Best Washington State Engagement Photo Locations
I’m moving back to the PNW after 15 years. Here are the places I’m most excited to photograph engagement sessions at!
The Washington State Capitol in Olympia
I love classic locations like state capitols — one of my favorite winter spots when I lived in Utah was the State Capitol Building, and I’m even more excited for the Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia. I know there are azaleas there in the spring (mid-april, I believe) which will be so pretty with the stone and it’s just such a great spot for a slightly more dressy engagement session!
Westport and Twin Harbors State Park
This is one of the first Washington state engagement photo locations I got to photograph after moving back this spring, and it became an instant favorite. It has so much variety: from the wooded campground to the dunes, and then out to the beach. It’s absolutely magical during blue hour. It works year round. Including a couple photos below so you can see why I was so obsessed!
Ruby Beach
I grew up going to the tidepools here and camping with my family, and it is such a sentimental area for me. We used to go out to Kalaloch and build driftwood forts and go in the ocean in our clothes because we always swore it was going to be too cold to get in, but then you get out to the coast and you just can’t resist the ocean! I really can’t wait for candid, playful sunset sessions on the beach and getting to capture the magic that this area has held for me since my childhood.
The Waterfront Park in Seattle
The Waterfront Park didn’t exist when I lived here before, and I am SO EXCITED to photograph engagements here. I really love waterfront sessions, and this is going to be such an awesome spot to do photos on the sound! I especially like that it will be somewhere that can be dressy or casual and have the city as a backdrop.
Alki Beach
Speaking of having the city as a backdrop, I am really excited about doing engagement photos at Alki Beach. It’s a great spot to see the Seattle skyline, and I’ve been wanting to find a good local skyline spot ever since I photographed a session at North Beach with the Chicago skyline. Beaches like this are also just such a great all season engagement location that I can’t wait to explore.
Discovery Park in Seattle
I have heard some really good things about Discovery Park. I know it’s a more popular spot for photos, so it will probably be somewhere I photograph engagements on weekdays only, but there’s a reason it’s popular! It’s big and has tons to explore and lots of versatility.
Lake Crescent
I’ve been out of the state since 2011. Can you blame me for wanting to photograph engagements at some of the most scenic and incredible spots in Washington? Lake Crescent is SO cool with the mountains around it and, as I mentioned, I am a little obsessed with waterfront engagement locations. This is definitely one of my top spots I can’t wait to explore in Olympic National Park.
Wildflower Fields
One of the things I love most about Washington is the abundance of public land — national parks, state parks, and open spaces that make finding stunning natural field locations genuinely possible. In fact, around 42% of Washington State is publicly owned, which is something you really don’t find anywhere else in the country. I am really really excited to explore the state and national parks out here again as an adult, and to find some really great wildflowers! I have a few ideas already for where I want to look.
North Bend Fields
Speaking of fields, another one of the first spots I’ve gotten to photograph engagements at since moving back to Washington is this field in North Bend with Mt. Si behind it. We went at sunrise — partially to avoid crowds, partially because I knew what angle I wanted the sun at, and partially because morning dew on early spring fields makes the most magical mist. See photos below for proof!
Mt. Rainier
This is another childhood favorite of mine. I have really clear memories of hiking with my family so high up that we were out of the mist and into the sunshine again. We have a super cool photo of my mom and my little brother looking out on what seemed like a cloud kingdom. The mountain was in the backdrop of the rest of my childhood memories too, honestly! We lived in Dupont, near Ft. Lewis, and every set of strange clouds around the peak brought my imagination to life. So excited to get to know this mountain I loved in my youth again now as an adult!
Mt. Baker
Mt. Baker has some of the coolest views in the Seattle area. I am especially excited to see (and photograph!) it during alpenglow and after the stars come out. This is somewhere I never got to explore before, and it’s definitely on my list now that we’re moving back out west.
There you have it! I know this list is only going to continue to grow. I have missed Washington ever since my family left in 2011, and I am beyond excited to get to know it again and bring my work out here. If you’re looking for an engagement photographer here in Western Washington, I would love to get in touch!
