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Janelle Barrow Photography | Seattle

If you are getting ready for your engagement pictures and not sure where to begin looking for a photo location, here are a few of the best locations near seattle for engagement pictures. We live in one of the most stunning areas of country! You don’t need to look far to find some stunning options for photo shoots. Just consider what types of backgrounds and the overall look you are hoping to achieve, and you will be able to select the best fit for you as a couple.

Best Engagement Location: Overall

Discovery Park is one of my favorite Seattle portrait locations for good reason! This giant (534 acres!) park has so much to offer. You can find open meadows, woods, trails, bluffs, mountain views, a long stretch of beach, lighthouse, tall grasses, rock wall, chapel, and wildflowers. The park will look slightly different depending on what time of year you visit. But it never fails to be breathtakingly beautiful! It can be a little overwhelming because of its size, so make sure you either have plenty of time or are willing to select one or two specific areas of the park to visit.

Best Engagement Location: Flowers

For stunning florals throughout most of the year, you have to consider Scattered Seeds Flower Farm (located at Pine Creek Nursery). It is an absolute favorite location of mine and I could spend hours and hours there, just soaking in all the beauty. Scattered Seeds has gorgeous fields of flowers during bloom season, a pond, open grass area, swinging bench, potted plants, and covered nursery areas. It’s a fantastic option if you would like flowers before wildflowers and field flowers begin to bloom. The below engagement session was done in early April before the flower fields opened up. It is also a wonderful location if you would prefer more privacy during your photo shoot. Only two photographers are allowed on site at any time. And you are welcome to schedule a photography session during hours that the nursery is closed.

BONUS! If you fall in love with this location, you can book the venue for your wedding! Events at Pine Creek Nursery

Best Engagement Location: Convenient with plenty of Variety

Bellevue Botanical Garden is an amazing choice for couples who want plenty of background variety without driving too far and without too much walking. There are several beautiful types of gardens with gravel paths, blooms from spring through fall, trees, water features, large rocks, benches, and open grass areas. Within a one hour session, it is easy to stop at each area. The parking lot is rarely overcrowded and doesn’t require a long walk to the park entrance. Another bonus: this location has a bathroom for changing. For couples who would rather not change in my changing tent or in their car, this is a great plus!

Best Engagement Location: City

Bellevue Downtown Park and the nearby rooftop of the mall (or library), is one of my favorite locations for city photo shoots. There are certainly plenty of amazing locations throughout downtown Seattle (Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, and Olympic Structure Park to name a few)! But I love Downtown Bellevue Park combined with the nearby rooftops for the nice diversity it gives to a gallery. The park has some beautiful trees, waterfall, park benches, open grass, sculpture, and garden. It is also surrounded by beautiful buildings. The nearby rooftops have a great city feel with views of neighboring buildings.

Best Engagement Location: Beach

One of my favorite beach locations in the Seattle area is Lincoln Park. Here, in the PNW, we have more than a few gorgeous beach options for photo shoots! It’s hard to narrow it down to one favorite. A few things about Lincoln Park stand out for me. It has some beautiful areas in the upper park for manicured grass areas and forest. The lower park at the beach level, has great driftwood and rock areas. It also has benches, a path, restrooms, and a giant troll. In the distance, the ferries are sailing in the background and make a fun addition to portraits.

Best Engagement Location: Adventure

Artist Point at Mount Baker in the Snoqualmie National Forest is one of the most stunning locations for an adventurous engagement photo shoot. If you are looking to head out of town and spend a day of exploring in the PNW, I love this spot. Although it’s about a 3 hour drive to the destination, there are plenty of gorgeous photo locations within easy walking distance from the parking lot. You will be able to see views of Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker, the Cascades, and North peaks. And it shows off some of the incredible beauty our area has to offer. Keep in mind that you will need to pay adventure engagement session prices for a photo shoot at this type of location. It is absolutely worth it!! For more information on this location, head over to this blog post: “Artist Point Engagement“.

I hope you have the best time dreaming up ideas for your engagement photo shoot! If you are in the Pacific Northwest (or planning a visit!) get in touch. I would love to help you plan something amazing that represents the two of you and the love you share.

Thanks for reading!

Warmly, Janelle