For years, I struggled with finding sweet locations to take my clients for their sessions.

I’d fall in love with parks that had trees everywhere thinking it was an awesome location but now I look back and all I see is a black hole! Yes trees are beautiful but if lighting is barely peaking through or is shining way too bright and leaves blotches, your images won’t look as beautiful as they could have been somewhere else! You’ve got the talent, you need great locations!

Here is an example of the difference 4 years has made in my photos. LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION. You can see in the first image, we’re deep within the Sunken Gardens where trees are covering so much and it was around 1-2pm so the lighting was very harsh. The light coming in between the trees are leaving patches all over the skin. Not even at all. The second image has trees too but they are in the background, not on top of us! If the bride and groom were pushed back closer to those trees, we’d have harsh lighting coming behind them and it wouldn’t be as glow-y.

Now before I get into a whole lecture about lighting, I’ll stop myself and give y’all my top 5 favorite locations to take my clients within central FL and west central FL!

1. Baldwin Park

This place is becoming one of my absolute FAV locations and a lot of my clients choose to go here! It’s got a variety of shops, restaurants, a lake, boardwalks, overgrown fields, etc. It also has great lighting during the “golden hour”.  Almost always, I have my clients’ backs facing the sun not only so they don’t squint (ew, no one wants that) and so there can be this thing called Rim Light. This is the light that comes from behind the client and glows the outer rim of their head and body. Beautiful!! This field is awesome to create some Rim Light!

2. Local Coffee Shops

If you want to be a bit arts and cozy, go to some cute local coffee shops! You can get images inside and outside for variety and this also gives your clients some time to genuinely connect in front of the camera. In the image below, it was basically dark out but the light coming from inside the coffee shops helped to give them some back light while I was outside taking photos of them through the window.

Some great local coffee shops are:

• Duo58
• Lineage
• Craft & Common

3. Ulmer Park

This cute little spot is one of my favs when going to my old town, St. Pete. It’s just a tiny neighborhood of cute houses with white Pickett fences and it’s super cute! Home owners there are super sweet as long as you’re respectful of their space. There was even a time where a couple of them were on their front porch watching me take senior photos hyping her up! Love this spot.

4. Sand Key Beach

This location is a great 2-in-1 spot! You have the park and the beach right next to each other so your photos can have variety while you and your clients have the convenience of staying in one location. I always wait towards the end of sessions to go to the beach as it can be super bright if you go too early and photos will be overexposed. It’s got a rocky area by the ocean that is fun to play around but be careful!

5. New General Area

New General is a sweet coffee shop in the heart of Winter Park and near Park Ave. There is an alley around the back by a parking garage that has a beautiful white brick wall that is perfect for photos! The parking garage blocks some sunlight but it works really well. Definitely one of my favs to take photos at. Also add New General to your list of coffee shops to check out!

There ya go! 5 of my favorite locations throughout the Central Florida area and St. Pete. I can’t wait to see what you shoot at these locations! Tag me in your photo on Instagram if you go to these spots!

Cheering you on always!