Its all about the location

When I first started my photography journey, I had no idea how other photographers were finding these amazing spots. I had thought they must know someone, or they use their own backyard. Well, sometimes you do know someone who has this amazing farm with multiple acres, a photographer’s playground! For those of you who do not, I have some tips, ideas, and even a few locations for you if you're a photographer in Western Massachusetts.

ALL TRAILS APP

This is an app I use for hiking, but it can also be used to find great public spots for photoshoots. The app gives you all kinds of hikes, from easy to hard, with descriptions, lengths, and photos so you can see if this is the place for you. I usually find a bunch in the same area, then on Sundays (my hike day) I take a trip and scout out which location I feel is best for the client. Even if I don’t have a client, if I find the perfect hike, I will make an IG post to see if anyone wants to get their pictures taken for a discount at this location. Sometimes, I will get an inquiry, and they have a location in mind, but nine times out of ten I put in the work to find the perfect location for my clients.

PUTNEY MOUNTAIN, PUTNEY, VERMONT

This is the one out of ten times when my client has a location. About 45 minutes from Greenfield, MA, is Putney Mountain in Putney, Vermont. This was a special location for my client. A week before the photoshoot, I took my Sunday hike there to scout it out and figure out poses and lighting situations. This location is amazing for sunrise or sunset photos. Just a short half-mile hike up from the parking area. Amazing 360 views of southern Vermont and beyond. I highly recommend this spot. I will be using this spot in the future. I always check my location before a photoshoot unless it is too far of a drive for me.

GREEN RIVER, COLRAIN MASSACHUSETTS

Known to most as 10 mile. A long local river with endless swimming spots during the warm summer months, is home to my favorite place to take a dip. Weather your photographing a candid family session or a whimsy boudoir session there are so many places that you can pull over and use the rocks and water to elevate your session. I would recommend driving up and down this road a few times to see the best lighting at certain times of day. You can see most of the river from the road so there isn’t much privacy for any nude sessions unless you travel down to the first hole on the road. This spot is called “bare ass beach” a nude beach that gets fairly busy when it’s hot out. Whichever your adventure is this river is a great location. I will say there are many “private property” areas and police do take notice but there is room for all!

SAWMILL RIVER ACCESS, MONTAGUE, MASSACHUSETTS

The last location that I have used the most is this sweet little wildlife refuge area off of a side street in Montague, Massachusetts. A short little walk down a hill, there is the Sawmill River that runs in between two beautiful fields. This is an area that the locals come and walk their dogs and maybe even take a quick dip in the small river. Another photographer had taken me here for some headshot photos a few years ago. That being said, I will never gatekeep a public spot from other artists. We are all just trying to create something magical, and hiding it doesn’t feel right to me. I have lugged a living room set down for some editorial photos as well as brought families here for fall photos. This place is a sweet little gem that I love to share with people.

I hope to see some other photographers use these spots to create some memories for other people!