Some sessions are just sweet, timeless, and romantic from start to finish, and Emily and Brennan's engagement session at Maymont was exactly that. There's nothing posed or stiff about it. It's documentary in the truest sense: two people being exactly who they are together, with me just along for the ride to catch it.
We shot this one in August, when Maymont is completely lush and full, and if you've spent any time there in the summer, you already know why it's one of our favorite backdrops in Richmond. It's hard to overstate how many different looks you can get out of one property: gardens, stone bridges, open lawns, shaded paths. It made for a session that never felt like it was repeating itself. There's a timeless quality to Maymont that we love working with, the kind of backdrop that could have been shot a decade ago or yesterday and still look exactly right.
Brennan works in forestry, and it showed. He spent a good chunk of the session pointing out different trees around Maymont and giving us fun facts we genuinely didn't know, which is always a fun kind of chaos to photograph. You can tell when someone's talking about something they actually love, and that's exactly the kind of real, unscripted moment documentary photography is built to catch. Emily's a chef, and the two of them together had this easy, grounded energy that made the whole afternoon feel more like hanging out with friends than a photo session. Nobody was performing for the camera. We just followed them around Maymont and let the two of them be themselves, which is really all we ever want out of a session like this.
Emily and Brennan are actually getting married at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, so if you want a preview of what that venue looks like in full bloom, go check out Aya + Brian's cherry blossom wedding. We can't wait to be back there for Emily and Brennan's big day.
Thinking about an engagement session of your own? Let's talk - we'd love to hear where you're picturing it.