The Truth About Longwood | The good, the bad and the ugly about holding your shoot at Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens is BEAUTIFUL. Let’s just get that straight right off the cuff. I have been going to Longwood Gardens personally since I moved back to the East Coast 10 years ago in 2010. I have such happy memories with Andrew and Isaac walking the paths and eating fancy brunches together just the three of us. I would go alone sometimes when they were on a weekend with their dad just to breath in the air and walk. I took Marc to Longwood only a few months after we started dating back in 2011 shortly after he was released from the hospital after almost dying of Lemierre’s Syndrome.
It is a place of sanctuary and repair for me…and many others.
Since becoming a photographer, I now go several times a year for engagement sessions. Now that I have many a session under my belt at this gorgeous venue I realize that it is not all sugar plums and flowers when heading there and talk with my clients about the “real” behind the scenes of Longwood before they give the final “yes let’s” to select it as their session location. Below is a list of the positives and negatives to having your session at Longwood Gardens. I hope you find it helpful.
The Positive Attributes:
1. It’s beautiful.
There is no end to the splendor and magnificence that is Longwood Gardens. Acres upon acres of any type of location you could possibly want in one spot. Want the clean looking formal gardens with fountains galore? They have that. Want a woodsy feel? They have that. Want beautiful flowers? They have that. Want an open field? They have that. Want beautiful architecture and mansion houses? They have that. Want a lake? They have that. Want a treehouse? You guessed it. They have that too.
You name it, Longwood has it. You are pretty much guaranteed beautiful photos when you select this location.
2. There is an indoor option (in non-COVID times)
Worried about rain and can’t change your session date because your photographer books up so far in advance it will be difficult to reschedule (sorry guys!)? The conservatory is just about the most perfect indoor location you could ever ask for with almost complete greenhouse glass ceilings to allow for more natural light inside that you could ever hope for in an indoor location. I think of the inside of Longwood’s Conservatory akin to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory where you can eat everything…for plants.
3. You can stay after your session and have dinner there! They have a sit-down restaurant that is, oh, so good. I highly recommend!
The Negative Attributes:
1. You can’t bring your dog.
This may seem silly to some but this is an automatic no for some of my pet-loving clients. If you want to have your pet in some of your photos, Longwood is not for you.
2. Outfit changes are not the easiest.
Sometimes they let you bring your clothes in; sometimes they don’t. If you must go back out to your car to change it can waste your shooting time. If they do allow you to bring your clothes in, well then, you must carry your clothes around. You may want to consider bringing a friend to help with this. It’s not so much the carrying of the clothing but the need to put it down to take pictures that poses the problem. I am already carrying all my gear so I won’t be able carry your things as well…but I will probably try.
3. Speaking of carrying my gear: no Stanley
I can’t take my step ladder in so that limits some of the things that I can do with you. The closer I am to you, the more dramatically obvious it is how short I am shooting up at you so you are more likely to have more pulled back shots in your gallery. There are plenty of hills and level changes that will give me opportunities to shoot level or down at you but this does feel a little limiting to me as the photographer. Tall photographers do not need to worry about this.
4. Paid Entry
You must pay for your tickets to get in. It’s not a lot but when you are paying for your wedding, every expense matters. I do hold a membership so you won’t have to pay for me to get in but two tickets for you and possibly a third for someone to come to help with your stuff can add up.
5. Lots of Walking
I do suggest bringing slip on walking shoes to every session location but Longwood presents MUCH more walking than most typical venue and “park” locations. I am an avid walker and hiker but I get concerned about all that walking for my clients in sandals or flip flops. I’ll never forget one of the engagement sessions that my second photographer, Elyse, came along to. It was her first time at Longwood and she had no idea how vast it was. She wore flip flops….and could barely walk by the end due to the blisters.
All the walking can be painful in non-sneakers but it ALSO limits my shooting time with you. If we are walking, I am not shooting. A session at Longwood can mean having slightly fewer photos in your final gallery (though my galleries are rather ridiculously large to begin with so you will still have a ton).
6. Early Close Days
Not every day at Longwood is open until 10 pm so choosing a date or time of year with an early closure time can mean not having the most flattering light available for your session time forcing an “early session” possibly in harsh light if it is a full sun light quality day.
7. Crowds
This is the BIG ONE. Longwood is HUGE but there are always people everywhere. It may not be super crowded at every spot but you can be guaranteed someone will be there…and they will watch, look, shout things (positive and negative) at us as we shoot. I will never hold up a pathway for people to get through so there will be “holding pattern” moments where you will need to hold a pose as people walk through or I may need to position people behind you to block them out of the shot. If you see any one of my galleries from a Longwood Garden Session, you will notice that it appears that we were the only people in the entire place. I work hard for you to get that but it is not the reality of the moment. The guys tend to struggle with this through the session the most. I am oftentimes asking you to position yourselves in unnatural feeling ways that the guys just don’t feel comfortable doing in front of other people. It’s embarrassing for him even if he is all in for you to get these stunning photos. Make sure he is prepared for this. It’s better if he knows this ahead of time rather than in the moment feeling self-conscious and embarrassed.
During the busy seasons you must get a pre-purchased ticket and they DO sell out so you need to make sure to get your ticket early and chance that it could rain vs. arriving and they are sold out.
So, 3 on the positive side, 7 on the negative. Even so, I still LOVE shooting at Longwood and will always emphatically say YES if you choose it….and we all will be SO happy with your photos because….Longwood! I just want you to go into it understanding what you are getting into before you arrive.
XO - Megan