A Pittsburgh Original: Strip District Engagement Photos

Have you been wondering how to plan your Pittsburgh Engagement and narrow down what locations to focus on? Don’t worry! I’ve got you.

As a Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer doing Engagement sessions are part of my day to day, and I know how important they are for your journey as a soon to be married couple.

Here’s how to do it in a way that feels authentic to you!

You can’t get more Pittsburgh than this! Claire and Shane wanted a Pittsburgh engagement photo location that would authentically represent their story, so we headed to the one an only, Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District!

Clare and Shane’s first choice for their engagement photos at this popular Pittsburgh neighborhood was sentimental. They started dating while they were both still living there and going back to relived those memories was only fitting.

Fun and Fearless Engagement Photo Session: Having FUN

We did the Fun and Fearless engagement session, which is an all-inclusive couple’s experience where you don’t have to worry about the time, or how many locations and you can really focus more on the experience and being in the moment!

Photos are Art: Have a vision and your photographer will have an artistic approach

We plan for a Sunday afternoon because we wanted to get as much of that softer afternoon light as possible.

During the fall days go by quick, but we were able to get the magic of golden hour and it turned out the strip district wasn’t as busy as we thought, or at least we didn’t notice. Haha

The Vision for The Strip District Engagement Photos and the Outfits

The idea behind this part of their engagement session was meant to be elegant, urban, and artistic to represent both of their personalities.

Claire wore a black sleek dress that showed her gorgeous figure and height with a pair of chic boots that sealed that deal.

Shane made an entrance with a classy gray suit and a black shirt underneath only living his tattooed hands visible. They both wore their sunglasses which turned them, in my humble opinion, into total rock stars.

Trust your Wedding Photographer for their creative vision

After we walked around in some of the strip district streets, we ended up in one of the alleys where the sun filtered in, giving us a beautiful mix of highlights and shadows that elevated the mood of these photos.

I’m freaking obsessed with how these Pittsburgh Strip District Engagement photos came out. We also took advantage of one of the many Pittsburgh rooftops we have in the city, where Claire mentioned we took some of their favorite photos of the entire engagement session.

In some of the photos, you’ll see that parts of Pittsburghs Iconic Downtown in at the center, this was an intentional creative decision on my part.

Sexy Photos

We also had time to do a fun and sexy photo shoot at the elevator that I later turned into a fun GIF for them to have f-o-r-e-v-e-r!

If I were having my engagement photos taken, I would want nothing but the best experience and the ability to be my most authentic self with my partner, as an engagement photographer myself I strive for nothing less than that.

Talk about having a fun time!

The Experience of your Engagement Photo Session will set the tone to your wedding day

As a local Pittsburgh photographer, I enjoy crafting an experience that is unique to you—wether that is by incorporating the beautiful city of steel into it, or having your puppy be part of the experience.

We had plans to stop at Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange for a coffee since that was the place they would always stop by when they lived in the strip, but we ran out of time, and we still had another place in the north of Pittsburgh to get to before it got completely dark.

When Planning your Engagement Session in Pittsburgh

When you start planning for your engagement session, remember that your engagement photos should serve as a reminder of the first chapter of your lives together, so documenting where it all began is a great start!

Engagement Session at North Park

For the second half of their engagement photo shoot, we headed to North Park, which is one of my favorite places in all of Wester Pennsylvania.

North Park is about 15 miles northeast of downtown Pittsburgh in Hampton, McCandless and Pine Townships.

As a photographer I believe it’s a fantastic spot, not only because it’s huge, but because it offers different areas that make you feel like you’re in a different part of the country altogether.

For the first part of the North Park photo shoot, Claire and Shane wanted to hit their favorite hiking spot in North Park, The Rachel Carson Trail.

Bring your dog to your engagement session!

Ruso, their adorable Gran Danes dog was the focal point of this part of their couple session. Ruso is not only part of their family, but a huge part of their daily life so the idea was to incorporate him as much as possible while we were here.

When we were driving down to one of my favorite spots, I saw the perfect place between the woods where the sun was setting. We obviously stopped, and these photos ended up being some of my favorite family photos of the three of them.

Once Ruso was warming up in the car, we took romantic photos of Claire and Shane showing of their awesome tattoos and love for each other.

The entire engagement session took about 4.5 hours, and if you ask me, it was well invested! You have to plan for travel time between places, and also time to warm up or cool down, depending on the time of year.

Shane and Claire will be getting married next fall at the Museum Lab, one of Pittsburgh’s most stunning wedding venues showcasing architectural highlights with modern design features and amenities.

If you’re planning your engagement session and you want an experience that feels relax, authentic, and fun, make sure you send me an inquiry so we can start crafting the right experience for you.

Some wedding collections include an engagement session, find out more information about the packages and collections Natalia Baqueiro Photography offer for wedding photography here.

If you need more inspiration when it comes to locations, here’s two guides on the most Iconic Pittsburgh Locations in the Steel City and the Best Pittsburgh Engagement Locations to consider so you can get more ideas on what vibe you’d like.