You met at Liberty. Let's photograph what came next.

You met here. Maybe it was a class you both nearly dropped, maybe it was a friend of a friend, maybe it took three semesters and a lot of nerve. Whatever it was, it happened at Liberty — and that is not a detail I want to skip past on the way to a pretty picture.

I photograph engagement sessions, and I photograph the weddings that come after them. I go to Liberty too, which means I know what the light does here in October and which corners of campus are quiet early on a Saturday. Send me the whole story, start to finish. That is what I build the session out of.

(My photo sessions are my own small business and aren't affiliated with or endorsed by Liberty University.)

Where your Liberty story already lives

These are the campus spots I would put on your list. Every one of them is somewhere you have already walked past a hundred times without thinking about it, which is exactly why they photograph well for you and would not for a stranger.

The Freedom Tower — the shot people recognise before they read the caption.
The LU Monogram on Liberty Mountain — go up at sunset or do not go up at all.
The Academic Lawn — long evening light, and enough room to actually walk together instead of standing still for me.
DeMoss Hall and the eagle fountain — water, movement, and a reason to stand close.
The Hancock Welcome Center — the first building most people ever see here, which makes it a good last frame.

One thing to know before you plan around any of it. Liberty's photography policy means a campus session gets cleared with the University's Marketing Office ahead of time. I take care of that part, and if a spot cannot be cleared I will tell you early rather than let you get attached to it.

Off campus, when you want a different frame

Smith Mountain Lake State Park, Huddleston — 1,248 acres along the north shore of the second-largest freshwater lake in Virginia, with a 500-foot beach, one of only two public beaches on the whole lake. If the lake turns into your wedding later, the amphitheatre sits right on the water and holds up to 55 guests. Its special use permit application has to be with the park office at least two weeks before the day.
Peaks of Otter, Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 85.6 — the big mountain frame. The Park Service generally does not require a permit or a fee for still photography involving eight or fewer people, which covers nearly every engagement session there is. Confirm the current rule with the Parkway before your date.
Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, Forest — Jefferson's octagonal private retreat, the grounds, the parkway and the walking trails. This one is by advance private booking only, never a walk-up: I book it, they schedule it, and we confirm their current terms together. Drones are strictly prohibited.
Riveredge Park, Madison Heights — the James River at the bottom of Rocky Hill Road, with the Sara Lu Christian Walking Trail running along the water. Amherst County publishes no photography rule I could find, so I check with the county before we settle on a spot.

I keep a longer list of Blue Ridge overlooks and downtown Lynchburg spots — Thunder Ridge, Riverfront Park, the Old City Cemetery arboretum — on my engagement page for Lynchburg. Rather than print it twice, go read that one and come back with a favorite.

And when it turns into a wedding

An engagement session is how you find out whether you like having me around before the day it actually counts. By your wedding I already know how you two stand, what makes her laugh, and which side he keeps checking his hair on.

A wedding day is also a wrangling job as much as a photography one. Somebody has to get your grandmother, your roommates and the four people who wandered off into the same frame while the light is still good, cheerfully, without it feeling like a fire drill. That somebody is me. How I shoot a whole wedding day is on its own page.

Work you can judge me on

No Liberty engagement session on my blog yet, and I would rather you heard that from me than worked it out. What I can show you is how I photograph two people who are in love with each other, which travels:

More on the blog, and what past couples actually said on my testimonials page.

Liberty couples, answered

Do you photograph couples who met at Liberty?

That is exactly who this page is for. I go to Liberty myself, so when you tell me where he asked there is a good chance I know the spot. I photograph couples with no Liberty connection at all too, so do not talk yourself out of asking.

We want photos on campus - is that allowed?

Here is the honest version, because you deserve it before you plan around it. Liberty's photography policy means commercial photography on campus has to be authorized by the University's Marketing Office, so a campus session gets cleared with them ahead of time. I take care of that part. Being a Liberty student is a credential, not a key, and I will tell you early if a spot is not going to work rather than let you build the day around it.

Do I need a permit for the off-campus spots?

It depends on the spot, and untangling that is the part you are hiring me for. Smith Mountain Lake is a Virginia state park, so a paid session there needs a commercial photography permit arranged with the park, and a ceremony at the amphitheatre needs a special use permit filed at least two weeks ahead - the amphitheatre holds up to 55. Poplar Forest is by advance private booking only, never a walk-up. On the Blue Ridge Parkway the Park Service generally does not require a permit for still photography with eight or fewer people. Confirm current terms with each place before you set your date.

How does booking work?

Send me a note through my book me page with a rough date and whether you want the engagement session on its own or the wedding as well, and I will tell you what is open. Session length and the rest of the details are something we go over when we talk through your shoot.