We’ve talked about what I look for in a location, how I find the locations I use - and now comes the fun part: sharing some of my favorite locations around the Inland Northwest! I continually feel so grateful for the stunning scenery around us in this area. Not only do we have mountains, lakes, and fields for days, but you don’t generally have to compete for the space to shoot or worry about exorbitant entry fees like here in Utah. Many of these locations are shared on my location list for photographers as well. If you’re looking for a way to improve your client experience, upgrade your business, or easily organize information: this template is for you! Check it out here:
Below you'll find some of my most popular and most used locations in the Inland Northwest. I've organized the info into a short summary of the area, logistics surrounding the spot, and tips for best lighting. The majority of these photos were taken May-August, my main shooting season. These spots do look drastically different in the summer than in the Winter, so keep that in mind as you share locations with clients. I highly recommend scouting out these locations before a session so you can get a better idea of each area’s layout.
Manito Park:
Manito Park, located in downtown Spokane, is a photographer’s heaven. Flowers in all colors of the rainbow bloom during the summer months with endless little corners and beautiful pockets of light to escape to for photos. In addition, Manito features incredible architecture like their infamous stone bridge, sparkling fountain, stunning gazebo, and more.
Logistics:
Manito park is composed of multiple gardens:
Duncan gardens has more manicured flowers, green hedges, and the fountain in the middle. These flowers are their best in August. I love this park for a more formal, sophisticated, and overall refined look
Rose Hill is chalk full of rose bushes late June-August. You can find more manicured rose bushes here as well as more wild/unkempt rose bushes. The stone bridge is connected to this garden.
Joel E. Ferris Perennial Garden is one of my favorite areas here. I love the taller flowers and more wildflower-type look. This garden is perfect for a more free/natural/earthy photo session.
The Lilac Garden generally blooms beginning of May. They’re down the path Northwest of the Rose garden, just a short 5 minute walk. Lilacs season is very short, but the purple blooms are worth it!
Mirror Pond is a little farther from the rest of the gardens, so I don’t shoot here often. However, the area provides lots of space and beautiful views.
The Gaiser Conservatory and Japanese Gardens are also beautiful spots, but unfortunately portrait photography is not allowed!
When I take photos at Manito park, I always park in the Rose Garden’s parking lot as it’s central to the 3 main flower gardens. You can easily walk between the three areas to capture a wide variety of looks and flowers within one session.
Timing: If I have a senior who wants Manito Park in addition to other locations, I usually start at Manito. The tall trees and hedges provide the perfect filter for the brighter afternoon sun. If you’re here at golden hour you can find some beautiful spots, but most of the light will be gone by this point.
Liberty Lake Regional Park:
Liberty Lake Regional Park is also one of the better known areas for photographers. Hidden in the mountains of Liberty Lake, this beautiful and unseemly park boasts a majestic view of the mountains, golden wheat in the summer, and a lakeshore view.
Logistics: $10 fee/car May-Sept. (if you show up after around 6-7pm, nobody is at the booth to collect payment)
Pulling up to Liberty Lake, you’ll come upon a huge parking area. Directly across from the parking behind the tree hedges is a large grass area for recreation. At the far end of this area you’ll find tall wheat and large trees, perfect for more field- type photos. I love this spot right as the sun is setting. If you follow the path to the left right out of the parking lot, past the short fences, you will come upon a beautiful forest area where the light is stunning earlier in the day. Lastly, if you go to the right from the parking lot, over the little bridge, you will come upon the lake shore.
Timing: LLRP is often my last location for seniors. The sun sets across from the lake, so it’s easier to get those shots by the water when the sun is less harsh. May-June, the sun sets more northwest- meaning the light will be harsher on the subject if you’re trying to get the mountains in the background. In that case, the later your shoot the better. July- August the sun starts to set more southwest and it will filter behind the large willow tree by the lake which makes the mountainscape shots easier to do earlier in the day. That said, there are lots of tall trees to filter the light earlier in the day if you want to start at this location.
Saltese Uplands:
The Saltese Uplands Conservation area is located in Greenacres, WA. I love this area all year round. It features rolling hills, rocks, a wood fence, and amazing views. There’s a bit of a hike involved with this location, so I mainly recommend it to seniors and couples. I have done a couple family sessions here, we just didn’t roam as much and made sure to take breaks in between walking.
Logistics: There are two different areas to the Saltese Uplands. As you come up on S Henry rd, you’ll see a sign on the left. This is a large dirt parking lot with access to the mountain. This is where I’ve shot most of my sessions as I love the view this space provides. However, If you keep driving around the bend, you’ll see another parking lot on the right with access to a more flat, open, wheat field area, complete with tall trees and a little lake!
Timing: Saltese Uplands is always my last location- it’s a wide open space without much to filter the light, so it’s easier to take photos during golden hour. Not to mention, the light right at sunset is unmatched. The wheat looks like it’s on fire with the backlit sun and the resulting glow in the photos is stunning.
Corbin Park:
Right off Post Falls exit 2 on the Spokane river is Corbin Park. Featuring unique rocks, tall trees, and incredible late- summer colors, its prime shooting time is late May-September. Any earlier than that and the water is too high for exposed rock to show. This spot is wonderful for being so close to the freeway and offering lots of background variety, however, Corbin is a popular frisbee golf and swimming spot, so it can get very busy in the summer months.
Logistics: Right when you pull into Corbin Park, you’ll see a parking lot near the river. I love to park here and walk either right down to the water at sunset (you’ll see a little path) or about 100 feet away from the lot along the shore if I’m there earlier in the day to get more filtered light. The road through the park loops, so you can also keep driving until you see another lot off to the right. There should be a large wood tree stump at the far side (how you know you’re in the right place). If you walk over that tree down to the water, you’ll see a little watering hole with a tree-lined view in the background. This spot is great later in the day as the sun sets opposite of where you’ll most likely want your client facing. The later you shoot, the more even lighting you’ll get on your subject here ( see Blake's photo below)
Timing: Corbin has lots of tall trees to filter the light, so you can shoot here most times of the day. That being said, I love to shoot here later in the evening because sometimes the bright afternoon light can be really harsh on the water and cause blown out highlights. I also love this spot at sunrise as the sun comes up on the other side of the river which creates really beautiful backlit photos with lovely filtered light (which means you can shoot until later in the morning;)
These locations and more are included in my location guide template for photographers! If you're curious, here are some of the resources I've created to help photographers with location scouting and sharing information with clients:
Now I want to know - what are some of your favorite spots to shoot around the Inland Northwest?!?
Comment below if this list was helpful to you! If it is, I might make another post with even more locations in the area!:)
LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Please reach out if you ever have questions about anything!
FUN PHOTOGRAPHY FACT:
Ansel Adams was known for meticulously scouting locations in places like Yosemite and the American West for photos, often returning multiple times to capture the perfect light and conditions. His breathtaking images played a key role in convincing the U.S. government to preserve certain landscapes as national parks. Essentially, his "location scouting" didn't just lead to great photos—it helped protect some of the most beautiful natural locations for future generations! 🌿📷
<3 Malia
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