Five Secret Photo Shoot Locations Around Seattle

Everyone is always asking me for great photo shoot locations around Seattle. I believe that great portraits can be made anywhere and some truly beautiful images have been created in some very mundane places. You just need to know a thing or two about how to capture light that conveys the mood you’re after and with that in mind, you can create something quite compelling, no matter where you are.

But… that doesn’t mean a great photo shoot location can’t help the cause! Put beautiful things in my view, and I’ll show you some beautiful photos. That’s why some places are really well known for portrait sessions. Art and I are always on the hunt for interesting places in and around Seattle that are off the beaten path. When we head to the cool-looking tourist spots, we have to face the challenge of strangers in the background. We love to find interesting locations that are not as well known. At the risk of attracting more people to these spots, I want to share a few with you.

Capitol Hill – Cal Anderson Park

small brown dog with black collar and red bandana.

Cal Anderson Park is a popular spot for locals, but you won’t find a bunch of tourists around. The park itself is pretty cool – it has a great variety of potential backdrops including a brick gate entrance, a cool looking tower next to a water retention pond, a cool pyramid fountain, and lots of grass and benches. Head there on a weekday, and it won’t be swarmed with people.

Green Lake Community Center

woman in green dress leaning on a wall and smiling for the camera.

women sitting on a bench outdoors posing and smiling for the camera.

Green Lake is pretty big, and yes, a lot of people go there. But the size of Green Lake makes it a little unrealistic for portrait sessions, unless you do like I do, and choose a specific spot to focus your efforts. I’ve found that the community center has a lot of interesting vignettes for portraits, and it’s definitely not cliche. There’s the building itself, which is a lovely off-white, with lots of nice landscaping surrounding it. It makes for a nice contrast from the typical grungy look of stone or brick. There is a great arch structure outside of the building, and a wonderful path from the community center to the street that is surrounded by beautiful old growth trees. And, of course, there’s the lake right there, which makes for ample opportunities for great portraits.

Edmonds Ferry Dock

black and white small dog with a harness laying in the grass.

black and white small dog with small harness on a beach.

The ferry is a Seattle icon, and Edmonds has a great location for that classic Seattle feel. The beach surrounding the ferry dock is sandy and wonderful, and there’s a lovely hilly park to walk through along the way.

Edmonds – Hickman Park

brown large dog with blue ribbon and blue bandana

brown and white dog in the forest on a hiking trail posing for the camera.

While we’re in Edmonds, if you’re looking for something a bit more isolated, Hickman Park is a great choice. There is a really nice wooded trail, a big field, a neat spiral path lined with rocks, a shelter space, and a playground. It’s a lot of variety in a cute little local family park.

Issaquah Depot

black and white photo of a women posing on a wood platform while holding a bag.

women in cheetah print hat kneeling and posing with her brown bag and white and brown bag dog.

women in cheetah print hat posing with her brown and white dog.

black and brown dog posing next to a women with brown boots and brown bag.

If you spend a lot of time on the East side, then the Issaquah Depot might be a spot you want to check out. This one is in a popular area, but on a weekday it’s not too difficult to find some space away from other people so you can do your thing. There’s the old train track, of course, as well as the old station platform with great lighting and awesome color and textures. The whole area has potential, with so many nods to the history of the area.