Engagement Photographer and Location Ideas

Frequently Asked Questions

Couples Shoots

Serena and Ryan booked as their couples photographer in Derry (Londonderry), and it was great as it was a perfect bright sunny day when I met up with the couple. This was a pre-wedding shoot, which is similar to engagement shoots. We took a walk around the park, photographing anything we found interesting. Derry is a beautiful location for a couple’s photography, and while there, if you're a bit stuck there is a map showing you the park layout. I’m one of the best couples photographers in the province. Your couple’s photoshoot can be traditional and candid, which I find to be the best. Nature is a great backdrop, and Northern Ireland has some of the best backdrops. What if it rains? Who cares. The rain might add a bit of sparkle to your couple’s photos, too.

I offer a professional couple photoshoot anywhere. My couples photoshoot package includes the couples photos with me emailing all images to you, but can also include prints, an album or a photo book for a bit extra. If interested, enquire about this.

Engagement Shoot

Ashleigh and Carson’s October engagement photos in Shaftesbury Park Carrickfergus with their son and his friend on a glorious day. Ashleigh’s friend booked me a while ago. The park was quite near Loughshore Hotel but was a little empty as it was autumn time, but we got some cracker engagement photos. As a bit of fun, I got Carson to do a wee mock proposal, even getting down on one knee. They brought their son and his friend, and they were all laughing as it was great fun. They received all photos and images on a USB for viewing on their smart TV, along with a couple of printed photos for their engagement shoot. Contact me with your date and more info. Thanks for booking me as your engagement photographer. Another is the castle you can also check out for some inspiration.

Portraits for couples can also be your kids, and what better way to celebrate your engagement than with your kid(s) along with some other photos too. That way, you are getting engagement photos at the same time. If the children are too young, then I can understand, but if you have young kids, let’s have some fun.

Places for Engagement Photos and Ideas

The best places for engagement photos in Northern Ireland offer beautiful images. If you are researching the best engagement locations this is worth checking out. If you live within Northern Ireland, you don’t have to travel too far, and if you live outside the country here are some ideas that might interest you. Most of my packages include free engagement. Engagement sessions can be flexible and adapt to weather conditions. A short list of the best engagement locations that you may find useful if you are interested in an engagement photo shoot, enjoy. Engagement offers unique and iconic backdrops for engagement photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

What month is best?

The summer months are best due to the weather and being more than likely to be sunny, but really if you think about it the time of the year would be great, eg if it’s snowing this time of the year would be great in the right location.  If it’s raining a little, there is no reason why you still can’t take some, if it’s too heavy, head to a sheltered spot.

What are the best places to propose?

There are many places you can propose in Northern Ireland.  The great locations listed on this page might also make good places to propose in too, so they are worth checking out.   Places for engagement photos are listed on this page under Belfast might make great places to propose and pop the question in.  Just a few are Belfast Castle, Stormont Park and a bit outside of the city Ballymenoch Park in Holywood.  All great places. NI offers many iconic landmarks for engagement photos, despite the challenges of finding private places to change outfits.

What should you not do?

1. Too many changes of clothes

2. Stick with one max photo location

   Some ideas outside of County Armagh are Cliffs of Moher

3. Come with a bad-tempered mood, it won’t work as you’ll not get those nice candid moments

4. Not picking comfortable clothing

5. If you feel a bit camera shy, it's normal and the photographer will help create a relaxed atmosphere

Park Locations

There are quite a few park and garden engagement photography locations in the province, including Botanical Gardens, Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, Bangor Walled Garden, Ballymenoch Park, Scrabo Country Park, Ness Country Gardens, Shaftesbury Park, The Ring of Gullion and Dungannon Park.  Let’s look at the Botanic Gardens first. 

Botanic Gardens Belfast

Engagement photos in Botanic Gardens Belfast with Andrea and Thomas ending in the Palm House where we got a range of shots from fun to cuddly.  It was great shooting the couple’s photos.  The fab couple are getting married in August and celebrating with loved ones.  Great to meet you both. 

The couple’s engagement photos were great as they allowed us to quickly go over their up-and-coming plans.  I made some notes when we met in the gardens and then this would go into my schedule that I carry with me.  The gardens offer some fascinating plants and flowers and you're able to take some great engagement photos here.  Most cities have a botanical garden of some description that you should check out.  There are plenty of venues in Belfast, way too many to mention here but have a read through venues where you may find some inspiration.  

