Recommended Portrait Locations

With experience photographing couples in Northern Virginia and beyond, Beauty of the Soul Studio has experience shooting at many different locations around the greater Washington, DC area. Here are some of our favorite spots where we’ve returned time and again!

Old Town Alexandria

We love shooting in Old Town Alexandria – it’s reliable, yet always provides new perspectives and variety to make every session unique. Historic homes, riverside docks, a park full of spring blooms, a waterfront park… all within just a few minutes of walking. You can read more about our favorite spots in this classic location here.

Great Falls National Park

Somehow despite living in Northern Virginia since 2013 I only discovered Great Falls Park in 2020 and boy do I wish I had found it sooner! This park has dramatic views and cozy spots that feel isolated despite being easily accessible, and even the most unathletic couple can enjoy a session here. Read our tips and highlights of our favorite spots here.

Green Spring Gardens Park

If you’re looking for a romantic garden aesthetic to your portrait session, you’re in luck – Green Spring Gardens Park is a stunning hidden gem in Northern Virginia. There are greenery and pretty blooms available year round, plus a historic house and a pond with a gazebo to give you a ton of variety to your session all within the same small park. You can read all about this favorite location here.

Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin

Perhaps one of the most underrated of the Washington, DC monuments, the Jefferson Memorial is a perfect spot for classic DC portraits without the crowds of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. Huge marble columns and staircases and a beautiful view of the Washington Monument over the Tidal Basin give this location that iconic DC feel, but at sunrise and even often at sunset there’s hardly another soul around. You can read our tips for photos at the Jefferson Memorial and the adjacent Tidal Basin here.

The National Mall

You can’t talk about portrait locations in the Washington, DC area and skip over the monuments of the National Mall. We love the vast marble surroundings of portraits in the back of the Lincoln Memorial, the hidden gem of the DC War Memorial that gives you marble columns without the DC crowds, the unique fountain setting of the WWII Memorial, and of course all with the Washington Monument hovering in the background. You can read our tips for your classic DC portrait session here.