Top 5 Family Photography Locations around Portland
Portland and the surrounding areas have an array of options when it comes to Family photography locations. Whether you’re into colorful backdrops or prefer a more minimalist approach, there are multiple options within an hour of downtown. When it comes to choosing a location, you want to consider what aspect of your family life you really want to document and understand how you interact together as a unit. This allows you to choose a place that feels comfortable for you and your family!
Hoyt Arboretum
Hoyt Arboretum is one of my go-to spots for family sessions. First and foremost, there are multiple areas within the park that allow many backdrops, and vibes. In the fall, the trees are changing colors and the option to utilize the dark green forest spaces are abundant. In the spring, there are many places to capture trees blooming, bright sunlight on open hills, and lots of flat spaces if you have little ones that are not completely mobile yet. This is always my first suggestion for families with children aged one to ten, as it allows a ton of space to run around and let them get their energy out. It also allows you and your family the space to let things happen naturally, rather than feeling cramped.
Powell Butte Nature Park
Powell Butte is located in Eastern Portland and a quick 15-20 minute drive from downtown. It offers an information building with bathrooms and has multiple trails set around beautiful yellow tall grass and flowers. I suggest this park when clients feel pulled to the more wide open and minimalistic vibe. This landscape is great for smaller children as well as full grown adults as there are many opportunities to shoot within just feet of the parking lot. While this space is relatively friendly to most ages, I don’t recommend this spot for wheelchairs as there are a lot of areas with gravel. This is another favorite spot of mine for family sessions with smaller children as it offers a lot of space to be explored and provides huge wide open spaces for any young ins that want to run around and get some of their energy out.
Thunder Island in Cascade Locks
Thunder Island is located in Cascade Locks just 45 minutes outside of Portland. This spot is excellent for those families willing to drive a bit outside of the city, because the views are incredible! This small island sits on the Columbia River, and is surrounded by water. Access to the park is a simple 1 minute walk from the parking lot across a small bridge, which makes this accessible for families of all ages. The landscape itself is flat and easily walkable grass, and offers beautiful views of the river on both sides. There is a great mixture of huge trees and wide open areas which is one of my favorite combinations when it comes to documenting family sessions. I do recommend sessions here on week days or early mornings on the weekends as this is also a spot for weddings and may get busy during peak times in the summer and fall.
Champoeg State Park
Champoeg State Park is about 40 minutes South of Portland. This is another great spot for those looking to get great photos of both tall wide open grass as well as tall trees. I love this location for family photos at sunset, as the light here is immaculate and so beautiful in both spring, summer and fall. There are short trails around the park which allow smaller children to explore and run around. This park also offers picnic tables right off of the parking lot, which is very helpful for those with toddlers who may need a break.
Mount Tabor Park
Mount Tabor is a great spot in Portland for family portraits. On top of the beautiful views overlooking Portland, it offers a wide range of landscape backgrounds ranging from tall trees to wide expansive hills! The sunsets here are amazing, and allow for a lot of the golden hour glow that is so often desired! While this park is rather large, I always suggest giving yourself a bit more time to get to the specific location we plan to start taking photos at.
