Best Places To Take Engagement Photos In Columbia, South Carolina

So you’ve booked your wedding experience package with your South Carolina wedding photographer and now it’s time for you to choose the best location for your Columbia, SC engagement session! There are some wonderful places in the Columbia, South Carolina area for engagement photos for couples to visit. So let me walk you through best places to take engagement photos in Columbia, South Carolina! 

Some Location Favorites

The first thing that I want to mention is that I believe every couple should have their engagement or anniversary photos taken in a location that is sentimental to them. I’ve written a blog post breaking down how to choose a location for your engagement photos before on the blog, so with that post in mind, let’s dive into a few specific locations around the Columbia area that are great for engagement photos of you and your partner.

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The South Carolina Statehouse 

We will start with one of the most popular and go from there! The South Carolina statehouse grounds are one of the most beautiful locations in central downtown Columbia for Columbias, South carolina engagement photos. The grounds offer tons of beautiful spots with great light for your South Carolina State House engagement photos, and the statehouse itself lends its beautiful marble look to your South Carolina engagement photos to give them a more formal look.

So many of my couples request engagement sessions at the South Carolina Statehouse due to the impeccable upkeep of the grounds, its central location in Columbia, the grounds and building almost always being open to the public, and the way that its marble columns can elevate the look of formal Columbia, SC engagement photos.

The University of South Carolina Horseshoe

A great engagement session location that’s within walking distance of the South Carolina Statehouse grounds is being University of South Carolina’s Horseshoe. Many couples getting married in Columbia, South Carolina are often either fans of University of South Carolina sporting teams or alumna themselves of the University.

The University of South Carolina provides a gorgeous location for Columbia, South Carolina engagement photos, especially if you and your partner met and fell in love at USC. So many of my wonderful couples have chosen to have their Columbia, South Carolina engagement photos taken here due to the many different locations throughout the USC Horseshoe that all are well lit and perfect for engagement pictures in Columbia, SC. The space is also open to the public and the grounds are always well-kept! 

Five Points Columbia, South Carolina

Another favorite location of mine for engagement photos in Columbia, South Carolina is Five Points. The fountain, local coffee shops, and local cocktail bars all lend an urban/big city look to engagement photos. My couples often stop at a local coffee shop for coffee during their engagement session or to grab a beer at one of the local bars.

Two beautiful parks close by, Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Maxxy Greg Park, also provide beautiful settings for Columbia, South Carolina engagement photographs that contain a bit more greenery than you might find in the heart of Five Points. If you’re a couple looking for a bit more of an edgy or big city feel to your engagement photos, five points Columbia South Carolina is the best place for those type of engagement photos!

Main St., Columbia, SC

Another favorite SC engagement photos location in Columbia I love to go to is Main Street! All of the local shops, restaurants, and bars help create beautiful Columbia, South Carolina engagement photographs that are both classy and timeless with that big city feel. There are also quite a few different parking garages throughout Columbia that are accessed via Main Street that the public can use for their Columbia, South Carolina engagement photographs.

One of my favorite things to do with a couple is meet them on the street for a cocktails and photographs, and then lead them into some more formal engagement photographs at the top of a parking garage as the sun sets. Or you can schedule your session on a Saturday morning and visit Soda City Market for your engagement photos! My clients Maddy and Emily did something similar to this at their LGBTQ+ engagement session in Columbia, SC. 

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West Columbia Riverwalk

Another super popular spot in the Columbia area that is great for engagement photos is the West Columbia Riverwalk! The city of Columbia has done such a wonderful job with the Riverwalk, and it is such a beautiful location for Columbia, South Carolina engagement photos to be taken. I love how many of my couples can access the river for Riverwalk engagement photos and that the space is often open to the public, as well. The West Columbia Riverwalk even has a public bathroom for couples to use if needed! 

Best Places To Take Engagement Photos In Columbia, South Carolina

These locations are just a few of the best places to take engagement photos in Columbia, South Carolina. While there are tons of other wonderful public parks and locations that I have photographed my couples in within the greater Columbia area, these few locations are some of the most popular and most frequented spots for Columbia, South Carolina engagement photos.

Your Location For Your Columbia, SC Engagement Photos

If you are a couple searching for the best places to take engagement photos in Columbia, South Carolina, please be sure to check out my thoughts on how to choose a location for your engagement session that fits you in your partner best so your photos have a sentimental meaning for you.

As an intentional South Carolina wedding photographer, it’s always my goal to create imagery that features the uniqueness and special parts of each partnership. I want my couples to be able to see themselves in their Columbia, South Carolina engagement portraits, and that’s why it’s so important to choose a location for your engagement photos that is not only beautiful for your photographs but also sentimental for you and your partner as well.