got Melissa and Jason’s session started with some “easy” shots of them posing in the castle’s doorway.
With the couple “warmed up,” we jumped right into some more creative engagement pictures. One of the things we love about the Smithsonian Gardens is how they constantly offer something different. Each season brings new flowers and trees, so the look and feel of the gardens changes constantly. Sometimes, it’s even a different place from minute to minute! As we were taking Melissa and Jason to the Moongate Garden, the sprinklers watering the main lawns came on. The afternoon sun was lighting up the water droplets in a really cool way. So we had the couple pose with the water spray between them and us. The illuminated drops of water made it look like Melissa and Jason look like they were surrounded by hundreds of little globe lights!
We took similarly creative engagement portraits once we all came to the Moongate Garden. We started with the aforementioned shots of Melissa and Jason reflected in the pool. The unique dragonfly sculptures and the way the water made the blue of the sky deeper gave the pictures of the couple a truly ethereal feel.
Intimate Smithsonian Castle Gardens Engagement Portraits
After taking the reflection pictures, we decided to change up the mood a little. We posed Melissa and Jason in ways that created a more intimate and romantic vibe. We got lots of closeup photos of them cuddling, kissing and laughing in the Moongate Garden.
That was an even more apt feel for the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, the next spot where we took the couple. Because of that space’s winding path and profusion of greenery, the garden is a warren of private little nooks. It’s perfect for “private” pictures in which it looks like the photographer stumbled on a couple enjoying a romantic moment.
As we made our way through the cozier of the two Smithsonian Gardens, we stopped here and there to create intimate pictures of Melissa and Jason. We had them sit on one of the garden’s benches and cuddle. Then we photographed them through the yellow flowers nearby, which highlighted them in the frame and gave the images a dreamy quality. We used a similar technique in a different spot where the sun was illuminating some yellow and green bushes. By framing Melissa and Jason with them, we added a splash of light and color to an otherwise romantic engagement photo.
From there, we brought the couple over to Georgetown for the second half of their engagement session. Click here to read all about that!
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