Hoyt Arboretum Senior Photos

Whenever I consider a location for a portrait session I always think about the variety of the space and whether or not I can create images for my client that utilize a wide array of backgrounds. I never stay in the same place or keep my subjects in the same place for their whole session. My sessions, whether they are senior portraits, families, or couples, are very active and always involve some level of exploring our surroundings to find different nooks and new ways to use light. Hoyt Arborteum, in Portland’s Washington Park, is a location that never disappoints and always provides that great mix of landscape diversity which lets me deliver photos to my clients that are unique throughout their session. I love using Hoyt Arboretum for senior photos for this reason.

Whether we shoot near the Redwood Deck surrounded by towering trees or up off the overlook trail with more open vistas there are plenty of places to stop along the way for photos. The other great thing I love about Hoyt Arboretum is it can work for morning or evening sessions and we can build a loop throughout the park relative to the time of day we’re shooting.

Below are some photos from some recent senior sessions I’ve photographed at Hoyt Arboretum.

Mt Tabor Senior Photos

One of my favorite parks in Portland will always be Mt Tabor. It’s also one of my favorite senior photo locations in Portland. It’s easy to get to, popular but still large enough to find some private spots, and it’s beautiful.

I’ve been walking around Mt Tabor since before moving to Portland. My parents lived in Portland prior to me and it’s always been a spot we would walk the dog or visit on the weekends. Once I moved to Portland I lived down the street for several years and I quickly found favorite nooks to visit and learned how the light hit certain areas throughout the day. It’s this knowledge of the park that I now use whenever I’m photographing there whether it’s a senior session, wedding, or family photos.

Mt Tabor can be a standalone location for senior photos, especially if you’re just needing a few yearbook shots, or it can be paired with another location if you’ve booked a larger session and you’re wanting a mix of different settings in your senior photos. 

Below are some Mt Tabor senior photos that I’ve shot recently that I think show what the park has to offer and how it might work for your senior pictures in Portland.

Sauvie Island Senior Photos

As a photographer I often find myself looking at Google Maps to find new areas that are interesting to me that would serve as a new location for a portrait session that I’ve never worked at before. I have my favorite locations in Portland for senior portraits but I love when folks are open to try a place they’ve never been and trust my intuition and experience that it will work as a great setting. This senior photo session was one of those moments.

While Sauvie Island is not particularly new to me, I’ve had an area of the island on my radar for a while that I knew held a lot of potential. When this senior reached out I asked, as I always do, if she had any particular locations or settings in mind for her session. She was excited to shoot in a place that had flowers and was open to ideas. A lot of areas around Portland with dense amounts of flowers are usually farms and depending on the season may or may not be in bloom. They can also be a little tricky with photography permits. Thankfully in early September the sunflower maze at Topaz Farm on Sauvie Island was still in bloom and they have an easy system for photographers to use the maze for a session. 

Since this senior had booked my package with 2 locations I wanted to make sure that our second location was relatively nearby to save time but different enough that it could give us some variety from our time at the sunflower field. Since our first location was already on Sauvie Island, I knew exactly the spot I wanted to try out.

We started our session off in the early evening at Topaz Farm and we navigated, sometimes awkwardly lol, through the sunflower maze. Since we weren’t really focused on finishing the maze and instead finding areas with vibrant blooms and nice light we got a bit turned around but we managed to get some great photos and make our way back to our cars. We met back up at a trail head, did a quick outfit change, and walked throughout some really nice woodland areas and meadows. The golden evening light came in perfectly and I was really happy to finally shoot in an area I’d been thinking about for a while. 

This was one of my favorite senior sessions to date. I loved getting the chance to fit in a location that my client wanted and share with them a new location that they ended up loving. We got a lot of variety of images and we had a great time shooting together.

Senior Portraits at Powell Butte

School is back in session and for many that means scheduling senior photos before those yearbook deadlines hit. One of my favorite shoots recently were these senior portraits at Powell Butte.

He was looking for a location that was full of plants and nature and I suggested a couple of my favorite spots. We ended up picking Powell Butte Nature Park in SE Portland for it’s convenient, and beautiful, combination of forest and meadow settings.

We started our session in a more wooded spot which allowed for the early evening sun to sparkle through the trees in the background. We stopped along the way for different scenes and slowly climbed up to the top of the park where the open field meadow is. By the time we reached the top the evening sun was casting a perfect summer glow.

As a musician, it was important to him to include his instruments and I was excited to capture that meaningful part of his life. I’ve never seen anyone hike with a double bass before but the payoff was definitely worth it and I’m so glad we were able to work together to document this exciting part of his life.

Vernonia Springs Wedding

Over all of the years that I’ve photographed elopements on the Oregon Coast almost every trip includes passing by the turnoff for Highway 47 to Vernonia and wondering what exactly is out that way. This summer I finally had the chance to take that turn and photograph a wedding at Vernonia Springs.

Vernonia Springs is a 28 acre forested private park, glamping campground, and wedding venue just outside of the small, historic town of Vernonia, Oregon. The property is bustling with natural beauty and is the perfect spot to spend your wedding weekend surrounded by friends and family. The property has several yurts and platform tents for your wedding guests to spend the weekend and enjoy the night around the fire. The property has a beautiful flower garden that was buzzing with pollinators and butterflies as well as a peaceful lake. It is also surrounded by great hiking trails and the amazing Banks-Vernonia State Trail that makes use of the old railroad line for walking and biking. 

Come wedding time, the property has a large suite for getting ready with a private bathroom, a large lawn with a stage for ceremonies, and a log reception pavilion for dinner and dancing. If you’re providing drinks, your guests can also visit the Hillbilly Bar. 

I loved capturing all of the little details and décor for this wedding including all of the elements that make Vernonia Springs beautiful.  Following their ceremony, I had the opportunity to work with these two a couple of times for portraits around the property and I had so much fun capturing candid moments of guests throughout the day. 

Vernonia Springs is a 45 minute drive from Portland and only 1 hour from Cannon Beach in case you want to plan an Oregon Coast mini honeymoon following your wedding. 

The venue is available to rent for your wedding for $5995 for 24 hours and can accommodate weddings up to 100 people. You can learn more about weddings at Vernonia Springs here. 

I’m so glad that I was able to document this wedding day and I’m already planning on adding Vernonia Springs to my list of favorite outdoor wedding venues.