Engagement Photo Locations

The best thing about the Pacific Northwest is that there is SO much to offer! Our landscapes here vary so drastically if you drive an hour to two hours in any direction; we have mountains, ocean, rivers flanked by massive cliffs, high desert, and temperate rainforest. If you’re recently engaged (or just want to have photos for fun!), here are some super cool engagement photo locations in the Pacific Northwest.

This post will primarily focus on Oregon and Washington as these are my areas of expertise!

Ocean:

Okay, there is no doubt that Oregon and Washington have some of the wildest coastlines in the country. While California has warm sandy beaches full of surfers (okay I know that’s primarily SoCal and Northern CA is different, but for the sake of this blog post just roll with it okaaaaay), a lot of Oregon and Washington are rocky and rugged. In fact, the difference in beaches between southern Washington and Northern Washington are wildly different! The Long Beach peninsula is what you would typically expect for a beach, but up in the Olympic National Forest, beaches are full of rocks and pebbles. Oregon hosts a load of jagged cliffs, sea stacks up and down the coastline, sand dunes, and beaches open enough you’ll often find people driving on them. To say the least, there’s a variety in beach options in either state and they’ll all give off the most romantic vibes for your engagement photos.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Cape Kiwanda (OR)

• Cannon Beach (OR)

• Olympic Peninsula beaches (WA)

• Cape Disappointment (WA)

Mountain

If being sea level isn’t your vibe, no problem! Let’s head to higher elevation in the beautiful Cascade Range that goes all the way from Canada down to Northern California. From Rainier, to Helens, to Hood, to Sisters; we have ample places to explore to find exactly what you’re looking for to have the most epic engagement photos.

• Timberline Lodge (OR)

• Sparks Lake (OR)

• Mount Rainier National Park (Check out this blog post I did on the dreamiest couple session!)

• Hurricane Ridge (WA)

Fun fact: I spent ten years in Michigan when my mom got a job transfer when I was in middle school. Every summer I would come back to Portland to visit my dad and we spent so much time running around Mount Hood, it became a second home to me and I actually have her beautiful peak tattooed on me in two places!

*The above photo was taken while shooting with Little Daisy Photography

In Between

Okay so you like the beach and mountains but want something different? Or you’re in a more metro area (like Portland or Vancouver) and don’t want to make the couple hour jaunt to the coast or the mountains? No problem! The Columba River Gorge is full of secret islands, scenic views and countless waterfalls. The Oregon side is much more popular, especially with places like Multnomah Falls and the Historic Columbia River Highway, but the Washington side has special spots with less people too.

• Government Cove (OR)

• Waterfalls (check out Bridal Veil & Latourrell! Other waterfalls that require a bit further hiking include Wahclella and Wahkeena)

• Beacon Rock (WA)

High Desert

Want something that people don’t usually think of when they think of the PNW?! Let’s head to high desert! Eastern Oregon and Washington consist of such super unique landscapes. You head out of the Cascades and into dry basins east of the mountains. While there aren’t quite cactus like you’d see some place like Joshua Tree or in Arizona, there’s marvelous canyons, flowing rivers, lava beds, and beautiful rock formations.

• Smith Rock State Park (OR)

• Painted Hills (OR)

• Frenchman Coulee (WA)

• Wild Horses Monument (WA)

One thing to note about central and eastern Oregon is that weather can be intense here; the last three photos in the above collection were taken at the Painted Hills in Eastern Oregon in mid May. While the forecast said rain, we ended up being in the middle of a lightning storm. I mean, hair was standing up due to the electricity in the air, the sky was flashing bright white and purple lightning, and there was a legitimate magnetic buzz. It was intense and followed immediately by flash flooding then intense fog as we went through the pass to head back to Bend. A huge thing to remember when picking your engagement photo locations in the Pacific Northwest: be flexible with weather.

*the Painted Hills images were taken while shooting with Little Daisy Photography

Rainforest

If you’re wanting real PNW vibes, then off to the rainforest we must go! On the western side of the cascades, Oregon and Washington have temperate rainforests! This means there won’t be anacondas swimming around in floating forests like in the Amazon, but rather there’s elk, birds, and giant ancient trees galore.

• Tillamook National Forest (OR)

• Columbia River Gorge (OR)

• Hoh Rainforest (WA)

• Olympic National Park (WA)

Of course these are general engagement photo locations, for exact places you gotta be a client of mine! No matter the landscape you’re dreaming of, I have a location that will fit your needs! Contact me here to inquire and let’s start planning your adventure for your own engagement photos in the PNW.

Want to see more pictures from these locations? Check out the blog!