Arizona Engagement Photos

When To Take Engagement Photos

Most people take engagement photos 3-12months before the wedding. If you’re planning on sending out save the dates with your engagement photos on them, you’ll want to shoot for sending those out 6-8 months from wedding (according to Brides.com). If you’re having a destination wedding with a large majority of people flying in from elsewhere, you may want to consider sending them out 8-12 months out to give people extra notice. If you aren’t using your engagement photos on your save the dates, you have substantially more leeway on when to schedule your engagement session. You can even have your engagement session a week before your wedding as a time to relax and reconnect with your partner before the big day arrives. Remember, Phoenix area summers are pretty brutal, so plan ahead and avoid shooting in the summer, or consider an in studio, in home or underwater engagement session if you absolutely need to shoot in summer.

As an Arizona wedding photographer who has been photographing weddings & elopements for about 10 years, I recommend first finding your wedding photographer. I know! It’s a daunting task. But here’s why I say that. It’s really best to have your wedding photographer photograph your engagement photos. Most wedding photographers include engagement sessions at a big discount in most of their packages as a way to get you comfortable with how your wedding photographer poses and directs you, comfortable with their personality, and make sure you like the photos before the big day arrives. These are like get to know you sessions and are a great way to learn how to interact in front of the camera without the stress and pressure of the big day.

What season do your want your engagement photos to take place? Maybe your wedding is happening in spring, so fall engagement photos would be a great contrast in season. Or maybe you want your engagement photos to take place in the same season as your wedding because you love that season! Give that some thought as you plan when to take your engagement photos! Remember, summer in Phoenix is likely NOT when you want to take your engagement photos, unless you’d like a Salt River session in the water, or an in home or underwater engagement session. Otherwise head north for much cooler temperatures!

Places to Take Engagement Photos in Arizona

Arizona is home to some of the most beautiful locations for weddings and elopements, so there is no shortage of locations for engagement photos.

Phoenix

Here are some fantastic places to take photos in the greater Phoenix area, including Mesa, Gilbert, Tempe! This is not an exhaustive list, but a place to get you started. Talk to your photographer about their favorite spots, secret places, or if you have some specific ideas!

Papago Park

Papago Park, near Desert Botanical Gardens, the Phoenix Zoo and Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, is a beautiful park featuring smooth sandstone red rocks, reminiscent of Sedona, amongst the desert landscape. There aren’t many saguaros, but you can find a few here and there in the park! The local famous Hole in the Rock is a small natural formation where people can sit and watch the sun set over Phoenix. Hole in the Rock can get quite busy at sunset!

Fee: Free!
Dogs? Yes! 

Desert Botanical Gardens

Next to Papago Park and the Phoenix Zoo, the Desert Botanical Gardens is a beautiful place full of native desert plants, but in a manicured setting if you’re not quite up for a trek through the desert. There is also the herb garden and a few other opportunities for more lush greenery for variety, as well as some buildings and mountains in the distance. Lots of saguaros and other cacti and native desert plants, along with information on them can be found at the botantical gardens. There are also frequent art installations in the garden. Can be quite busy during good weather.
Fee: $ 15-$ 30/person, free with membership
Dogs? No

Downtown Phoenix

Roosevelt Row & Heritage Park
Roosevelt Row is an area in downtown Phoenix known for their murals and street art. It has a high concentration of murals in a relatively small area and is an “artsy” district of Phoenix, making it a fantastic area for an engagement session if you are into art or urban living.
Heritage Square is near the Arizona Science Center and has some fantastic little nooks and crannies that are historic to downtown Phoenix, such as Rosson House. If you want a mix of historic and modern, Heritage Square is a wonderful place!
Fee: street parking or garages only, varies

Old Phoenix City Hall + Orpheum

This is especially popular for downtown Phoenix elopements, but can also be a very cool spot for engagement photos too! We can walk around this area downtown for a very cool, vibey city style engagement session, maybe pop up to the top of a parking garage, and get drinks at your favorite bar to round off your session.

