Massachusetts
Engagement session · Boston
In short
Engagement session in Boston starts at $450: 2 hours on location with a photographer who works in Boston, and 60 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 5 business days.
Why choose Engagement session in Boston?
An engagement session in Boston is a two-hour, two-location shoot for a couple planning a wedding, priced from $450 for 60 retouched photographs and the save-the-date crops. What makes Boston efficient for it is distance: a route from Acorn Street down through the Public Garden to the river covers three distinct looks on foot, so almost none of the two hours goes to driving. The couple changes outfits once, usually in a café or hotel lobby halfway along the route, and the walking sections themselves produce the candid frames that a posed session misses.
Worth knowing about Boston
The two halves of this walk answer to different authorities, which is worth knowing when a route is planned. The Public Garden and Boston Common are Boston Parks and Recreation and require a permit for professional photography. The Esplanade is state land under the Department of Conservation and Recreation and needs its own separate special use permit. Acorn Street, being a public street, needs neither for handheld work.
What does the session in Boston look like?
- Acorn Street, Beacon Hill
- The most photographed cobblestone street in America, and about twenty feet of it works.
- The Boston Public Garden
- Lagoon, suspension bridge and willows, with Back Bay brownstones behind.
- The Charles River Esplanade
- The skyline across the water, and the best wide western light in a city that has very little.
What does engagement session in Boston include?
- 60 retouched photographs
- Two locations, including travel between them
- Outfit change included
- Save-the-date crops sized for print and for email
- Private online gallery within 5 business days
- Print release for personal use
Permits at these locations: The Charles River Esplanade: State DCR photography permit: $45, applied for at least 7 days ahead with a $1M liability certificate naming DCR.
FAQ — Engagement session in Boston
How many locations fit in a two-hour session in Boston?
Three comfortably, because they are within walking distance of each other — which is unusual. Beacon Hill to the Public Garden is five minutes, and the Public Garden to the Esplanade about ten. The walking sections between them produce the candid frames, so the transit is not lost time here the way it is in a spread-out city.
When is the best time of year for engagement photos in Boston?
Late September through October, when the light is at its best and the foliage arrives in the third week of the month. May and early June are green and mild but entirely consumed by commencement. A fresh snowfall on Beacon Hill is the single most photogenic condition this city offers and it lasts about a day, so it is a matter of luck rather than planning.