White Point Gardens & Battery Park Engagement in Charleston, SC
Kathleen and Mike are based in California, but are getting married in Charleston later this year. We warmed up together by doing a mix of editorial and documentary-style engagement photos at the Battery Park in downtown Charleston. It was rather chilly for this time of year so they decided on matching beige trench coats and a Polo Ralph Lauren sports jacket and sweaters.
Battery Park & White Point Gardens is a great place for an engagement shoot due to the variety of easily accessible locations.
If you’re dreaming up engagement photo locations in Charleston, it’s hard to top Battery Park.
There’s something about that stretch along the water that just feels inspiring. The historic homes. The quiet curve of the promenade. The way the light comes in soft and reflective off the harbor. It gives you movement, texture, and space — without feeling busy or overdone.
For engagement sessions, Battery Park is effortless in the best way.
You get:
- Waterfront views with sailboats drifting behind you
- Old Charleston architecture that adds depth without stealing attention
- Oak trees and layered greenery for a softer, romantic feel
- Open sky that turns unreal at sunset
What I love most as a Charleston engagement and wedding photographer is the versatility. We can start along the railing with the harbor behind you, wander under the oaks for something more intimate, and end with that golden light wrapping around you as the sun drops over the water. It all flows naturally within a few blocks — which means less stress, more movement, and photos that don’t feel staged.
Battery Park also photographs beautifully year-round. In the spring and summer, everything feels alive and breezy. In the fall and winter, the light gets even softer and more cinematic — especially closer to blue hour.
If you want engagement photos that feel timeless, romantic, and distinctly Charleston without screaming “tourist spot,” Battery Park gives you that balance. It’s classic without being stiff. Scenic without being distracting. And it leaves room for the only thing that really matters — the two of you, being yourselves.
Tell me about your love story. All the magical details included!
“Mike and I were both living and working in Washington, DC when we met at a bar almost four years ago! I was attending a friend’s birthday party and he was out with a group of his friends. He sent over a plate of nachos to my table and used that as a way to get my number. I thought it was so creative and cute and “nacho” has become my nickname! We started dating and quickly moved in together. After about two years together, we moved to Los Angeles where we currently live for Mike’s work. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Space Force and I worked as a consultant in government contracting, although I’m switching career paths and will be attending law school this fall. We rescued two black cats together, Tom and Gus, and they pretty much run our house! We both love to travel and being on the water. Many of our first dates were on Mike’s boat he had in DC. We are both extroverted introverts. We have a very big network of friends and family that we cherish but we also equally cherish our quiet time at home being together. We fell in love very quickly and I believe it’s because our values align. We know family and friends are the number one priority in our life. We are both independently ambitious with our careers and personal goals. But above all else we believe having fun and not taking life too seriously is the key to happiness. We are beyond excited to get married and take this next step!”
Do you have a favorite location to be together? What do you like doing together?
“We both love being on the water and on boats. We love going out to eat and dive bars. Cheese is a major food group for both of us. We love traveling but we are very type B about it. We like to bookend our trips with our flights and figure out the rest as we go along. Truly the journey is the destination with us lol. We play a lot of card games!“
How do you want your photos to feel?
‘Cool, fun, intimate.
It’s the last day of your lives. How would you spend your day?
“Wake up in Japan and eat sushi for breakfast. Take a first class flight to Italy and eat pasta for lunch. Fly first class to Greece and catch the sunset for a mediterranean dinner. Rent a catamaran to do a midnight sail under the stars.”
Photography by TLC Wedding Photography | Taylor L. Czerwinski
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