With Senior Portrait season starting up again, I realized that this post needed to exist. Choosing a location for your Senior portraits is exciting, but can also feel overwhelming with so many different choices on the Olympic Peninsula. Here’s how I help my clients narrow down a location.

First:

What type of backdrop do you want?

Seems like an obvious question but lets narrow it down just a bit. Would you like a forest, river, lake, fields, beach or mountains? Whenever I type that out I always feel so spoiled that we live here! You really can’t ask for much more! Maybe you want more than one of these features at your location. Sometimes a single location will provide multiple features, but we’ll get to that later! Each location type has some special things to consider.

Forest Locations:

We have so many gorgeous wooded areas so there’s lots to choose from, but they aren’t all created equal for photos. Your photographer should be able to tell you whether the lighting will work well.

River Locations:

There are multiple gorgeous rivers and river settings in the area. Be careful when choosing a river location that you have a backup in mind. Rivers tend to be a bit unpredictable and if they are running high after rainfall or mountain runoff with warmer temperatures, you’ll need to make sure that there is enough room to get the shots you want on the banks.

Lake Locations:

There are several lake locations to choose from, the most popular being Lake Crescent. There aren’t too many things to consider when choosing to shoot at Lake Crescent other than avoiding crowds and making sure that your photographer knows to adjust the time of day that you shoot. Being surrounded by mountains, the sun actually sets just a bit earlier at the Lake than it would at a flatter location or at the beach.

Field Locations:

Field locations are a gorgeous blank canvas. Often you can get some really great glowy light during golden hour. Not too much to consider, but I am definitely looking for excuses to post more from this shoot so…here ya go!

Beach Locations:

When scheduling a session at the beach the most obvious but often overlooked factor is the tide. Some beaches you will need a very low tide and other beaches it matters a bit less. Again, your photographer should know what will work the best so defer to their expertise.

Mountain Locations:

Mountain locations are nothing short of breathtaking in the Pacific Northwest! They are more work to get to but the payoff is incredible! When scheduling a mountain session, taking into account travel time and what time of year the roads are open at your desired location is necessary. Some mountain locations are only open in the late spring and summer, while others are open more of the year, but only on weekends. Finding a photographer who is familiar with all of the ins and outs of each location will get the very best results for your portraits!

Here’s a wildcard to throw into the location mix! We have so many beautiful spots out in nature, but an urban feel shoot in Port Angeles or Port Townsend is actually REALLY fun! Just consider that you might have a lot of strangers have a front row seat to your session. Even some of my more shy clients have pulled this off and I promise I’ll set you at ease in front of the camera!

…and believe it or not, this shot is in a parking lot!

One other location type is choosing a place that has sentimental value for you. I have done Senior Portrait sessions in backyards, grandparents properties, or even favorite childhood vacation spots. Sometimes the more unlikely the place the more special and unique your photos will be!

With a decade of experience in the Pacific Northwest, I have LOTS of experience helping my clients choose the best location to reflect their aesthetic. If you’d like to chat about booking a senior portrait session (or family, or wedding!) Click here!

Stay tuned for more posts where we focus on Senior Portrait tips!