Documentary Wedding photographer
Winter Engagement at the Biltmore Estate on Film & Digital
There are beautiful spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but a winter engagement session at the Biltmore is hard to beat. The Biltmore Estate truly stands as a testament to timeless elegance.
The Biltmore holds a special place for Matt and Sherridan, which made this engagement shoot even more meaningful.
There are two new observations I want to share from doing engagement sessions at the Biltmore during the winter: the soft winter light and how empty the Biltmore is compared to other months of the year.
As the soft winter sun casts its golden glow over the Biltmore, Sheridan and Matt enjoyed a winter engagement photoshoot as if it were their backyard. We were so comfortable during this engagement shoot that I (Juan) felt like we were close friends before we even started. We shared a lot of common interests and enjoyed each other’s company. It made this engagement shoot even more fun than it already was. It truly felt like our backyard; we only saw a handful of people at the Biltmore that day. This allowed for creativity and freedom to chase light and choose any spot I wanted on the Biltmore without interruptions or people around. It was a race against light in this case.
I have shot a few engagements at the Biltmore now, and I have to say winter is one of my favorite times to photograph at the Biltmore, if not my favorite. I have always found winter light to be softer and easier to work with than at any other time, even when it’s direct. That’s due to the way the Earth is rotated; it takes longer for the light to reach the Earth, causing it to spread more before it gets here. This gave us the freedom to be creative and photograph in more open spaces at the Biltmore.
As popular as the Biltmore is, it’s definitely a top spot for winter engagements around the Asheville area. It's an honor to be able to document your story in a place like the Biltmore Estate.
About 50% of this engagement was documented using film photography. I used Kodak Gold on both 35mm and a medium format cameras.
Thank you Tiffany from Brushes and Braids for having us at your studio. It was nice to work with you again! I will see you on the next one!
Stay tuned for more. I am working on an art photography book with documentary film photos of the Biltmore Estate. If you want to learn more, you can find the blog here!
That's all for now. See you on the next one!
Juan.
Juan and Emily are documentary wedding photographers in Asheville, NC.
