I have so many favorite fall locations for senior pictures! It’s never hard to find stunning fall color where we live. The PNW is home to some of the most beautiful senior picture locations and fall is truly breathtaking. There are certainly more than I can mention in just one blog post! But I’ll take you on a little tour of just a few and why both myself and my seniors have loved both their experiences and pictures from these amazing locations. I always advise my seniors to think first about the overall vibe they want from their location choice. Once we know that, the perfect place is easy to agree on.

Bellevue Botanical Garden: diverse and layered

The Bellevue Botanical Garden is a stunning fall location if you want a diverse array of layered backgrounds to choose from. While it’s lovely any time of year, the warm fall colored leaves, beautiful dahlia blooms, and golden light make for truly magical pictures. To make the most of this location, I like to begin a little before golden hour. The sun disappears quickly in the fall and the area around the suspension bridge is a great location to take advantage of before losing the light. There are also some wonderful open meadow areas and trees on the hike down that add in just a little more of a rustic and rural vibe to photos here. Depending on when your senior photos are scheduled, you can see leaves in bright red, yellow, gold, brown, and every shade of green. The guys tend to like the landscaping features and elements like the bridge, rocks, steps, fences, rock wall, and benches. And I really love spending time in the dahlia garden with senior girls. We always try to be in the upper garden paths during golden hour as the sun drops into the trees behind the park. The glowing light through the fall foliage is absolutely amazing!

Discovery Park: epic and grand

With diverse landscapes, including forests, meadows, beaches, and breathtaking views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, Discovery Park offers a rich background for senior photos in the fall. Foliage is at its most vibrant from late September to early November and reaches a peak usually in the middle of October. The diverse landscape creates visual interest and the colors are soft and warm for portraits. With over 500 acres to explore, there is more space than you could ever need to create an epic senior portrait experience. Some seniors choose to spend their entire session in the upper park. We typically walk from the south parking lot and wander through the tall grasses and colorful trees. Others like to make time to head down to the lower beach where the lighthouse is. There is always driftwood to sit on and photos walking or sitting on the beach are popular. Of course, you can get breathtaking views of the water from the upper park as well. The bluff overlooks Puget Sound, mountains show in the distance, and the water sparkles in the background. Can you tell I love this place?!

Scattered Seeds Flower Farm: romantic and magical

If a more intimate, romantic, and private location are what you are looking for, then Scattered Seeds Flower Farm is easily one of my favorite places. This stunning flower farm is part of Pine Creek Nursery in Monroe and I can’t say enough wonderful things about it. The flower fields offer the most colorful blooms throughout the season with fall favorites like sunflowers, dahlias, zinnias, and more. The farm also offers lovely and well decorated indoor nursery spaces that come in handy if rain showers dampen things a bit. With fall also comes the arrival of pumpkins, gourds, decorated tables and nursery spaces, display carts, fall colored potted plants, and an autumn themed cart staged on the event lawn for photo shoots. There is fall magic around every corner.

Washington Park Arboretum: dramatic and vibrant

The Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle shows off vibrant and dramatic fall colors that are perfect for seniors who want showy autumn colors in their photos. In October and early November the Japanese Maples turn remarkable shades of crimson and orange. Those colors are layered with yellows, golds, browns, and greens. Fallen leaves, weeping willows, and moss covered branches add even more visual interest. Ponds and the lakeshore, bridges and benches… with 230 acres to wander there are endless creative possibilities.

Marymoor Park: rural and rustic

Marymoor Park in Redmond is a true autumn paradise and a top location for seniors looking for rustic and rural vibes in their photos. This amazing park hosts a network of trails that offer a kaleidoscope of colors. The park has meadows, marshes, trees, trails, mature canopies of trees, mossy trunks, and textured grasses. Start near Clise Mansion for a more manicured fall garden vibe with a view of the rustic windmill. Then head to the Bird Loop Trail to wander to the water where Lake Sammamish meets the Sammamish River. The bridge, boardwalk, and dock are wonderful posing areas with overhanging branches in fall colors and water in the background. I love all this remarkable place has to offer.

Once you choose the overall vibe you want in a fall senior picture location, take time to explore each of these exceptional places. Your senior photographer will be able to help guide you in the right direction to achieve the look you are dreaming of. By starting with this little bit of research, you are one big step closer to the the most amazing senior portraits! Book, inquire, or learn more about my Senior Experience by following the links below. And definitely check out 10 Tips For Planning Amazing Senior Pictures!

Thanks for reading!

XO, Janelle