Downtown Raleigh was the perfect spot for Sarah and Spencer’s engagement session that kicked off my 2021 photography season! After shooting this session I just knew that it was going to be a great year!

Dogs, laughter, and love…

Sarah is a wonderfully talented photographer herself in the Raleigh area and it is both exciting and intimidating when you have the opportunity to take portraits for someone who works in the same industry as you. The pressure is on to really nail every part of the session! I knew that I really wanted to create some of my best images for them, but after getting them in front of my camera, I quickly realized I couldn’t take a bad picture of this beautiful couple!

Sara and Spencer were about a week away from their destination wedding in the Florida Keys and their excitement was catching. They were so clearly in love and ready to become husband and wife after the months of anticipation. It is being around couples like them that make me love my job, you simply can’t leave without smiling. The way Spencer looked at Sarah and the way she smiled back at him was just magical. I have taken thousands upon thousands of images. The pictures I always love the most are the ones filled with emotion.

Just the two of them would have been enough. But Sarah reached out about bringing their fur-baby Harper and y’all… it was the cutest thing EVER! Harper did so good and I love that they will have these images with their sweet Harper to look back on forever. If you are ever on the fence about bringing your dog with you, let me tell you DO IT. You will not regret it.

We spent the entire time laughing, dodging traffic, and creating some seriously sweet memories. Scroll through to see some of my favorites from that day.

I love helping my couples find the perfect location for their engagement sessions. With so many gorgeous spots around the Raleigh area, how do you even narrow down the best places? I’ve created a list of some of my favorite photography locations and you can find it here!