If you've seen our list of favorite Raleigh engagement photo locations and our favorite offbeat engagement photo ideas, you know we love Raleigh, but we've got a lot of love for the rest of North Carolina's Triangle region too. And so this page is dedicated to locations in Durham and Chapel Hill and the rest of the area surrounding Raleigh that we love for engagement photo sessions.
One extra note, certain locations require permits and/or reservations, so make sure to check with us about that as we finalize your engagement photo session!
And while you're planning out your engagement session, make sure to check out these pages too:
Chapel Hill & Durham's Best engagement photo locationS
In search of inspiration for Engagement photos near Raleigh, NC? Check out
UNC Chapel Hill's Campus
I normally do these lists in alphabetical order to avoid playing favorites, but I'm totally playing favorites here. I'm a Tar Heel born and a Tar Heel bred and I will take any excuse I can to spend some time on UNC's campus. The Bell Tower and the Old Well and Franklin Street make for gorgeous backdrops for people with a strong connection to the university, and Coker Arboretum provides some gorgeous natural backdrops regardless of whether or not you bleed Carolina Blue.
For inspiration, check out Megha & Graham and Emily & Matt.
Downtown Chapel Hill & Carrboro
I mentioned Franklin Street in relation to UNC's campus, but even if you don't particularly care about getting the UNC vibe, downtown Chapel Hill (and next door Carrboro) has a lot of fun and colorful locations for engagement photos. There are murals, interesting sculptures, green space, and multiple places to stop for ice cream or beer or both!
For inspiration, check out Lindsay & Matt.
Downtown Durham Loop
Much like downtown Raleigh, downtown Durham has several sub-locations that all work great for engagement photos and it's fun to mix and match depending on your personal style. The central loop (the area of downtown Durham between Ramseur Street and West Morgan) is one such sub-location. Here's where some of Durham's best architecture is, along with Major the Bull and several good murals.
For inspiration, check out Safa & Jon, Tricia & Brent, and Laura & Andy.
Downtown Durham - American Tobacco Campus
Want the vibes of downtown Durham plus a water feature? Really love the look of brick? The American Tobacco Campus is a super popular location for engagement photos in Durham. You've got a large lawn in the center, plus brick pathways everywhere and a mini-river running through the grounds. One thing I like about American Tobacco Campus is that it's close enough to other popular Durham locations that you can mix and match relatively easily.
For inspiration, check out Heidi & Keith, along with several of the sessions listed up above in the downtown loop section.
Downtown Durham - Central Park Area
The last little section of downtown Durham that I like to recommend is the Central Park area, which I think of as including the limits of the downtown loop to Central Park itself to everything up to the Cocoa Cinnamon/Fullsteam/Motorco neighborhood. This part of town has tons of great color, a park, and great spots for laughing over coffee or beer together.
For inspiration, check out Haley & Bryan and Tricia & Brent.
Duke's Campus
The photo below is actually from the Duke Lemur Center which is not quite on campus, but I can't share the photos I've done actually on campus. That said, it's a gorgeous campus (even this Tar Heel can admit that), and if you've got ties to the Blue Devils, let it show in your engagement session. Duke Gardens on the campus are also a great spot so keep that in mind too!
If you're curious about the Duke Lemur Center engagement session, check it out!
Eno River
Want some nature instead of all this downtown stuff I'm throwing at you? Well there are tons of great parks in and around Chapel Hill and Durham, but my personal favorite spot is the Eno River. You've got wooded sections, and then of course the river itself. My favorite section is shallow enough all the way across to go wading. And there are some cool bridges over the water too.
For inspiration, check out Laura & Rita.
We believe that love is bright and colorful and your wedding photographs should be bright and colorful too.
Kivus & Camera are Raleigh Wedding photographers who create bold, colorful, magical memories of your wedding day with beautiful, artistic portraits AND enthusiastic, genuine moments. Your unique love story deserves to be told through unforgettable, breath-taking photographs that stand out from the crowd. Kivus & Camera love creating that magic. After all, as past bride Courtney says, we’re photography sorcerers.
Also, while we call ourselves Raleigh wedding photographers, we definitely photograph Durham weddings, Chapel Hill weddings, Cary weddings, etc. We’re all over the Triangle area, and we’re happy to head to the beach or mountains and even to places outside of North Carolina! Just let us know where your love story is headed.
Want to know more? Check out more of our images or learn more about our nerdy selves or just send us a note! Can’t wait to hear from you.