It seems that every time I schedule a photography session, I have a hard time finding outdoor portrait locations around Portland.  Since I’m still fairly new to the area, I don’t have a ton of location suggestions, and honestly, I prefer to use every shoot to explore new areas as well.  So when I do have the choice to pick a location, I try to find a new area where I think magic happens.

Today, for example, I had a wonderful shoot in the great outdoors and came back with some fantastic images of Collett [see below].   Collett and I had spoken before about a location but neither of us had a very specific idea of where our session was going to take place. I knew I wanted some water and possibly some wooded areas so I looked through a few of my resources and found some options and picked a location that I thought might provide both.

I arrived a few minutes earlier than Collett and hiked around trying to see where exactly I would shoot and how the session was going to flow. After huffing and puffing my way back up the trail I was really excited by what I had found and couldn’t wait to meet Collett to begin shooting.  Below are a few test images I took with my phone prior to meeting with Collett.

We started shooting at a different location, and of course, once we arrived to our final location, the light had drastically changed (thank you Portland weather). But after a few adjustments we ended up loving the scenery and creating some wonderful backdrops for Collett’s portrait session.

And although each week I find at least one or two new outdoor portrait locations near Portland, I love the fact that great outdoor locations exist everywhere in Oregon.  If I had to give advice to a photographer, more than anything, I would say look for a private location (unless you have something really specific in mind that is always populated) and if you are booking a session, I would suggest to find a place that has meaning to you and let your photographer look around for the perfect spot.  Beautiful locations exist everywhere!