The best places to take pictures in Columbus, Ohio

family photo session

Mar 15

Written By Sarah Esposito

Spring edition

As much as I LOVE when clients book their sessions at home, spring is one of my favorite times to get out to the local parks and smell the roses. Spring is such a great time of year for photos (it’s not hot, the sun sets before bedtime…) so I thought it’d be fun to compile a list of some of the best places to take pictures in Columbus specifically during spring, based on my many years scouting and photographing around the city.

Three Creeks Metro Park
Tucked away down a dirt path in Three Creeks metro is one of the most breathtaking fields of bluebells imaginable. Every April the forest ground becomes awash in acres of little blue bells waving in the wind, leading right up to the creeks. I take my kids to explore this magical place every year and it always delights. This is the perfect spot for anyone looking for a bit of magic away from the hustle of the city and into your own private oasis of blue.

2. Schiller Park in German Village

Schiller Park is picturesque year round, with it’s pretty paths, Shakespearian outdoor stage covered in wisteria, the pedestrian bridge going over a pond filled with ducks, and no shortage of flowering trees - many of which are the perfect height for climbing. It’s a happening place so the best time to take photos at Schiller is early morning or on a weeknight. Bonus: Schiller is in the heart of German Village, which has an abundance of gorgeous gardens lining the streets and is another perfect backdrop for creative portraiture.

3. Whetstone Park of Roses

Whetstone is another year-round gem, but I especially love it there when the magnolias are covered in their raspberry pink blooms. It’s such a dramatic sight - perfect for creating fine art, striking imagery of couples, families, expecting mamas. Really you can’t go wrong here. Often blooming at the same time is the lemon-colored forsythia, offering a dynamic palette for your portraits. And if you want more of a wilderness feel to your images there’s both a forest and a meadow nearby to add variety.

4. Inniswood Metrogarden

No list would be complete without Inniswood. It is truly one of the most beautiful parks in Columbus, striking in scenery year-round. In the spring the park boasts flowering dogwoods, redbuds, and hundred-year-old rhododendrons, plus tons of tulips, daffodils and other bulbs scattered around the park. I love this location for it’s variety of landscaped gardens, meadows, tucked away romantic European-inspired structures, and large fields you can catch the sun rising and setting behind.

5. Franklin Park - the grounds outside of the Conservatory

Franklin Park is such a fun one - I love the brick-paved paths, the thousands of tulips and flowering cherries that bloom every spring, the unique structures placed throughout the gardens, the gorgeous willow tree over by the playground (I literally make every client visit the willow if they’ve booked a session at Franklin Park - it is the most magical tree and I have yet to meet a child who didn’t giggle with glee at playing peek-a-boo with me in there!). It’s another park with endless opportunities for exploration and play. Even when it’s busy there’s usually a little place available to tuck away for an intimate experience.

6. Bonus location - your backyard!

Do you have a flowering tree or a little garden in your backyard? Set up a session at home where we can get a variety of indoor and outdoor images. Home is the most comfortable place for you and your family, and will add tons of sentimental value to your images.