Philadelphia has endless places for great engagement photos. If you’re looking for a touch of wilderness in your photos, look no further than the Wissahickon. This park’s wooded trails and creekside hideaways give engagement photos that feeling of being in your own world. These Wissahickon Park engagement photos are a perfect example of how we can create romantic, creative images to celebrate this milestone in your relationship.
In this blog post:
- Why You’ll Love Wissahickon Park Engagement Photos
- What to Keep in Mind for Your Session
- Romantic Engagement Photos for L and D
- Your Philadelphia Engagement Photos
Why You’ll Love Wissahickon Park Engagement Photos
Wissahickon Valley Park (or the Wissahickon, as locals refer to it) is a 2,000-acre park spanning a strip of Philadelphia. Chestnut Hill and Northwest Philadelphia sit on the east side of the park, and Roxborough and Manayunk are on the west. The diverse trails and woodsy backdrops give Wissahickon Park engagement photos a wild, natural feel.
Unlike a typical city park, the Wissahickon is run by the Friends of the Wissahickon. This nonprofit maintains over 50 miles of trails used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It also works to protect the park’s watershed.
Your Wissahickon Park engagement photos can be as adventurous or laidback as you want. It all depends on whether you want to do a little hiking or find an easy-to-access green space. There are plenty!
Here are some favorite spots to take photos in the Wissahickon:
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- Valley Green Inn: This restaurant is in the heart of the Wissahickon, and it serves as a wedding venue. You can eat on the scenic stone patio or skip rocks in the creek in the shade of the trees.
- Forbidden Drive: This is the most accessible trail through the woods with little elevation gain.
- Glen Fern: If you love the idea of waterside engagement photos, check out this spot. A little waterfall creates a glassy pool. It’s so lush.
- Historic Thomas Mill Covered Bridge: This bridge adds a fun architectural element to photos.
What to Keep in Mind for Your Session
Weather: Because Wissahickon Park has few shelters and lots of rocky paths, some parts can be tricky to navigate in the rain, especially if you’re dressed in more formal attire. Consider the weather before solidifying a date and outfit plans. Personally, I think cold and rainy sessions can still have their own magic.
Accessibility: If you’ve got mobility limitations, keep that in mind when choosing a location for your Wissahickon Park engagement photos. The trails vary drastically in the challenges they present.
The Friends of the Wissahickon share this information about parking:
“There is parking for the disabled at Valley Green Inn and in one or two other parking areas in the Wissahickon. The Inn also allows people to drop off disabled passengers in front of the ramps leading to the Inn. However, except for Forbidden Drive, the Wissahickon trails are not wheelchair-accessible.”
They recommend that wheelchair users visit Forbidden Drive or Kelly Drive along the Schuylkill River.
What to Wear: Wear whatever makes you feel like yourself for your Wissahickon Park engagement photos. It should be comfortable enough to move in and make you feel confident. Beyond that, I just recommend supportive shoes.
Want to see some other favorite Philadelphia engagement photo locations? Check out these blog posts:
- Carefree Penn’s Landing Engagement Session with Colorful Film Photos
- Dreamy Longwood Gardens Engagement Photos on Film and Digital
- Summertime Engagement Photos in Rittenhouse Square
Romantic Engagement Photos for L and D
When L and D reached out to do engagement photos, they weren’t quite sure where they wanted to do the session. Instead of asking them for a specific location, I asked them more about themselves and their relationship. That way I could help them pick a place that was authentic to them.
L shared, “We love trees, flowers, art museums, and local movie theaters. Those are all sentimental locations for us!”
To narrow it down a little more, I asked them how they wanted their photos to feel and what they wanted them to look like. They chose these adjectives in my questionnaire:
- Romantic
- Kind
- Sweet
- Colorful
- Creative
- 90s Bollywood
From there, we landed on doing Wissahickon Park engagement photos. We met at a parking lot near a trailhead in the late afternoon. I love this time of day for photography sessions. You get even light as the sun gets lower in the sky. Then, in the hour before sunset, you get the dreamiest golden hour lighting.
For L and D’s Wissahickon Park engagement photos, those different lighting situations gave me opportunities to create romantic, organic images. We eased into the session, though. Neither L nor D said they liked being photographed. They chose to work with me because they wanted to work with a photographer who “would be able to create a space where [they] felt safe and fun and comfortable.”
I gave them space to interact and just enjoy being together in the beautiful surroundings. Then I began incorporating gentle prompts for some of the more artistic, romantic photos that they wanted. This gallery came together as a beautiful mix of candid and intentionally posed images.
Your Philadelphia Engagement Photos
I loved photographing these Wissahickon Park engagement photos with L and D! Their kindness and love radiates from these photos. You can tell that they had the best time with each other.
Engagement photos are such a good way to get to know your photographer, too. It gives you a chance to get comfortable with them, and they get a better sense of what kind of photos you like before your wedding day.
Still not sure where you want to do your Philadelphia engagement photos? I have a system for helping my clients find their ideal location, whether it’s on a hiking trail or the cobblestone streets of Old City. Would you like me to take your engagement photos? I’m a Philadelphia wedding photographer specializing in film photos that are unapologetically you. Reach out to me here!
