Outdoor Photographer: Best Locations in Boise for Outdoor Portraits

We do indoor studio photography at Stokes Photography, but as an outdoor photographer, I have found some amazing locations in Boise for beautiful portraits! Following are some wonderful Boise locations that each have their own unique personalities and features.  Read through each one and maybe you will find one that will fit your family's personality or the achieve the look you are wanting for your portraits!  I am also open to exploring new locations, so if you have an awesome spot in mind, let me know. ​ This is an ever-growing list, so check back for changes in the future. 

How To Choose a Good Portrait Location

 Choosing the right location depends on what style you are wanting in your final portraits.  Are you going for a natural setting or maybe something more urban and modern? There are many options available around the Treasure Valley.  We have off-camera lighting to help creating flattering light in any outdoor location, so lighting is usually not an issue.  One thing to consider is what location would your family find interesting?  In addition to having a nice setting, it is important for your family to enjoy the session so a new place might be fun to explore during a portrait session.  

Keep in mind that in many close up pictures, the background doesn't matter as much.  The next few portraits were taken all over Boise, but the location is not recognizable and the focus is the person.  

Boise Train Depot

The historic Boise Train Depot is located on the bench in Boise and is iconic and beautiful.  At this location, you can get both nature portraits and urban portraits by using the beautiful Train Depot building.  This location includes a nice waterfall and a pond that is usually stocked with fish that are fun to watch.  There are cool man-made cave formations and a pretty stone bridge.  In addition, you can get a portrait in front of downtown Boise that is pretty cool. You can also do the classic portrait on the tracks.  This is usually not recommended for safety reasons, but since the Boise Train Depot is not a running depot, this is perfectly safe at this location.

The Boise Train Depot is located at 2603 W Eastover Terrace, Boise, ID 83706.  The grounds are open during daylight every day of the week.  Although occasionally, there are events that occur so we will have to plan around those. The actual Train Depot building opens for very limited hours and we can capture some nice pictures indoors as well.

There are beautiful park like settings throughout the Boise Depot location.

There are several locations where we can get the iconic Boise Depot building in the background.

You could do the classic "on the tracks" portrait safely at the Boise Train Depot, since it is not a running depot.

This location also includes a beautiful waterfall and pond.

Edwards Greenhouse

Edwards Greenhouse is located in the heart of Boise on 10 acres of land.  They have been serving the Treasure Valley for over 80 years.  There are multiple, large greenhouses with gorgeous, lush greenery and flowers galore.  The lighting in the greenhouses is heavenly.  Edwards is decorated in a quirky and eye-pleasing manner that makes a wonderful backdrop for portraits.  This is a great location for senior portraits, beauty portraits, or family portraits.  There's a ton of cool plants and displays for the kids to explore and we can capture the fun and excitement in portraits! There are so many fun portraits we can get at this location and the burst of greenery and flowers in the back is stunning.

Edwards is located at 4106 Sand Creek St. in Boise, Idaho 83703.  They do have specific operating hours so our portrait session must coincide with those.

There may be some nice props available to use during portrait sessions in the multiple greenhouses.

Idaho Botanical Garden

The Idaho Botanical Garden is a popular location for portraits.  It is famous in Boise for the Winter Garden Aglow festivities where thousands of Christmas lights adorn the massive grounds.  It rests on over 30 acres and there are multiple specialty gardens, each having a unique focus.  There is a contemporary English Garden with stone structures, a Meditation Garden with beautiful bridges and koi pond, an Heirloom Rose Garden, and more.  This Boise portrait location has so many options and is fun to explore.  They even have a cool tree house to run around in! You can get natural green setting and some classic Idaho desert settings in the same location.  There are several older building and parts of the Old Idaho State Penitentiary that provide interesting backdrops as well.  At Stokes Photography, we have a photographer membership to the gardens so we can bring in guests at no extra charge to you.

The Idaho Botanical Garden is located at 2355 N Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise, ID 83712 near the Old Idaho State Penitentiary.

They have specific hours of operation and also hold events so our portrait session must occur when there are no large events going on.

The English Garden has beautiful pathways and lighting for stunning outdoor portraits.

There are bridges and other interesting structures available at this location.

You can also get the classic Idaho desert look at this location.

This is the awesome tree house that the kiddos can run around in.

Kathryn Albertson Park

Kathryn Albertson Park is in the heart of Boise.  It is a 41 acre park that is a haven for wildlife.  There are gorgeous ponds and waterways and bridges through out the park.  You can often spot geese, rabbits, and other wildlife in the park.  This park has a gorgeous paved loop that goes through the location.  There are cool rock structures and a beautiful fountain in one of the ponds.  Your portraits can look like you were in a serene mountain setting from this location.  Kids love running around this park and exploring.  This is a very popular location for weddings and portraits!

Kathryn Albertson Park is located at 1001 N Americana Blvd in Boise Idaho.  It is near Ann Morrison Park.  

This park is open during daylight hours.  Even though there are many events that occur here, the park is so large that we are usually fine doing our portrait session without bothering others or vice versa.

Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park

The Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park is a family favorite.  There is the MK Nature Center located in the park that has fish viewing areas, a large sturgeon pond and beautiful bridges and creeks.  You can achieve many different looks in this location and the family loves to come visit and explore all the fish and wildlife.  In the spring time there are beautiful flowers blooming everywhere.  

The Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park and the MK Nature Center are located right next to each other in downtown Boise. MK Center Address: 600 South Walnut Boise, Idaho 83712

The park is available during daylight hours.

Your Home!

Your own home can be a wonderful portrait setting! It is a familiar place and may be easier for the kiddos.  We can plan fun activities or snacks to have and do a photo-journalistic style session where we capture genuine emotions and a sneak peek into your real family home life. I have several off-camera lighting options available that are fully portable that will help in any lighting situation.  It is also important to capture those genuine, candid moments of everyday life, as those are the memories that can be so fleeting...