chicago photoshoot location guide
Planning your photoshoot? Hell yes, let’s do this!
Really, these photoshoots are an excuse to plan a cute date night that I get to third-wheel. They can be anything you want! Looking for ideas? When it comes to location/theme, I always tell folks to consider either:
Somewhere beautiful and iconic AF or
A lifestyle session doing something local doing something meaningful
(or both if you want to add on multiple locations!)
So, here are 8 ideas (4 of each type) to help give you some inspiration!
4 Beautiful & Iconic AF locations in Chicago:
1. North Avenue Beach
I could spend almost every summer evening at North Avenue Beach and never stop enjoying it.
North Ave is hands down my favorite photo spot in the city - the skyline, the sunset lighting, all the different beautiful settings right next to one another - it’s never a bad choice.
**Important note: during the summer there are volleyball leagues running at the beach, meaning a lot of people are right nearby!
2. Lincoln Park Zoo Nature Boardwalk
This is a super cute location with a combination of greenery and skyline. The iconic honeycomb is also there but we need to pay for a permit to incorporate that and any other official Lincoln Park Zoo installations. It’s also right by North Ave Beach!
3. The Riverwalk
How much more classic Chicago can you get than taking a stroll down the Riverwalk? This is a great choice for a classy, urban-feeling session. NOTE: It gets VERY busy there in the evening so get ready to have a built-in rotating hype squad!
4. Conservatories
The conservatories are great choices especially for folks that love greenery and they always have amazing lighting! Shown here: Oak Park Conservatory
Note: there are permit charges between $100-250, and we’ll need several weeks advance notice to book them
4 Meaningful Lifestyle Session Ideas
1. Build-Your-Own Iconic
Pick a cool-looking spot near you that holds meaning and let’s do a whole shoot at/near it! For Erin & Conar’s photoshoot, they chose a cool bridge they’ve walked to several times in their hometown Riverside, dressed up all vintage, and made some magic happen.
2. A Neighborhood Stroll
Is your neighborhood really meaningful to you? Let’s take all the pressure out and just go for a stroll outside! This is a great way to easily incorporate your dog into the photoshoot too.
3. Goof Around In Your Favorite Park
Want some greenery? Have a park nearby you frequent? Especially with fall colors, this is a lovely option. + we can bring some food/drinks and make it a picnic if you want!
4. Grab a Drink at a local Bar
Like the vibe of flash portraits? This is the style of shoot for you - we meet up, cheers some glasses, and you two have a proper date night around the bar. We can easily step outside and get some natural light shots too. We just need to call the bar ahead of time to clear it, but I’ve never had a problem!
Have some ideas?
Hit me up and let’s build a photoshoot together! And if you’ve come across this guide and we aren’t working together, hit me up and let’s get this started (: