We had an unusually warm winter this year in Washington, D.C. Relatively mild temperatures in the 40s and 50s, with lots of sunshine, made for a fantastic week in early February – perfect for an engagement session in National Harbor!

Darlene and Marlon’s Engagement Session

Our goal for D + M’s engagement portraits was to get a lot of variety and make it fun. National Harbor is full of great shops and restaurants, as well as the gorgeous waterfront views, which is why they chose to hold their wedding there later this year. It just made sense to take advantage of our warmer winter days and the scenic views for their engagement session!

We started out with a “sweet” series outside a candy shop. I loved the bright colors, especially when winter can be a bit drab in urban environments. From there, we made our way around the area, chatting and stopping to shoot here and there. About midway through, we decided it was time to warm up for a bit in Starbucks (my personal addiction!) Once we could feel our fingers and toes again, it was back out to the waterfront. Two of the musts on our list: shots with the ferris wheel and a silhouette with the sunset. I decided to combine the two! Lots of cozy snuggles kept D + M warm the rest of the session, and despite the chill in the air, I captured some of my favorite engagement portraits of the winter!

Thanks for hanging out with me that day, D + M! I really loved getting to know you both better, and I had a lot of fun! I hope the rest of your wedding planning is smooth sailing, and your wedding day has a perfect sunset just as we did that day.

Here’s a handful of my favorites from Darlene and Marlon’s engagement session: