How Do I Find My Favorite Portrait Spots for the Fall

Fall might be my favorite time of the year here in Colorado, and it’s easy to understand why.

Fall colors in Colorado are famous throughout the United States because they offer such beautiful golden foliage. Of course, there are so many unique locations for portraits in Western Colorado, but I have my favorites!

How would I define the perfect location?
The ideal spot for photos is not always obvious. Lighting, colors, and shadows can make or break a photo. An additional example is you can have a gorgeous view, which will not show as well in photos, or it might be super crowded with tourists/people visiting.

So how do I choose my perfect photography spot to show the beautiful foliage in your portrait photos?

If you follow me on social media or have worked with me in the past, you know I prioritize lighting a lot. You can be in the most beautiful place in the world, but if the lighting is not great, your photo will not be as extraordinary. When I scout a location for photography, I pay close attention to how the light hits the place. Then I will know if it is a sunrise or sunset location, and if I need to bring lighting equipment or if I will work with natural light only.

Sometimes I go to a location and think: “wow! This would be awesome for portrait photos,” but then I look around, and it’s very crowded. This can be the case in the San Juan Mountains because many people come to admire the fall foliage from all over the country. So when I choose the location of our session, I either try to find a more hidden area, or we try to schedule a sunrise session at a popular place. In my years of experience, I noticed that tourists tend to be at unique spots around sunset time but not so much at sunrise.

This year I did quite a bit of location scouting to find hidden gems that would not be crowded with people. This is one of the perks of booking me: you get a list of unknown spots among the general population, and your photos will be EPIC because you know I pay attention to not only the view but also how the light is in that spot.