As a photographer it’s easy for me to get stuck in a “location rut” where I keep coming back to the same place to shoot sessions. The biggest reason is that light is about the only thing I can control. Things like wind, rain, and child cooperation are definitely out of my control! I am so thankful for clients who bring their own creative ideas or who encourage (or even just tolerate!) my own crazy ideas for sessions that force me out of my comfort zone!

This is the first blog post in a series featuring session locations that I consider “off the beaten path.” I’d love to show perspective clients that they can trust my ideas and that I listen to their ideas, too! These pictures highlight some of my favorite urban locations. These spots are great for shoots taking place during the winter months when the foliage is sparse and there isn’t a lot of vibrant color in the backdrop. As you can see, the city offers plenty of vibrant colors if you look in the right places!

This mother-son session was inspired by Mom. I took her idea of a black and white outfit theme and ran with it! As an added bonus, this alley was completely deserted when we shot some sweet, intimate photos.

This sparkly pillow looked great against the red bricks, and added to the holiday theme of this 2nd birthday photo session.

And just in case you don’t realize how much I love this urban alley, I have to include this shot I took with my daughter (I set up the camera and my husband hit the shutter button) to promote a child acro class at the Y!

More out-of-the-box locations to come! Stay tuned 🙂