Asheville’s #1 Family Photographer shares top Family Photo Locations in Asheville for your Fall Family Photoshoot!
What makes some place a ‘good location’ for Family Portrait Sessions? This is most certainly an entirely subjective question because some might say that the best locations are way out in nature, on the tops of mountains or deep in the forest. While others might think that the best locations for Family Photoshoots are locations that are close to home — in parks or gardens. And still more people might say that they prefer the vibrant colors, textures and architecture of the city! Within this post, I’ll share a few great ideas for selecting the very best Family Photo Locations in Asheville!
Family Photo Locations in Asheville – Lighting
It may surprise you to learn that the only thing that really makes some place a ‘good photo location’ is the light quality found in that place! Truly. You could shoot portraits in a graveyard and if it has nice light, a little nature and some interesting textures / colors — no one would ever have any idea that’s where you were shooting! In fact, I often like to play a little game with my clients called “What you see vs. What I see.” The way to play the game is: Everyone takes a photo of the location with their phone and then I blow your mind with the photos that I create of your family in that place! 😉
Family Photos in the Fall in Asheville
One thing that I really love about shooting Fall Family Photos in Asheville is when the leaves change colors and the sunlight shines through the trees, it creates this warm kaleidoscope of fall color and I am always here for that! When shooting Family Portraits, I typically to position my clients with their backs to the sun so that they are backlit by this gorgeous kaleidoscope of color and the effect is stunning!
Family Photo Locations in Asheville – Keep it simple!
Yes, shooting out on the Blue Ridge Parkway is over the top, next level gorgeous but you can also keep it simple, shooting at home can be just as lovely! Look around you! Notice the landscape, notice the light, notice the way the sun shines through the trees at that certain time of day…
The family featured in this post actually just invited me out to their home in Mills River! They live in a planned community / neighborhood that happened to have an empty lot with that beautiful kaleidoscope of fall color and the sun shining through the trees! There was also a neighborhood pond with some mountain views in the distance and they had this hilltop with those giant old oak trees and that was all we really needed to create these beautiful fall memories for this sweet family!
Would you like to invite me to your home this fall!? Good news! I still have some availability for late October (when the leaves will be peaking at the lower elevations / in the city) and would be happy to come over to shoot your Fall Family Photo Session in Asheville! Just reach out via my website’s contact form, located here: Get in touch with Brittany
“But what if we’re uninspired by our surroundings?”
Thankfully, Asheville has no shortage of beautiful Family Photo Locations to choose from! I’ve actually put together a list of places that I love to shoot at and I’ll include it at the end of this post! There are a few important questions to consider when choosing a Family Portrait Location for your Family Photos in Asheville:
What makes sense for your family? For example, if you have very young children and/or mobility issues in your family, it probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to try to hike up a mountain like Craggy Gardens, for example, because while it is a short distance from Asheville and the hike is short — the incline is steep and can be slippery if we’ve had a lot of rain and the terrain is difficult in some places (rocky and roots) and there are edges and ledges that make (me) very uncomfortable taking young children to that particular location for photos. Also, Craggy Gardens isn’t a very big / wide open location, so if you have a larger family, it doesn’t make sense to shoot there because there’s not a lot of room to spread out for photos!
What sort of location can you envision yourselves in, if the goal is to hang the stunning images we’ll create together on your walls!? If you’re more drawn to natural landscapes, forests, mountains, waterfalls, gardens etc. It probably wouldn’t make sense to choose a city location for your Family Photos in Asheville! But, if you love vibrant colors and beautifully interesting architecture with a little nature sprinkled in, you’ll probably really like shooting something different, something SO Asheville for your Family Portraits!
What time of year do you prefer to shoot? If the goal is to hang these portraits on the walls of your home, which season would you want to live in year round!? Do you love all of the beautiful, vibrant flowers in the spring or do you love the wild flowers on the mountain tops in summer? Or maybe you’re more into the brilliant kaleidoscope of color found in the fall? Maybe you’re like me, and you enjoy rotating many of your family portraits seasonally with your home’s seasonal decor!? If that’s the case (or even something you would aspire to do) I would recommend always shooting your portraits in different seasons each time you schedule them!
A few of my favorite Family Photo Locations in Asheville:
Are you hoping to shoot a Fall Family Portrait Session?
If you’re hoping to shoot a Family Portrait Session in Asheville this fall, please get in touch ASAP! My availability is limited but I would positively love to create some fall magic with your family! XO – Brittany
