Dayton History’s Carillon Park Spring Engagement Photos

May 15, 2021

For the first time in a few years, I photographed a couple at Carillon Historical Park (Carillon Park) in Dayton, Ohio. This great collection of Dayton’s historic icons is located just south of downtown Dayton. For a small cost of admission, the three of us spent 2 hours creating fun and unique engagement photos in this history-laden park. There were backgrounds such as old buildings, vintage trolley cars, and a carousel. We spent a lot of time in Carillon Park’s transportation center.

I Had Done This Before

This was not the first time I have done engagement photos here. I tend to think of this place as a good history museum for families. When the bride suggested engagement pics here, I was excited. I go into every session with a plan in mind. I love to have a plan and I love to have no expectations. Expectations can get in the way and cloud my vision on a shoot. So I know what I want to do then wing it from there. This goes for places like Carillon Park because you can have closed exhibits or lots of guests to work around. It all worked out great, and I loved these images. I especially love the colors!

Carillon offers a free area to visit as well. You can park for free in the parking lot and use the outside of the carillon bell tower and the surrounding grass and trees. For even cooler photos, use the Carillon Brewery building as a backdrop. I wouldn’t want to shoot an entire session out front, but you can definitely get some nice photos there. Views of the Great Miami River can add an extra dimension to your photos. The carillon itself can be a background from far away to get the entire bell tower in the photos. Up close, you can use the texture of the tower as a background for photos.