Laura and Victor's engagement session moved between the marina and the brick streets of Old Town Alexandria, with a silver sequin gown and black tailoring in nearly every frame. It was published in Washingtonian Bride & Groom.

If you are looking for an Old Town Alexandria engagement photographer, this is how that session came together, and what I would tell any couple planning one here. You can see the full set in Laura and Victor's gallery.

The marina and the water

The Alexandria waterfront gives you boats, flat water and soft light in the hour before sunset. Laura's gown had a long train, so we used the dock: it is wide, plain and gave the fabric room to trail behind them.

Engagement photos on a dock in Old Town Alexandria: a couple nose to nose, her silver sequin gown trailing across the boards.
On the dock, with room for the train.

Stone steps

Most people relax faster sitting down. On the pale stone steps their shoulders dropped, they leaned into each other and the gown spread across the steps, which is what you see in these frames.

Engaged couple reclining on stone steps by the Alexandria waterfront, her sequin gown spilling down the steps.
Reclining on the steps.
Man in a black jacket seated behind a woman in a sequin gown on stone steps, both looking into the camera, Old Town Alexandria engagement photos.
Looking straight into the camera.

Brick, black doors and champagne

A few streets from the water the setting changes: red brick, tall black-paned doors and deep stone window ledges. We brought champagne, and they toasted on a ledge in front of the doors. The sequins also read very differently against dark glass than they do against the water.

Couple sharing champagne on a stone window ledge beside black French doors and red brick in Old Town Alexandria.
A toast on a stone window ledge.
Couple touching foreheads and clinking champagne flutes in front of black-paned doors, Old Town Alexandria engagement photographer.
Foreheads together, glasses raised.
Woman in a sequin gown holding pale pink peonies on a stone window ledge, an Alexandria VA engagement portrait.
Peonies on the window ledge.

Black and white on a historic stoop

Old Town is full of brick stoops with iron railings. In black and white the brick, the stone and the sequins turn graphic.

Black-and-white engagement portrait on a historic Old Town Alexandria stoop, her sequin train cascading beside an iron railing.
A hand on his cheek, the train down the steps.

Planning an Old Town Alexandria engagement session

  • Start about an hour before sunset. Check the time for your date; in the evening the light off the water is soft and warm.
  • Choose a weekday if you can. The waterfront and King Street tend to be busiest on weekend evenings.
  • Wear shoes you can walk in. The brick sidewalks and cobblestones are uneven.
  • Pick clothes with texture or movement. Long skirts, structured jackets and anything that catches light look good against brick and stone.
  • Plan two or three stops, not ten. A stretch of waterfront, one historic street and a doorway is plenty, with time to walk between them.
  • Bring something that is yours: a bottle, a bouquet, a ring you want photographed up close.

Where couples ask to shoot in Old Town

Popular settings include the waterfront and marina, Waterfront Park, the area around the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Captain's Row on Prince Street, and the brick side streets off King Street. If you are not sure, tell me where your first date or proposal happened and we can build the route around it.

Booking an engagement session with me

I have been photographing for over 12 years, and I shoot engagement sessions and weddings across Alexandria, Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. To ask about a session, send an inquiry with your preferred dates, the area you have in mind and anything you want the photographs to feel like.

More work: engagement portfolio and wedding photography.

Old Town Alexandria engagement photos: common questions

When is the best time of year for an Old Town Alexandria engagement session?

Spring and autumn are the popular choices. Spring has blossom and mild evenings; autumn has warm light and comfortable temperatures. Summer evenings and winter afternoons also work, so choose the season that suits your outfits and your schedule.

What should we wear for Old Town engagement photos?

Wear what you feel good in, and choose outfits that go together without matching. Textured fabrics look good against brick and water. Avoid anything you would not want to sit or walk in.

Can we bring champagne or flowers?

Yes. Tell me beforehand so I can plan around them, and check local rules about drinking in public spaces.

Do you photograph engagement sessions outside Old Town?

Yes. I photograph across Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. Tell me where you have in mind and we will find the right light and setting.