Best Portrait Session Locations in Northern Virginia: National Mall Monuments in Washington, DC
Okay, I know this is another Northern Virginia location spotlight that isn’t actually in Northern Virginia, but DC is just so full of iconic locations that I can’t ignore them since they’re just around the corner from Nova! You can’t talk about the best portrait locations in this market without talking about the National Mall. The Mall includes more than we’re going to feature here, but this page is all about those classic DC monuments along the National Mall. We’ve also previously featured a highlight of the neighboring Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial so check that out as well! This page is specifically going to highlight the (highly underrated) DC War Memorial, the big beautiful WWII Memorial, and the classic iconic Lincoln Memorial. I’d also like to note that the latter two especially have an excellent view of the Washington Monument, and since you can’t really take particularly great portraits at the Washington Monument itself, that iconic part of the National Mall and Washington DC landscape is an unspoken part of this location as well.
An important note about this location is that it does require a permit for any portrait sessions, according to the National Parks Services. Beauty of the Soul Studio covers the permit fee for any of our booked wedding clients who choose to do their engagement session here, and we will take care of submitting the permit for you! If you are not hiring us for your wedding or this otherwise doesn’t apply to you, then the total permit fee is $140 for the full day. The permit must be faxed, mailed, or handed in-person into the NPS office. They have a surprisingly fast turnaround even during the cherry blossom season when they’re inundated with photography permit requests! The permit is emailed to the person who submitted it, who then signs and returns it via email (why they can’t allow you to email the permit application in the first place is beyond me). They’re also quick to respond to rescheduling requests, which come at no charge as long as you give them notice – I wouldn’t request to change the permit the day it was originally intended to be used, but even the morning of the day before is fine. It’s also worth noting that this permit gives you access to the entirety of the National Mall and Monuments under the same fee, so you aren’t limited just to one or two monuments and could even hop over to the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial if you wanted (though the National Mall itself is plenty big).
Interested in some specific examples of sessions on the National Mall? Here are a couple:
DC War Memorial
I spent an embarrassingly long amount of time living in the DC area without knowing that the DC War Memorial even exists. It’s small, and being nestled between the larger and more popular monuments on the Mall it just gets overlooked so easily! But when one of my clients mentioned wanting to use it instead of walking all the way out to the Jefferson Memorial during their session, I realized what a hidden gem this spot it. First, this is a monument surrounded by greenery. It helps hide away all the cars, pedestrians, and general city junk otherwise in view at most memorials in DC. This greenery on its own makes for a great, dreamy backdrop during golden hour! Second, this monument isn’t super well known or a hot tourist spot generally so it’s never crowded. It is a popular wedding spot, so be sure to find out whether any weddings have been scheduled for your expected shoot time especially on weekend evenings. (There actually was a wedding going on during our weekday late afternoon elopement portraits with Kristine and Gaetan, so we had to keep our distance and couldn’t use the beautiful interior). As long as there’s no wedding going on, this monument feels much more secluded throughout the day than its more famous siblings! Third, this is a great alternative specifically to the Jefferson Memorial if you’re looking to stay on the National Mall during your session instead of venturing across the Tidal Basin just for those gorgeous columns. It’s also very similar to the Lincoln Memorial if you want to avoid the crowds there as well.
World War II Memorial
Featuring a huge fountain and the best view of the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial is a beautiful tribute to the sacrifices of the Americans involved in WWII. Its dramatic features make for a jovial and iconic location to visit for your Washington DC portrait session. Pose for a cheesy photo beside your home state’s column, walk hand in hand down the ramp heading inside, share a sweet moment with the Washington Monument looming in the background, and cozy up beside the fountain. As with the other popular monuments of the area, keep in mind that there will be many visitors as the day goes on – weekends especially; a sunrise session will help ensure the fewest people in the background of your photos. There’s also a fairly busy street right in between the memorial and the Washington Monument so it can take some patience to capture photos without cars driving through the background!
Lincoln Memorial
I shouldn’t have to explain this one to you. The Lincoln Memorial is one of the absolutely most iconic spots in DC – it’s visible all around the area thanks to its hilltop location and rising marble, a landmark of the National Mall, and well featured in any media taking place in Washington, DC. It’s also probably the most popular photography location in the DC area, besides maybe the Tidal Basin during the two weeks or so that the cherry blossoms are blooming.
The reflecting pool and Washington Monument make for a great backdrop while you’re here just by turning 180 degrees. I especially love capturing portraits facing this way from the top of the steps for a bit of an intimate feel while still using the dramatic background – or stand in the middle near the edge of the pool for a wide dramatic shot. If the crowds aren’t sizable, photos on those grand marble steps shooting toward the memorial can really capture this iconic location and it can feel dramatic or intimate depending on the composition of the image. And of course, shooting up by the columns is timeless and beautiful – the big neutral columns overlooking the Potomac River, where you can get fun dramatic wide shots showing off their height. creative angles making use of the geometric architecture, and cozy intimate portraits nuzzling together up between columns. It’s worth noting that technically there’s not supposed to be photography within the columns of the memorial, but this isn’t enforced at all to our knowledge – just don’t be obnoxious and don’t leave a mess (which you shouldn’t do anyway). There’s definitely no photography permitted inside the chamber where Lincoln sits – fine by us, since this area is so dark and crowded that there’s not much use in trying to photograph there anyway.
As you can imagine from all its hype, the Lincoln Memorial is very busy for a very large amount of time. I strongly recommend a sunrise session on a weekday to increase your likelihood of getting some spots for yourself, and bring along a lot of patience regardless. Also be sure to confirm whether there are any demonstrations happening on the Mall before your scheduled session, or any weddings at the memorial itself. If you’re just looking for the classic marble column vibe, my go-to alternative is the Jefferson Memorial which is far less crowded but just as pretty.
