Outdoor Atlanta Locations
There are tons of beautiful Georgia locations for your engagement photos but here are some of my favorites as well as most popular locations that I tend to use in and around Atlanta for all my couple’s engagement photos.
1. Piedmont Park – Atlanta
Literally everyone in the Atlanta area wants a Piedmont Park Engagement Session. This is like the number 1 Atlanta location for ALL engagement photographers in the state of Georgia or for any kind of session. Hence, there will always be 10 other photographers there during your shoot no matter when you go. But because of all its various scenic areas, this place is great to get variety of photos without going to several different places. I always steer people in a different direction though because of how crowded it is always is.
Pro Tip: Go at sunrise to avoid people in your photos as well as get the perfect light and even fog sometimes during winter. Also, there is a farmer’s market that comes there once a month. If you are a farmer’s market kind of couple, be sure to grab some shots here or eat at one of our awesome local food trucks.
2. Green Meadows Preserve – Marietta
This is a park with running trails all around but also has a patch of tall grass that’s rarely ever mowed. The tall grass at sunset makes for some amazing photos. The sunset here is absolutely stunning. If you want to, you can even bring a picnic and make a super cute themed session. This is technically not one of Atlanta locations for an engagement but slightly outside of the city.
Pro Tip: Watch out for the poison ivy in some spots as well as bugs and spiders in summer! Also bring a blanket if you plan on sitting so the grass doesn’t poke you.
3. Berry College – Rome
Looking for some open landscape as well as some gorgeous old architecture all in one place then this is a place for you. Berry College has a 27000 acre campus with beautiful views everywhere you turn and an absolutely stunning location for engagement photos.
Pro Tip: Best time to go would be between Spring to October so you can take full advantage of the tree line while it’s bloomed.
4. Beach
If you don’t want to drive to Florida or North Carolina for beach engagement photos, we still have Savannah but you can also go to one of the local ones like Lake Lanier or Acworth Beach. You can have gorgeous sunset photos at the beach and then afterwards change into your swimsuit to jump in the water for some super fun photos if that’s your personality.
Pro Tip: Wear a super flowy dress so that you can have some gorgeous movement photos with your dress flowing against the ocean breeze.
Adventurous Georgia Locations
Are you an adventurous soul? Do you crave a little bit adventure even in your engagement photos then here are some places that will give you the feel without making you too terribly sweaty. Unless you want to hike a mountain, then heck yes! DO IT! But these are just some favorites with short hikes.
1. Toccoa Falls – Toccoa
Who doesn’t love waterfalls right? I absolutely love the haze that falling water particles provide in my pictures and I especially love Toccoa Falls because there is NEVER any sun there to get in my photos. It is located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College and is a very short like 3 minutes flat surface hike to the actual falls. The water is a about 6 ish feet deep towards the falls and so if you plan on getting in the water for some photos, you totally can!! This Toccoa Fall Engagement Session is one of my absolute favs.
Pro Tip: The falls now close at 5 PM so plan to go before that. You would go all the way to the back to the white building and enter through the store. Also watch out for snakes during summer.
2. Arabia Mountain – Lithonia
If you want a mountain feel with not too terrible of a hike then Arabia Mountain is the place to be. It’s a very easy few minutes hike to the mountain part. You can see various plants and colorful vegetation here in the fall and if you go early morning in winter, there is a gorgeous fog that surrounds the place and it even has a beautiful sunrise and sunset!
Pro tip: Park at the wildlife center and go from there. The GPS will take you to another parking lot if you put Arabia Mountain in it. From that parking lot and the white barn is on your right, the wildlife center is to the left if you keep driving about a mile or two. There is no cell phone network there until you get to the top of the mountain so communicate with whoever you need to before you turn on Klondike road.
Tip 2: If you plan to shoot at the barn, you need to take permission of the owner prior to the shoot since it’s private property and now closed off to outsiders.
3. Cloudland Canyon – Rising Fawn
If you don’t mind a little bit of a hike and by little I mean about a 100 steps or so to get to the actual waterfall then you will love it here. Me personally, I love it but I don’t love the steps climbing lol Not only does it have gorgeous views of the Canyon but also few waterfalls that you can shoot at. The first one called the Cherokee Falls is the quickest one to get to. I believe it’s a 2 mile hike round trip and those stairs are a workout but once you get there, it’s so worth all the effort. Going down is not bad at all, it’s coming back up is what takes the most out of you. You will find that not a lot of people do Cloudland Canyon Engagement photos because I assume of how much you have to hike back up.
