Arrianna & David | Bishop's Lodge Engagement — Santa Fe Photographer
Some places just photograph themselves. Bishop's Lodge is one of them — and Arrianna and David made it effortless.
Bishop's Lodge is a 317-acre resort in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, just outside downtown Santa Fe. The property dates back over 150 years to Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, who built a private chapel here in the 1860s — the same chapel that still stands on the grounds today, steeple and all. What started as a spiritual retreat became a beloved ranch resort in the 1920s, and in recent years the Auberge Resorts Collection restored the entire property into one of the most sought-after luxury destinations in the Southwest. The result is a place where 150 years of New Mexico history meets five-star hospitality: adobe walls, hand-carved wood, mountain views, and the kind of light that only exists at 7,000 feet.
For Arrianna and David's February engagement session, we had the run of the property — and the winter light was perfect.
The Session
We started outside, working the grounds. Bishop's Lodge gives you an absurd range of textures and backdrops within a few hundred feet of each other — weathered wooden doors with iron hardware, smooth adobe walls in that iconic Santa Fe terracotta, terraced architecture with luminarias lining the roofline, bare winter aspens catching the light. Every turn is a different frame.
Arrianna and David have a presence together that's magnetic. He's steady and grounded; she lights up around him. The way she reached for his face, the way he looked up at her from the bench — those weren't directed moments. That's just how they are. My job was to be in the right spot and let it happen.
Why Bishop's Lodge Is a Top Santa Fe Wedding & Engagement Venue
Bishop's Lodge sits on 317 secluded acres bordering the Santa Fe National Forest. The property features 98 accommodations — from lodge rooms to suites to a 12-bedroom Bunkhouse built from reclaimed barn wood — so your entire wedding weekend can live in one place. The event spaces range from Archbishop Lamy's 1860s chapel and its garden to a 3,000-square-foot hall with stone fireplace, a walled garden with a kiva fireplace, an artist-in-residence gallery, and outdoor lawns with mountain views in every direction.
What sets Bishop's Lodge apart for photography is the layering. You can shoot against hand-carved wooden doors that are 150 years old, then walk thirty feet and frame a portrait against clean adobe geometry with the chapel steeple rising behind. The winter light cuts through the architecture at sharp angles — through doorways, across walls, under portals — creating the kind of natural shadow play that editorial photographers dream about.
For engagement sessions specifically, this venue is a goldmine. You get the historic architecture, the landscape, the interior light, and the mountain backdrop all within walking distance. No driving between locations, no rushing. Just a beautiful property and two people in love.
The Window Light Portraits
We moved inside for the last part of the session, and this is where Bishop's Lodge really showed out. The afternoon sun was cutting through the windows at sharp angles, throwing geometric shadow patterns across Arrianna's face. These are the moments I live for as a photographer — when the light does something you can't plan, can't replicate, and you just have to trust the frame and fire.
Arrianna held her gaze and let the light work. David stood just behind her, out of focus, watching her the same way he probably does every day. The result is something that feels more like a film still than a portrait.
Arrianna and David — you two made this session feel like a movie. I can't wait for the wedding.
Book Your Engagement or Wedding Photographer at Bishop's Lodge
Planning a wedding or engagement session at Bishop's Lodge or anywhere in Santa Fe? As featured in New Mexico Magazine, I know this city, these venues, and this light inside and out. Reach out and let's create something unforgettable.
