As the weather warms up and engagement sessions are in full swing I thought I would put together a post with some fun ideas for couples to consider for their Asheville (or destination) engagement shoot. Except for the question “What do I wear?”- (You can check out this post I wrote for our thoughts on that) – “Where should we go/what should we do” is probably the most frequent question we hear! First and foremost…we encourage you to pick a location or activity that is fun and meaningful to who you are as a couple. It might be a casual afternoon spent visiting a local brewery (Asheville has plenty!) and exploring the streets of Asheville or adventuring to one of Western NC’s many scenic waterfalls… This is fine and I will gladly join you and we’ll create some awesome images – no doubt!

AND… I am encouraging you guys to think out of the box… think different…think adventurous… the sky is the limit (actually if we’re being honest… no limit there either, helicopters and planes welcome!). Use your engagement session as an excuse to step away from planning your wedding, work, daily life and just be together… Have fun!!

I plan to challenge myself this year – Get out of my comfort zone and shoot things that are different – Think beyond making pretty pictures and create images that are even more reflective of who you are as a couple… I want to tell your story…your love story!

So my challenge for you is to go beyond a walk in the park…for example….

Maybe you enjoy going to the farmers market and cooking together? Come up with a dish you love, get a six pack of your favorite local brew… I will meet you guys in your neighborhood, I’ll document your adventure to the farmers market and moments cooking together… Think day in the life. Just you two… being you!!

Do you love climbing? Great! Me too! Let’s go climbing… We can head to the local rock gym or even better, let’s get outside. Table Rock NC and Linville Gorge area is one of my favorite places… There is no shortage of amazing climbs. Or let’s head to Pisgah and out to Looking Glass for your rock climbing engagement session and end the evening with a beer at Oskar Blues.

If you enjoy hiking there’s no shortage of great hikes in Asheville and Western North Carolina. Here are a few mountains I would love to head to – camera in hand and an adventurous couple in tow – and create some amazing photographs: Roan Mountain Engagement | I haven’t been there yet and have been eyeing this beautiful mountain as a location for some epic adventure portraits. Hawksbill Mountain Engagement | Linville Gorge has long been one of my favorite hiking locations and I would love to take a couple up to the top of Hawksbill for some sunset engagement photos. Those are just a few possibilities. Want something a little closer to Asheville for your engagement photos? Let’s adventure up to Craggy Gardens or Black Balsam!

Want to turn your adventure engagement session into an overnight backpacking or camping trip?! Let’s do it!!! I am so game! Bring your four-legged hiking companion – We love dogs! No matter what you decide… Make it genuine, fun and representative of who you are as a couple… After all, it’s your love story & I’m just there to capture it! AMW Studios is an Asheville wedding photography studio run by Ariel and Matt – We are located in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and available for destination wedding photography worldwide… We specialize in creating modern + dynamic imagery for adventurous couples. Getting married or know someone getting married? We are now booking weddings, adventure engagement sessions & lifestyle portraits for 2017 and 2018! Drop us a line – info@amwstudios.com – let’s chat! We can’t wait to tell your story….