Pro Tip: Be sure to take most of your photos before you head back up because the hike back up will definitely make you sweaty. There is a hidden rock “lookout point” on the trail before you get to the stairs. I highly recommend you get to it and take some pictures over looking the stunning mountains. Also, be on the lookout on where you step because of the snakes.
4. Sawnee Mountain – Cumming
I love this place, the view from the top at the look out point is stunning. What I don’t like is the hike you have to take JUST to get to the look out point and there also isn’t a ton of variety up there. The place to hang out is also not very big and covered with rocks but if you don’t mind all that and really want that gorgeous view, then definitely make your way up there. In either case, I assure you, you won’t regret it.
Other adventurous places that you can also wander to are Providence Canyon, Amicoala Falls, Stone Mountain.
Urban Georgia Location
If you love the city feel in your photos and want a lot of industrial gorgeousness with pops of color, then I highly suggest you go to one of these beautiful places in the city. Take a stroll through them and stop at various murals because our city is known for many beautiful ones.
1. Marietta Square
Downtown Marietta has seriously some of the cutest nooks and beautiful murals everywhere you turn. You can start at one street and walk two blocks and I guarantee you, you will find 10 places to take pictures. And if afterwards you still want some nature shots, head over to Kennesaw Mountain and frolic a little bit in the field.
Pro Tip: If you want to take full advantage of most of the cute spots, aim to take your photos at sunrise or close to sunset so that there won’t be sun everywhere in your photos or too many people.
2. Downtown Atlanta
Taking your engagement photos in downtown Atlanta can have it’s own charm. While there will be people in your shots, there are also places and streets that can be secluded and buildings that provide a cool industrial charm and a unique look to your photos. You can even go down to a Marta Station for some unique portraits on the station and maybe even hop on it to go one stop and back to take some train photos.
3. Atlanta Rooftops
If you don’t like the hustle and bustle but yet want the urban look, you may opt for one of the roof tops of the many parking decks in Atlanta that can provide a view of the amazing skyline as well as the ferris wheel. Another one of the amazing locations that provides a great view of the skyline even at night is the rooftop of Ventanas. Do keep in mind that Ventanas charge a fee to utilize their place for photo sessions but the view from their helipad is truly one of the BEST! Me personally, I love me some Atlanta rooftop engagement photo sessions because you can see all the skyscrapers and the skyline. I am unnecessarily obsessed with skylines. lol
You can also stroll through beltline and Krog street and stop to take photos are various murals. Another place in Atlanta with beautiful architecture is Agnes Scott College. The college is mostly empty in the evening and you will be able to freely pose outside any of their gorgeous buildings without tons of people getting in your photos. And if you are a Potterhead, you can even have your wedding at Agnes Scott. Their dining hall which is used for reception kinda resembles The Great Hall.
OUT OF THE BOX IDEAS
Looking for something non-traditional and super fun that’s unique to you guys, how about do your photos at one of these places below or a lifestyle session doing something you both enjoy doing together such a baking, painting etc
1. Fair:
Head on over to the county fair and grab some cotton candy and get cute. You can take pictures riding rides, sharing an ice cream or playing games.
Pro Tip: Go on a weekday and early as soon as it open to avoid the crowd.
2. Varsity or any other local fast food places:
Love food and have a favorite fast food place that you go to regularly? Why not incorporate that in your engagement photos? One of the restaurants that an iconic Atlanta place is The Varsity. Share a hot dog and take a pic! Other similar places you can go to are Chickfila, KFC or even head to Target!
3. Local Airbnbs:
Want to have a lifestyle session but don’t want to do it at your own house? Get on airbnb. There are tons of adorable places on there that can be rented for your photo session. Think about how cute it would be to do a Vintage Airstream Engagement Shoot..Adorable right?? Just make sure to clear with the host that you will be taking pictures. Most don’t mind but it’s nice to let them know. You can get really creative with these sessions and include some of your hobbies into the photos such as baking, playing video games. You get the idea! Check out this super adorable baking engagement session we recently shot!
Here is a post I made about some super cute airbnbs in the Atlanta area which would be perfect for in-home lifestyle type sessions if you didn’t want to use your own home. I know I wouldn’t want to clean my entire house before pictures lol
Other fun places you can also use are arcades, mini golf, or our very own Oakland Cemetery if you are into that kind of stuff!
There are so many amazing places in Georgia even in North Carolina as you drive towards Asheville that are absolutely beautiful and picture perfect for engagement photos and if I sit here and list them all, this blog may never end lol. But these are my favorite and most visited. I am all about out of the box ideas and so I will attempt to use places others haven’t. I suggest get really creative and personal with your photos and put your own personal touch into them. Relax and have fun and maybe even grab a drink beforehand if you are the kind of person who stresses before big things, I know I do!
