DUKE GARDENS RALEIGH, NC
Address: 420 Anderson St, Durham, NC 27708
Open From 8:00 AM until dark
19-minute walk to complete
Hey y'all! I had an absolute blast photographing this awesome couple during their engagement session at Duke Gardens.
Let's get into this massive and beautifully managed location is the ultimate engagement photo haven.
History
I was genuinely curious about the history of Duke Gardens. According to their site. This was established in 1930s, right around the time when Duke University just had donated $40 million dollars to the university.
Mary Duke Biddle and Sarah Pearson Duke, who loved nature played an essential role to building this beautiful park.
They wanted to create a space where folks could come together and celebrate the beauty of the outdoors, a place where you could just lose yourself in the colors and fragrances.
Places to Photograph at Duke Gardens
Duke Chapel - If you're planning your engagement session, definitely consider taking Duke Chapel pictures.
Virtue Peace Pond - As the sun sets over Virtue Peace Pond, the reflection in the water creates a breathtaking scene that photographers love to capture in their pictures.
Page-Rollins White Garden - When you stroll through the Page-Rollins White Garden, you'll be greeted by a captivating array of white blooms and greenery, creating a serene atmosphere.
Angle Amphitheater - Couples in love often choose Angle Amphitheater as the backdrop for their engagement photos, creating unforgettable Angle Amphitheater pictures.
Charlotte Broady Discovery Garden - The vibrant displays in Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden set the stage for an engagement session as colorful as our Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden Engagement Photos.
Asiatic Arboretum - The Asiatic Arboretum provided the ideal backdrop for their engagement, where love and nature merge in perfect harmony.
East Meets West Garden Engagement - East Meets West Garden engagement pictures radiate the energy of our love story, where cultures blend and love thrives.
Parking in Duke Gardens
Parking can sometimes pose a challenge, particularly during weekends and weekdays.
It's wise to plan your visit during off-peak hours when crowds are thinner.
You'll often spot grad students engaging in their own photoshoots here.
They're well aware of the sheer photographic potential this place offers.
Amidst this vibrant atmosphere, you'll discover a symphony of unique tree varieties and pockets of seclusion, creating an enchanting backdrop for your love story.
We spent most of our session walking around looking at the scenery, and of course Jess and Anna probably enjoyed me marveling the place because it was THAT beautiful.
This was our first stop of our engagement session.
There are long paths so its perfect for walking shots like these. I had them just be themselves, talking and looking at each other while I take shots all the way!
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Duke Gardens have a few seats that you can take to get them relaxed while taking photos of them unnoticed.
One of the beautiful gazebos at Duke Gardens. I had to take one of them in it.
We saw maybe 20 people walk down past the gazebo. There were kids running around, people with their phones getting selfies with the flowers. I tried to ignore it but I'm glad there was a path for us to just take photos without people in the background.
We stopped at my favorite spot which had one tall pine tree.
As you can probably see, there were people sitting around lol
For research purposes I included this one and had another without people in it.
With my GFX50sii + 80mm F2 projector Lens (which I frankenstiened, literally.) I soften the background and obliterated the people in the background while keeping them sharp in the foreground.
Another impromptu photoshoot in one of our paths. I had Jess do the Heimlich maneuver pose. While Anna looks back "oh, hi"👋
We headed to the lake where we saw a few ducks and a wide open space.
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Then I made them walk around the lake so I can get a shot of them like this haha
I so love love love this shot! Another variation from the Heimlich maneuver pose! So good.
We did a ton of these lol 😂
Duke Gardens also had an edible plant garden(not sure what they're called haha) but I saw one of these posts that had cities on them. I asked them to guess where the cities were and point them where they think they go. Had a lot of fun with these haha
About an hour in. There was a Koi pond behind the Recreation center. It was really nice to just sit down and relax after walking around. The landscape had a lot of hills too.
I had random bubble mixture in my pack. Must have for a cute engagement session like these
Anna couldn't wait to blow bigger bubbles lol
One of my favorite shots at Duke Gardens. There were a couple of graduates that we had to shoo away cuz they spent probably 30 minutes just in this one spot.
This was our 2nd to last sections of our shoot. There were too many people when we arrived, so we went full circle around Duke Gardens. It was also on our way to the Parking lot.
The Gate shot was the last shot I took of them. In the beginning of our session, there were too many people that were coming in and out. I knew that this will make them uncomfortable if I stopped to take a photo of them. So I saved this for last!
Check out their session from beginning to the end!
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