Romantic Autumn Engagement Photos at Duke Gardens

This October, I had the immense pleasure of photographing the newly engaged and madly in love Eesha and Jeremy! We took these engagement photos at Sarah P. Duke Gardens here in Durham, NC, on a sunny weekend in early October. Jeremy and I had been speaking and plotting about these photos since July, and it felt like a dream come true when we were finally able to bring this vision to life! Eesha & Jeremy had their proposal at Cafe Driade, a lovely outdoor cafe in Chapel Hill. They both love to hike and be outside, so it was a no-brainer that we would take these engagement photos somewhere in nature with beautiful scenery.

We took our time scoring the grounds of Sarah P. Duke Gardens, exploring all the nooks and crannies bathed in the golden hour sunlight we had prepared for. They told me they had gone thrifting the day before to find the dress Eesha wore, which fit her perfectly and flowed around her for fun, breezy photos. At first, we focused on timeless engagement photo poses and frames that highlighted their love and connection. We got some of my favorite photos of the entire session when Jeremy went back to their car to grab his guitar! He’s been playing since he was a child, and music is a big part of their relationship. Capturing the sweet photos of Jeremy serenading Eesha, or her laying on his arm while he strums, captured a lovely intimacy in their images.

We played to the natural beauty of North Carolina in Autumn, bringing in the golden tones from the tips of the trees and the changing leaf colors. When I work with couples, I love to give simple guidance that focuses more on the natural intuition of their bodies and connection. Eesha and Jeremy were naturals, finding little ways to make each other laugh and get candid reactions. These made for stunning portraits to document the special start to their new life together!