Portland Art Museum Engagement Photography

Maliha and Justin were recently engaged and wanted to do a couples shoot at the Portland Art Museum. Justin planned it all as a surprise date night on Valentines Day. This was my first time doing at shoot at the museum and I was excited to do something different and to be inspired by the exhibits. I love that the exhibits change throughout the year so each time I go back it’s a new environment to shoot in! Being indoors was also perfect for the constant rain and gloom that Portland has through the winter.

A well dressed smiling couple stands holding hands next to a red glass-blown art piece at the Portland Art Museum

A smiling chic couple standing on a balcony with a statue behind them

I arrived half an hour early and wandered through the exhibits alone to prepare. I wanted to have time to come up with ideas before giving them my full attention. Each floor had some incredible backdrops and artwork to interact with, with my favorite rooms being on the 3rd and 4th floor. I was looking for spaces that weren’t too crowded or had some elements that they could interact with. I find the easiest way to pose people naturally is to just have them do all the things they would normally do!

I was grateful that some of the rooms had great natural light! Lighting can be real challenge in museums as typically the brightest lights are pointed at the wall to illuminate the artwork, not leaving very much for us to work with. We also were lucky that some of the exhibits had creative and unusual lighting that we could use to get some really unique and intimate images.

Maliha and Justin came fully prepared with styled and chic outfits. If you have have coordinated or well thought out outfits, you’ll be so much happier with your images and your photographer will thank you! They’re a stunning couple and their clothing choices helped them blend into this environment with an added sense of elegance. I love my images to feel cinematic and they really held up their end of the collaboration.

A dressed up couple leaning their faces together, lit by neon lights

The silhouette of a couple dancing in front of an art piece at the Portland Art Museum

Having a good experience is just as important as the results. Doing the shoot in the Portland Art Museum meant we got to enjoy an exhibit together and just have fun strolling around. This ultimately leads to the best images as you’re capturing an experience, not just posing for one.

There are some difficulties with doing an engagement shoot here. It’s often busy, you can’t shoot with a flash and there’s an entrance fee. Really these are quite minimal when you consider what you get!