Fee: street & garage parking, varies

Mesa

Salt River

The Salt River is a favorite location of mine. Having grown up in Mesa and visiting the area in summer, I’ve become intimately familiar with the area and photograph 50%+ of my sessions at the Salt River. The Salt River is a large area in NE Mesa along Bush Hwy with multiple locations each offering a variety of landscapes. You can have river landscapes with a pebble-strewn beach and towering cliffs above you, or a beautiful desert landscape with Red Mountain in the background, or a mesquite tree forest with a river off in the distance, all in the same general area. You can see more photos and info on this page. Wild horses frequent the area which is a fantastic plus to this location. Recent fencing projects have reduced how often I see them, but when we do see them, it’s magical! It’s too busy in summer and unshootable on weekends during summer, but makes a fantastic location every other time of the year or weekdays in summer. Hiking not necessary, but there are a few spots where it’s possible if you’re looking for a view!
Fee: $ 8-$ 12/vehicle for parking

Usery Mountain Park

Near the Salt River, Usery Mountain Park is a regional park with stunning desert landscape and mountains in the background. It’s a beautiful spot for an easy hike (Wind Caves) if you’re looking for a few, but hiking is not necessary.
Fee: $ 8/vehicle
 

Superstition Mountains

The Superstition Mountains, an icon of the Phoenix area, is located in Apache Junction, east of Mesa. Lost Dutchman State Park encloses the landmark mountains, which are named by the legend of the Lost Dutchman. The Superstition Mountains face west, picking up beautiful sunset color. The whole area is a stunning desert & mountains location and is also near the Superstition Mountain Museum, home of the Elvis Chapel. The whole area is a beautiful tribute to the Old West.
Fee: $ 10 to park

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum, about 30-60 minutes from Mesa or Phoenix, is a beautiful sprawling arboretum with towering eucalyptus trees, a trail into the mountains for some views, a greenhouse, trees that turn color in fall, and a huge variety of plants. It’s definitely worth the drive to Superior, AZ!
Winter hours: 8AM-5PM, not recommended for summer. Very strict on exit time! Last entry is BEFORE 4PM in winter which is often well before sunset
Fee: $ 25/person + $ 50 permit fee

Tempe Town Lake

Tempe Town Lake and Mill Ave is a college town with lots of cute bars and restaurants, the Mill Ave bridge and lightrail bridge. Both bridges light up at night and would be a perfect spot to catch the sunset setting over Tempe Town Lake then shoot into twilight for some beautiful nighttime portraits. Also nearby is Tempe Center of the Arts which has beautiful concrete, modern architecture, and another beautiful bridge!
Fee: Garage parking and lot parking, varies

Your favorite brewery

Into local craft beer or cider? Have a favorite date night spot? Ask for permission to shoot your engagement session at your favorite brewery! If it’s downtown, we can take a stroll downtown after you share a brew with your fiance and get some gorgeous urban shots. Be sure to obtain permission from the establishment before confirming your shoot.

Photography Studios

There are many photography studios popping up around the Phoenix area since 2020! They aren’t your typical studios with backdrops only either- many have seasonal rooms and creative concepts, in addition to your typical studio backdrops. Fees range from $ 65-$ 75/hour but can be a lot of fun if you want a location out of the heat of summer, or have a specific style in mind for your session. There are also a few Airbnb style rentals available with green backyards and other similar concepts including farms for outdoor options.

Engagement Photos in Your Home

In home engagement photos are perfect for introverts and homebodies! You do not need to have a perfect home that looks like it’s out of HGTV. Maybe Netflix & chilling is REALLY your thing to do together. Maybe you have a hyper dog (or a cat or other pet!) that you want to incorporate into your photos but you can’t take him anywhere. Maybe you guys are really into board games, video games, home DIY and renovations, or cooking together. The benefit of doing photos in your home is you are instantly comfortable there, there’s a lot you can do, and it really shows your personality through your decor. In home sessions are some of my favorites!

Underwater Engagement Photos

Yes, underwater engagement photos! It’s as cool as it sounds, and it’s a fantastic way to beat the Arizona summer heat and still get engagement photos done! You’ll need a pool and both be comfortable opening your eyes underwater, but you do not need to be champion free divers to do an underwater engagement session. I have been photographing people underwater for over 15 years so I am very experienced. It’s a very unique type of engagement session and will surely turn heads!

 

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