Epic Color Powder Battle Engagement Shoot is a Nod to Indian Heritage

Unique Engagement Shoot Idea – This Couple Used Holi Festival Color Powder at their Eno River Durham Photoshoot with Richard Barlow Photography

Who doesn’t adore engagement photo shoots? They are a chance to get to know your photographer and capture some great images that you can use on Save the Dates. But more importantly, they are a fun way to celebrate your engagement with each other! That’s why it’s especially cool when couples go out of their way to express their own personalities. When we saw this unique engagement shoot idea, using Holi festival color powder, we knew had to share it with the world! Richard Barlow Photography took some traditional engagement portraits of this lovely Raleigh couple at the Eno River in Durham NC. They followed that up with the most epic color powder battle!

Unique Engagment Shoot - hand holding ring covered in Holi festival Color power by Durham wedding photographer Richard Barlow Photography

The Love Story

Patricia Snyder and Brandon Mitchell met at Fitness Connection in Cary. He asked to “work in,” or share a bench, that Patricia was about to start working out on. They immediately hit it off through some flirty sarcastic banter. Brandon didn’t waste much time – he asked Patricia out on a date the following week, and Patricia says, “ever since, we have been writing our adventure with laughs and a whole lotta sarcasm.”

They got engaged in Melbourne, Florida when visiting Brandon’s family. They both love this place and dream of moving there for retirement. After a family dinner one night, someone in the bunch suggested a walk to a nearby brewery.

According to Patricia, “On the way we stopped at a dock where we all were supposed to take a group picture, but instead Brandon pulled out the most beautiful ring from, wait for it… his fanny pack. My sobbing “yes” triggered two of our close friends to run down the dock and greet us with the biggest hugs. The had flown to Florida for this special occasion and celebrated with us that night and the following day.

Natural Light Wedding Engagement Photography at The Eno River in Durham by Richard Barlow

Unique Engagement Shoot Idea for Durham NC – Get out of town and explore the Eno River State Park with Richard Barlow Photography

Before the out of the box color powder engagement photo session, Richard Barlow Photography captured some gorgeous images of this couple. The Eno River State Park is a treasure of Durham. It is a wonderful place to explore trails, kayak, or picnic with the family. It also makes a beautiful natural setting for engagement photos in Durham. Photographer Richard Barlow captured the warm glow of the late summer sun in these unique engagement shoot photos.

Patricia says she knew she wanted Richard Barlow Photography to be her wedding photographer years ago. “Not only does he have the BEST personality, he is so unbelievably talented.”

In the words of Brandon, a man who – according to his fiancé – hates taking photos, “Richard made the shoot easy and surprisingly fun.”

Durham unique engagement shoot idea - eno river with Richard Barlow Photography

A Nod to Indian Heritage – Holi Festival Colorful Powder Used in Unique Engagement Shoot in Durham NC

“For our engagement photos, we decided on having half of the session represent my Indian culture and the Holi festival through throwing colorful powder,” says Patricia.

And what amazing and unique engagement shoot photos came from this idea! Richard Barlow Photography captured Patricia and Brandon throwing the color powder at each other. It turned into a fun-filled battle, and made for some great action shots – and plenty of laughs.

Poised to Strike - Color Powder from Indian Holi Festival used in an outdoor engagement shoot
Unique Engagement Shoot Idea for Durham NC - Color Powder Fight at the Eno River by Richard Barlow Photography
Color Powder Engagment Shoot Idea for Durham NC by Richard Barlow Photography
Groom being hit with color powder used in holi festival at creative engagement shoot in durham nc by richard barlow photography
Bride's face covered in Blue Powder from Holi Festival at a unique Durham NC Engagement shoot by Richard Barlow Photography
Unique Engagement Shoot Idea for Durham NC - Color Chalk Fight at the Eno River by NC wedding photographer Richard Barlow
unique Durham engagement shoot with color powder from Holi Festival
Color Powder Cloud High fives at Unique Durham NC Engagement Shoot by Richard Barlow Photography
Unique Engagement Shoot idea for Durham NC using Holi Festival Color Powder by Richard Barlow
Unique Engagement Shoot Idea - Holi festival Color powder battle in Durham NC by Richard Barlow Photography

Patricia and Brandon live in Raleigh and will be getting married in town next summer. They’ve already done most of their wedding planning – including asking her friends to be bridesmaids with custom fanny packs!

Patricia is a Marketing Designer in RTP and Brandon is a Master Officer for the Raleigh Police Department.

Want to see more local Raleigh-Durham unique engagement shoot ideas? CLICK HERE for some other engagement sessions we’ve featured.

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