It’s finally here! My top favorite portrait locations around the Portland area! There are SO many more places that are amazing for taking photos but I wanted to share just a few of my favorites in this area. If you’re stumped on where to have your session and want to stick around the Portland or surrounding area, I hope this will give you some great options and inspiration!

1. Pittock Mansion

I love using this gorgeous location in Portland because it offers a wide variety of backgrounds and colors. Depending on the time of year, there are lots of different foliage and colors. Flowers in the spring, greens and beautiful blooms in the summer. Colorful changing leaves in the fall. There are steps along the back of the mansion for sitting portraits. It has everything!

Best Time of Year to Visit:

Spring, summer, and fall depending on what season and colors you’re wanting.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

Late afternoon into the early evening. Usually 2-3 hours or so before sunset.

2. Graham Oaks Nature Park

Graham Oaks Nature Park is quickly becoming one of my favorite locations. Just 20 minutes outside Portland, this gorgeous park is located in Wilsonville and offers a wide open fields, huge beautiful oak trees, and even fields of bright purple wildflowers in the springtime! This park is vast and there’s a little bit of walking involved depending on which part of the park you’d like to use. But there are also great spots right near the parking lot, too!

Best Time of Year to Visit:

Spring and summer is the best time for this location. Spring has fields of wildflowers and summer offers gorgeous tall grassy fields and fully green oak trees.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

Early morning or 2 hours before sunset offers the best light here. Since there are so many opens fields it’s best to avoid the harsh light of midday.

3. Powell Butte Nature Park

Powell Butte Nature Park is a large 611-acre park right within easy access from the city. There are over eight miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. There are wide open spaces with a gorgeous view of the city and lush rolling hills in the background. It’s known for its open meadows and forested slopes of maple and Douglas fir trees. This location showcases all of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Best Time of Year to Visit:

Late Spring and summer time are the best times to visit this location when it’s the most lush and green. Early fall also lends gorgeous changing colors.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

Since this location is so open and vast, the best time of day for portraits here is either sunrise or late afternoon into the early evening before sunset.

4. Portland Rose Garden

Located in Washington Park in Portland, the Portland Rose Garden is stunning in every way and encompasses that Portland is the city of roses. This location offers a mix of settings, including a nearby forest. There are so many colors! There’s also no entrance fee like many of Portland’s other gardens.

Best Time of Year to Visit:

The peak blooming season is from late May-mid June, while blooms often stay through October.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

Visiting on a weekday is recommended to avoid the crowds and later in the day near sunset allows to capture the soft, golden light.

5. The Columbia River Gorge

This is a favorite location for portraits and looking at this view you’ll easily see why! The Columbia River Gorge offers so many spots with a stunning view. This particular one is located in Cascade Locks, just 30 minutes outside Portland. Being right on the Gorge this location can be very windy but it’s perfect, especially with a long flowy dress! This is the perfect Pacific Northwest location with the lush greenery and mountain scape background along the water.

Best Time of Year to Visit:

Late spring, summer and early fall are beautiful times of year. There are some wildflowers that bloom in certain areas for a very short time but summer is the best! Fall is also gorgeous with an epic view of changing colors!

Best Time of Day For Photos:

This location is wide open and can be very bright in the middle of the day when the sun is out. The best time is about 2 hours before sunset.

6. Hoyt Arboretum

Hoyt Arboretum is Portland’s free botanical garden, conservation lab, nature education hub, and tree museum in Washington Park. This park is just minutes from downtown Portland and so much fun to hike and explore. Dense with trees this location isn’t as wide open as other locations so lighting can be a little bit trickier here, but is still gorgeous and green!

Best Time of Year to Visit:

This location is beautiful anytime of year but looks different in each season! Spring has blooms and flowering plants while fall has so many fiery colors. Winter can be possibly snowy and highlights the evergreens but could be rainy and muddy.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

Since this location is dense with trees and can get darker well before sunset, the best time of day would be midday-3-4 hours before sunset.

7. Cathedral Park

This park is gorgeous and iconic park located in Portland along the waterfront. A location that’s an amazing spot to hang out, bring a picnic, walk along the water. But it can be a gorgeous spot for photos!

Best Time of Year to Visit:

The fall lends gorgeous colors but can be a very busy time with photographers. The spring has lots of flowering bushes and trees. The summer is beautiful and green but also hosts many events, such as the Jazz Festival so checking online ahead of time is ideal to make sure to avoid these dates if you’re wanting to take photos here.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

Capturing the softer light is best in the early evening before sunset.

8. The Oregon Coast

There’s truly nothing like the Oregon Coast! There are so many different areas like Pacific City, Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, and so many more that are great portrait spots. The iconic Haystack Rocks at Pacific City and Cannon Beach offers a beautiful background along the coastline. Whether it’s sunny and breezy, it can also be very overcast and drizzly. It’s stunning no matter the weather.

Best Time of Year to Visit:

The late summertime is going to offer the best weather. While the weather can be unpredictable and often foggy or rainy, the early fall can be beautiful too.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

The best time at the coast is about 2 hours or so before sunset to get that soft, golden light. If it’s overcast late afternoon is beautiful, too.

9. Oregon Wine Country

Oregon Wine Country is the heart of the Willamette Valley. Some of the most beautiful views are found at Willamette Valley Vineyard, the Zenith Vineyard, and Abbey Road Farm. You can see miles of lush green fields and rolling hills in each of these stunning venues. These vineyards have a beautiful backdrop and are perfect for senior sessions as well as engagement or families! The balcony spaces at Willamette Valley Vineyard gives a gorgeous overlook to the view and the vines are so much to walk through, giving some opportunity for great foreground in the photos. Plus the grape stomp there in the summer is a ton of fun to watch! These venues makes you feel like you stepped right out of the city into a gorgeous European getaway.

Best Time of Year to Visit:

Summer and early fall months the vines are lush and full.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

Early morning sunrise or late in the day provides the best light in these wide open views.

10. Champoeg State Park

Last, but not least, one of my favorite portrait locations just outside the Portland area is Champoeg State Park. This location offers multiple different backgrounds and looks all in one lush and beautiful park. With walking trails and frisbee golf, it’s a perfect place for family picnics and hanging out for the day. But it’s an even better location for photos. From the oak grove to the open wheat fields and the dock along the water, each spot is unique and stunning.

Best Time of Year to Visit:

Summer and fall are the best times for this location with trees being full and green and changing colors in the fall. The late summer offers tall grass that gives soft light.

Best Time of Day For Photos:

The best time of day is afternoon and before sunset when the light is soft and golden.

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Love these Portland portrait locations? You’ll love Shaina + Jesse’s engagement session at Pittock Mansion.