Amy & Will's engagement shoot on Burghley Estate in Stamford, with perfect summer evening light, quieter corners of the estate and their dog Albie.
Amy and Will’s Golden-Hour Engagement Shoot at Burghley Estate
Amy and Will are getting married at Revesby Estate in Lincolnshire, but for their engagement shoot we stayed a little closer to home and headed to one of the quieter corners of Burghley Estate.
We couldn't have picked a much better evening for it. Warm summer weather, ridiculous golden light and Albie the dog making absolutely no attempt to remain a supporting character.
The Quieter Side of Burghley Estate
You don't need Burghley House looming in the background for it to be obvious why the estate is such a good place for photographs.
For Amy and Will's shoot, we deliberately headed away from the better-known parts and explored one of the quieter corners instead. Open parkland, mature trees, long grass and very few other people around — considerably more useful when you're trying to forget there's someone following you with a camera.
Living in Stamford means I know the estate pretty well, including some of the less obvious places to go and where the light tends to work at different times of day.
On this particular evening, the light was making my job embarrassingly easy.
And Then There Was Albie
Bringing your dog to an engagement shoot is always encouraged.
Partly because they're part of your life and deserve to be in the photographs. Mostly because dogs are extremely good at making everyone forget they're having their photograph taken.
Albie took this responsibility very seriously.
He charged through the grass, demanded attention whenever he felt he'd been excluded for too long and generally ensured that any attempt at taking the whole thing too seriously was impossible.
Exactly as intended.
Making the Most of the Light
As the sun dropped lower, we moved out into the more open parts of the estate and let the last of the evening light do most of the work.
No complicated posing, no huge production and no particular rush.
Just a walk around Burghley on a very good summer evening.
Planning a Burghley Estate Engagement Shoot?
Burghley is one of my favourite local options for an engagement shoot, particularly if you'd rather avoid somewhere that feels too busy or overly formal.
We can use the better-known parts of the estate, disappear somewhere quieter or simply see where the light takes us on the day.
If you're planning a wedding locally, my Stamford wedding photography guide has more venues, locations and advice that might help with your research.
Or, if you're mainly here because you're wondering what an engagement shoot actually involves, you can see more over in my engagement & pre-wedding photography portfolio.
