When talking with Annie and Josh about their engagement session, they wanted to incorporate a lot of typical Seattle elements into the shoot. We knew we needed to include Pike Place Market, the gum wall, and the Seattle Great Wheel, but we found some other fun things along the way. In a little over an hour, we were able to get a ton of variety for these downtown Seattle engagement photos, resulting in one of my favorite engagement shoots to date!
Our first stop on the tour was the gum wall. For those who are unfamiliar, Seattle has a section to the side of Pike Place Market where two walls are covered with chewed gum. Ironically as we were there, there was someone scraping off some of the gum. I wanted to ask him at what point they knew they needed to start cleaning up the wall, because I always assumed it just kept getting piled on, but I stand corrected. From there, we walked a few paces down to a small area with a picnic table and some greenery.
After a few shots there, we walked back up to Pike Place to get some very Seattle shots in front of the sign. While there were quite a few people and cars, we lucked out with a few moments of calm. Josh and Annie even decided that they wanted to try some lifts while we were there which resulted in some cute shots (and some of them laughing at the failed attempts). From the whole shoot, these were some of my favorites, especially the ones in black and white.
Our third stop was a fun find from my sleuthing on Google Earth. If you have followed my work, you know I love a good mural, and when I spotted a giant orange octopus mural on the side of a parking garage, I knew we would have to swing by! I loved the way that the orange cones, cracked pavement, and giant colorful mural played with their white formal outfits.
The last two places we visited were the top of Pier 66 by Bell Harbor International Conference Center and the side of the Seattle Aquarium by the Seattle Great Wheel. I love the view from the top of Pier 66 if the gate isn’t closed, but if it is, it’s still a beautiful city view from the bridge that goes across Alaskan Way. (If you are looking for other photos with this same view, check out this blog of Michael & Miguel’s downtown Seattle wedding).
I loved being able to wander around one of my favorite cities and get to photograph such fun and vibrant people. We even lucked out with a clear view of Mount Rainier – check them out below!
