My favorite locations for outdoor sessions.

Besides your family, Light and Location are the most important elements of a beautiful image.

No matter how lovely a place is, it is really important to start your session during “Golden Hour”. That is either at sunrise or an hour before the sun sets. Photographing outside of these times is possible but your images will not have that beautiful glow and soft color. You and your family will look your best in that beautiful glow golden light.

I find that families are disappointed when we photograph in non golden hour light. I want families to love their images and that is why I generally only photograph outside during golden hour.

Keep that in mind when choosing which season you want your session in. Summer session start generally start at 8pm and winter sessions will start 4:30pm. Please note, Sunrise is the most under appreciated session times. While I know it’s early and some people are just not morning people. Thats okay. But if you are willing, the mornings have beautiful golden light, parks are generally empty so we have all the best spots to ourselves, and lastly I’m my experience the littlest members of the family tend to be in the best mood in the morning.

Location is also important. Not as important as light but the location will dictate how an image feels. An urban location will feel more structured and manicure. While a field will feel more soft and laid back.

Okay, lets get to some of my favorite outdoor locations.

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FORT HARRISON STATE PARK

I love this spot for many reasons. There are several beautiful locations with great lighting. You can get a lot of variety in your images with location that have tree lines, open fields, and the pond. for some it is a little drive and It does cost $7 to get into the park but it is so worth it. In the fall the colors are gorgeous.

FLAT FORK CREEK PARK

This park has bridges, treehouses and open fields. What more could you ask for. This park is lovely in the spring, summer and fall. This park is beautiful in all seasons but there is some walking required.

COOL CREEK PARK

This park is one of my favorite places in the fall. When fall is at its peak, all the trees are vibrant colors. It’s just magical. The spring and summer this park is very green. While I may love that some families just are not into that much green. There is also an open field that gives a lot of softness to images.

MAPLELAWN FARMSTEAD

I love this location, it is a 1930’s homestead that is so charming. There is a huge white barn and several other structures. There is also a small garden and a grain silo. It is the perfect backdrop for those who want a vintage farm feel. I photograph here year round. Its a perfect simple background for any season

FOUNDERS PARK

This park is lovely in the spring. There is several lovely spots and if it is early enough in the spring there are swans in the pond. I really only photograph here in the spring and summer. That is when this park is the most beautiful.

WEST PARK

This park is lovely in the summer fall and spring. There are several different sport so photographer in, but my favorite features are the large rock stairs and the tree lines. This location is beautiful in the fall there is not a ton of walking to get unique shots There is also a large hill that we can climb up, it is a beautiful spot for sunset pictures.

TURKEY FOOT NATURE PARK

This park is a very wooded park and is perfect for the more adventurous type of family. There is a long walking path with several nice areas to photograph in. You have to be willing to walk a bit to get to the best spots. There is also a creek but it is off the path so you will have to wear shoes that allows you to climb down to access it.

COXHALL GARDENS

This park has a red barn, large mansion, open fields and ponds. This is a great spot for those who do not want a ton of fall colors or would like to have a more manicured background. I also think this is a great winter spot for families who want to brave the snow.

VILLAGES OF WEST CLAY

If you are looking for that quaint urban/small town feel with a lot of variety. This area has cute shops, buildings and lovely treelined streets there is also a lovely area with trees and a pond. This area looks and feels different in every season.

DOWNTOWN NOBLESVILLE

Downton Noblesville has that charming old town feel. It’s the historic part of Noblesville, there are several building for a lovely backdrop. Session here will have that urban feel without the heavy traffic. This is a good spot to photograph year round, but I do love it when the fall trees are in full color.

CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

I love sunrise session in this area. The sun comes up right over by the CakeBake. There are several building that makes for a lovely backdrop. In the spring time the Palladium gardens are filled with flowers. In the winter time the Carmel Christkindlmarkt is a fun backdrop. We can even photograph your family skating.

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This is just a few of the places I love. I also really enjoy scouting new locations so If you have a place you love, let me know I would love to check it out.