This week’s portrait location has amazing views, a variety of wooded area as well as open fields and did I mention the views? Cooper Mountain Nature Park is on the edge of Beaverton at an elevation that would be perfect for a sunset portrait photoshoot!
When Liam and I visited the nature park it was a super hot day in May. I don’t know if any of you have tried to carry a 20+ pound baby while hiking but it’s work man! Plus the heat, we didn’t get to do the entire hike like I’d hoped. And he got super fussy cause he was hot and tired and just wanted to go home and nap mama! Jeesh!
So I’ve only got a couple pics of the park but I can tell you all about it. The trails are all gravel so be prepared with flats. I don’t know how many times I’ve forgotten to remind girls that heels are great while taking pictures but in between wear some flats! This park especially, because its hiking trails, you’ll need tennis shoes and be prepared to do some hiking around. But so worth it! I mean look at that view!
The nature park overlooks the Chehalem Mountains. So beautiful! The fields are filled with tall grasses, wildflowers and these cute lil wild daisies. I just love wild daisies!
The trails to the left go into a forested area. It was too dark to take a snap with my cellphone but with my big camera and a flash we could make it work. If you go on trails to the right its more open and goes down into the fields of tall grass. We had to turn around before the next part of the park but apparently there are some beautiful white oak trees and a prairie that has been undisturbed for hundreds of years according to the Cooper Mountain Nature Park website. I’d love to go back and see more of what this park has to offer!
There are a few things I don’t love for a portrait location. This park is so well preserved because people aren’t allowed to go off the trails. So any shots would need to be done on the main path. We can make do but I usually like to try to get out of the way. Plus in the first 10-15 minutes of your session you’ll probably feel a bit self conscious and I hate to have you even more on display while you are warming up to the camera. The other thing is the gravel trails. Because we can only shoot from on the trail we’ll probably move around a lot so we’ll be hiking which means sweating which means more time to prep between shots.
But for this view…that all might be worth putting up with. I mean wow. It’s pretty spectacular when you’re up there! If we did a sunset shoot it would be perfection! Overall this park could totally work if you’re looking for tall grass, wildflowers, forest and amazing views for your backdrop.
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