On the afternoon of March 13th 2020, I was at Duke Gardens getting ready to photograph a proposal that was about to take place on the iconic red bridge. While I was waiting for the couple to get there, I checked my phone and got an email stating that the gardens were closing indefinitely that day due to the Covid pandemic that was beginning to unleash here in the US. I would never have guessed that the gardens wouldn't reopen for photography till 16 months later.

When July 2021 rolled around and the gardens finally reopened, it was so great to be able to photograph there again. You can see why in the photos from Jessica & Calvin's recent Duke Gardens engagement photography session below: there are so many great places to find to shoot in and the golden hour light can be magical to work with. As a member photographer, I photograph there several times a month so it was definitely great to be finally be back after so long.

Congrats to Jessica & Calvin! I'm looking forward to photographing their wedding in the spring! Here are just a few of my faves from their Duke Gardens engagement photography session.