My Five Favorite Locations for Family Photos

I love this time of year as soon as school is out and the fun season of summer is beginning. It’s a time for enjoying the outdoors and vacations, and traveling to see family, friends, or some new location on your bucket list. This year we are traveling for a family reunion, and there is a new baby that some of the family will be meeting for the first time. So much to celebrate! We will be out of town for this visit, and by the time we come back it will already be time to start thinking about school starting back up and everything fall.

I’ve already started thinking about fall mini sessions - where and when to do them. Mini sessions are always popular, especially with the beautiful fall colors. It’s a great time to update your family photos because those kiddos grow so much each year. Mini sessions are also great for those families on the go, or for families with wiggly kids (I have raised 3 of them) that would rather be doing something else. For the fall, I have not yet selected the dates, but I have selected the locations for mini sessions. I plan on doing one in September, two in October, and one final one in November. Here’s my list of favorite locations in no particular order:

Big Rock Nature Preserve

These aren’t just big rocks, they are massive boulders. The landscape and backdrop here is very unique for this area. In addition to the large rock formations, there are also beautiful walking trails and a stream. However, if you are planning on wearing heels for your photos, this might not be the adventure for you.

Marvin Efird Park

There are a lot of great photo opportunities here in this beautiful park. When you first enter the park you will see some walking trails and a large red barn on the left. There is a playground behind the barn, and this area of the park tends to get very busy. I like parking at the very end of the road to enjoy the scenery at the other end of the park. You will find a lake, walking paths, tall grasses for a unique backdrop, and a large open lawn area.

Dogwood Park

Some areas of this park are roped off due to damage from Helene, but there are still great areas for photos. There are both paved and unpaved natural trails, a small bridge, stairs, and a large open field perfect for sunset photos.

Squirrel Lake Park

The unpaved trails behind the lake are stunning. The paved trail has a beautiful canopy of tall trees. There is also a stream that makes a nice backdrop.

These are my 4 favorite outdoor locations that I will plan on for fall mini sessions. Sign ups will be later this summer. If you think you need more than 15 minutes for your photo session, I have a 5th favorite location:

Your Home!

This is the place where people are most relaxed. It can be your backyard, front yard, or any room inside your home. I don’t need a lot of space to capture beautiful family photos. I love capturing photos of life as you live it, and what better place to do that than your beautiful home.

Enjoy your summer, keep a look out for mini session sign ups, and I hope to see you in the fall!