When Kaitlyn and Hunter reached out to me about their engagement photos, they told me that they wanted a mix of indoor and outdoor photos that would be “urban but also classic: museums/cool interior architecture, outdoor with columns, outdoor greenery.” We chatted about a few different options for their session, including potentially photographing them at the Federal Building downtown, or Juniper Bar. When I suggested the Birmingham Museum of Art, though, they knew that was the location they wanted! We paired the museum with the Birmingham City Walk, which passes by right next door to the Museum of Art and gets beautiful natural light while still being protected from potential rain by the overpass. Like Seattle (where I’m based), northern Alabama gets lots of rain once fall and winter hit. We wanted to have a spot where we could still shoot if it ended up being wet (and that was a good decision on our part!) Here’s a look into how their Birmingham Museum of Art engagement photos turned out.

Engagement photos with me are heavily movement based at the beginning of your session. I’ve found that running around and focusing on prompts at the start really helps the couples I work with get comfortable enough for us to slow down later, without things feeling awkward. (You can read more about what to expect at an engagement session with me here!) Because of that, we started off at the city walk! We warmed up there, and then went into the museum to explore.

The Museum of Art is free, but it doesn’t allow flash photography. (This is another reason it’s good to combine this indoor engagement photo location with somewhere outdoors!) On darker, more overcast days, there is very little natural light to be found in the museum. This definitely isn’t a problem — it gives me lots of opportunities to get creative. But it’s something you should be aware of as you plan your photos, because it will definitely turn out different than an outdoor session at golden hour would.

We got to explore all over the museum and had a great time. The outfits Kaitlyn picked made her look like a sculpture that fit right in, and it was such a vibe!

Considering doing your engagement photos at the Birmingham Museum of Art? Here’s another gallery from that same location! It’s an incredible indoor engagement photo location in Bham.

Although I am primarily a Seattle Engagement Photographer, I lived in Huntsville and Gadsden, Alabama and still have family and friends I visit there regularly. If this looks like exactly the kind of engagement session you’d like to do at the Museum of Art in Birmingham, definitely don’t hesitate to get in touch with me via my contact form! You can also learn more about engagement sessions here!

Hope to hear from you soon

Love, Sarah