Besides engagement photos, you can even get married in the Botanic Gardens here, too, but need a permit from the council for this.  There are also plenty of spots and areas within the gardens, like pavilions and open grass areas, for those romantic engagement photos.  Botanic Gardens is one of my favourite spots along with other best places for engagement photos in NI.

Engagement Photos

Most cities have a botanical garden of some description that you should check out.  There are plenty of venues in NI, way too many to mention here, but have a read through my page, where you may find some inspiration.  You can even get married in Botanic Gardens Belfast but need a permit from Belfast Council for this.  There are also plenty of spots and areas within the gardens like pavilions and open grass areas for those romantic engagement photos.  This is one of my favourite places.

They are one of those things you might regret later.  An engagement shoot is great for a variety of reasons for couples who are planning to get married and want some fun memories before the big day.  It is advisable to book an engagement shoot as soon as possible. It is best to have engagement photos taken about 1 year up to 6 months before the big day.

In the City

An engagement shoot can be photographed anywhere in the city, but outdoors is the best.  I’m sure there is a great park or location within driving distance from your house in Belfast that you often overlook.  So why not go there?  Failing that, you can head further out.  The summer is usually the best time of year but any season would be great.  Belfast has many great parks, and it’s a city, even around the city and its outskirts would be great. An NI engagement shoot offers a variety of picturesque locations and the best times for the engagement shoot. 

What makes Botanic Gardens a great place for engagement photos? It’s a park central to Belfast city, has plenty of points of interest and is within a short driving distance from Queens University. An NI engagement photographer can help capture beautiful moments in various iconic locations around the city.

Address: Botanic Gardens, Botanic Avenue and Stranmillis Road, Queen's Quarter.

Tannaghmore Gardens

Some cracker engagement photo locations include Tannaghmore Gardens, Lurgan Park, Edenvilla Park, Portadown Peoples Park and Armagh Palace Demesne which are great for your engagement, and also you have some locations just outside the town.

Rebecca and Tyler’s engagement was in the location called Tannaghmore Gardens as it was one of the nicest places to take engagement photos in as the weather was a bit windy before we proceeded into Tannaghmore Gardens. One of the best locations is the gardens located in Lurgan and Craigavon, so it is ideal for both the town and the location. There are also some great venues including Brownlow House and Gracehall. We started with some active type shots as I usually do when starting off engagement photo shoots. There were some nice, interesting areas in Tannaghmore, and it’d be very hard not to get some great engagement pics here.

Engagement photography is a way to embrace your engagement with just the two of you as a couple enjoying some quality time together. You can get creative and experiment a little with it as opposed to something traditional and perhaps a little boring. Any time of the year is great but especially the summer is best. Sunset offers some great engagement photography opportunities for your engagement with the vibrant oranges, yellows and purples of the sky lighting up behind you.

What makes this one of the best locations?

Picturesque setting, with lots of areas to explore, a kid’s play area, a maze, sculptures, and an animal farm within walking distance.

Website: https://getactiveabc.com/parks/tannaghmore-gardens

A Surprise Engagement

Amanda and Ian wanted a few suggestions for nice places to take engagement photos for their surprise engagement, and we chose Tannaghmore, which is located close to the M1. It was a big surprise for Ian. I don’t think he quite knew what hit him in a good way, though lol. There are many options for a couple shoot, offering diverse and picturesque backdrops to capture intimate and romantic moments.

Amanda booked me as their surprise engagement photographer. We captured a varied range of photos, mixing things up a bit too. I’d been here a few times previously as it’s fairly local to me, but there is always the odd wee place you pick up on each time you visit the park. A USB was ordered, and then Amanda and Ian picked a photo that would be printed onto a large canvas. Thanks for asking me to shoot your engagement, Amanda and Ian.

These were surprise engagement photos for the couple as Amanda had arranged with me. Ian must have thought he was heading to the park for a look around as he looked gobsmacked! They can be set up anywhere but it just so happened this was not too far away from the couple. Great engagement photo shoot today. Highly recommend him to everyone. He took lots of time getting proper shots and beautiful settings. Thanks. Amanda

How do you plan a Surprise Engagement?

The planning of your surprise engagement photos needs to be thought out a little and pre-planned, although not too much, and it will spoil the excitement. A good planner, like myself, will help you plan things out so if you have any enquiries or this is something you're thinking about get in touch with me as I’d love to hear from you. Don’t let your partner know about this as it’ll ruin the surprise. Just tell them you’re going out for a drive to a nice location or park. Capturing natural interactions during engagement shoots is essential to reflect the couple's true personalities and emotions. Photos to come soon.

