Using Urban Architecture to Create Captivating Photos

We began the day by taking photos outside of the Atlanta City Hall. The city hall building is located in the center of the government sector of Atlanta. It’s an historic building once referred to as the “symbol of Atlanta’s growth as a metropolitan center.” The gorgeous Gothic architecture complete with window arches and intricate ornamental stonework designs made a wonderful backdrop for our couple. 

One advantage of urban photography is that there are many textures and interesting lines to work with due to the various types of city architecture. The massive doorway arches of the Atlanta City Hall building created the perfect frame around Claire and André. The wide angle shot captured the balance and symmetry of the three arches while maintaining focus on Claire and André’s loving embrace. By shooting from a lower angle, it gives the photo a unique composition while capturing the majesty of the architecture in the background. 

Capturing Candid Shots of the Couple in Their Element

After spending time around City Hall, we did a bit of a tour of the city. One of my favorite shots to get during urban photoshoots are walking shots. I simply direct the couple to cross the street or walk together down the sidewalk and snap photos while they’re walking. It’s a great way to get natural, candid photos of the couple instead of posed. Plus, with passing cars, streetlights, other people, and buildings in the background, they always turn out to be great editorial shots. I love the photos of Claire and André dancing in the street and of André gently guiding and holding Claire’s hand as she balances along a sidewalk ledge. 

Capturing the perfect candid shots can be tricky especially for couples who have never had a professional photography session before. Having a camera in front of your face all day may make you feel shy or awkward, but it’s one of the many reasons why I love doing engagement sessions. Engagement photography sessions are a great way to get to know your photographer and for your photographer to get to know you, too. Once you’re comfortable with each other, it’s easier to forget that the camera is there and capture those priceless candids.

Using the Atlanta Skyline as a Backdrop

If you’re planning to have your engagement session in a city or other urban environment, using the skyline as a backdrop is a must. With Claire and André, we first made our way up to an empty parking garage (which doesn’t actually sound romantic, I know, but it worked!). It gave us the perfect vantage point to capture Altanta’s skyscrapers in the background without them being too far in the distance. 

We ended the day with a walk up to the Jackson Street Bridge. This bridge was once a secret with Atlanta residents as the best place to get a view of the downtown Atlanta skyline and snap a selfie. However, word got out (if you’re a Walking Dead fan, you’ll recognize the iconic shot from the Season One posters) and now plenty of visitors make their way to the bridge to get the quintessential Atlanta view. It’s the perfect spot to snap some engagement shots, as well. There’s not a lot of traffic and you truly can’t beat the view of the skyline in the background. 

Claire and André looked so at peace together in front of their beloved city. I honestly couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to end the day.