Engagement shoot in Tannaghmore Gardens with great couple Sarah and Connor, which ranged from fun to romantic. They have a young son, and you wouldn't think it a wee' baby on the way, too! Looking forward to capturing your day and hope you’re happy.

We took a walk around the gardens, taking pics as we explored the area a little. Active type pictures are first just to get the couple used to me taking pictures as it can be a bit stiff at the beginning as they are a stranger to the couple, so it might take a while to get used to. You want a casual type engagement photoshoot before any romantic and, if they are up for it kissing-type photos. If you don’t want to start with these first, it is best to leave for a bit. To break things up a bit I tried some variations, like the couple sitting down with a few where the female is in front of the male with some hugging. Anything really to break things up a bit. A photo of the engagement ring on the female’s hand but also within the environment is good, too, but perhaps not essential.

Do you need them?

Engagement photos are a great way to get familiar with someone taking your photos before your day. It’s very laid back and casual compared to your actual day which can be quite busy and rushed. In my opinion, it’s essential. Most include engagements which are similar to engagement pics with your package as I do. Engagement photos can be traditional or can be something a bit different and more creative, reflecting both your personalities, it depends on the couple. We’ll try some poses as well as some natural and less posed. Spending time with your wedding photographer before the wedding helps capture meaningful moments and create content for various purposes.

What colours do you wear?

If you are having an engagement shoot in a park or garden-type environment where there are lots of greens then you shouldn’t wear greens, you should wear colours contrasting to this such as blues, purples and white, light colours are great, anything except greens would be ideal. This is because you will blend in too much to the background. You want your engagement shoot to pop. You don’t need any more outfits other than the outfit you're wearing. This is a bit overkill. If you want, bring some props, but again, you don’t need to.

Topics for Couples that are Engaged

You got engaged, now what do you do?  You’ll start planning your big day but the mistake couples make here is diving right into your planning TOO EARLY. Below are a few topics.  Then suddenly, every conversation centres around and there’s not too much room for continuing to learn about each other.  The engagement period is, of course the time for you to plan your big day.  If you are engaged or think you might be soon here are the top four conversations to have with your partner when getting prepared.  Taking the time to talk through these topics during your engagement can greatly benefit your marriage in the long run. Additionally, choosing meaningful locations for an engagement can make your photo shoot more special and memorable.

Money

The financial aspect of marriage is the one that can make or break your relationship, depending on how you handle it.  Setting expectations for how you and your spouse will handle finances is extremely important, especially before you even get married.  Money is undoubtedly the thing couples fight over the most.  Other things to consider include having separate or joint accounts, how you want to budget, how you will spend any disposable income and how you will communicate with each other about spending.  Talking through things will help prevent many unwanted surprises later on.

Values

By this point in your relationship, you probably have a pretty good idea of what your partner’s values are religion, politics, and family matters are topics that most people discuss early on.  Even so, it can be helpful to continue to talk about different life values.

If you don’t know what exactly to discuss, there are six categories of questions to ask each other: affection and sex, beliefs and values, family and home, interests and favourites, personality and habits, and not forgetting work and money.

Family

There are several things that you can discuss before marriage even if you both seem to get along with each other’s family, it can still be beneficial to talk about things.  When it comes to both of your families, some good things to talk through are how often you will want to visit them.  The same goes with discussing boundaries, like, are you okay with your in-laws randomly popping in?  Also if or not you want to have children and if the answer is yes from both of you, next is discussing your ideal timeline for starting a family.  If one or both of you already have children, then your conversation will be more focused on blending families and what that will look like.

Dreams and Goals 

Dreams and goals can be very personal to the individual, and because of this, some couples may not think to intentionally share their dreams.  It is important to dream together as a couple whether it be the goals you have for your life together or more personal dreams you have for own self.  Whatever dreams or goals you have, be able to share them with your partner.  Now is a very good time to start dreaming of your future together.

Places to take Engagement Photos in County Armagh

I’ll summarise and make a short list of nice places to take engagement photos.  There are more though.

1. Tannaghmore Gardens, Craigavon

2. Lurgan Park

3. Portadown Peoples Park

4. Armagh Palace Demesne

5. Oxford Island, Craigavon

6. Clare Glen, Tandragee

These locations offer a charming backdrop for engagement photos and some alternatives might be a local pub.