Family photos center around the relationships and the personality, but we all know the location has an influence of its own. So, here are the most beautiful Boston photoshoot locations for family photos — compiled by a photographer with a love for laid back elegance.

Outdoor Family Photoshoot Locations Near Boston

Walpole Adams Farm

Walpole, Massachusetts

A permit is needed to access this stunning New England location with a red barn and all, but the variety in the landscape (fields, foliage, pond, barn) makes it well worth it. You’ll find 700 acres to explore — you could come here every year and never take two photos that are the same.

Houghton’s Pond

Milton, Massachusetts

Just south of Boston in Milton, this pond is much easier to navigate with only 24 acres. There’s even a swimming area for those warmer summer days when it might make sense to end your photoshoot with your shoes off, wading through the shallow water.

Bird Park

East Walpole, Massachusetts

89 acres and “artisan-built” bridges, this Boston photo spot is lush in spring and breathtaking in the fall. A permit is required too, but you just need to get in touch with greaterboston@thetrustees.org to start the process. There is so much to explore, providing for an easygoing family photoshoot as you meander through the park.

Wolcott & Border Path

For a wooded feel, ideal on hot summer days or laid back fall sessions, head to this hiking trail in the Blue Hills Reservation (permit required).

Boston Photoshoot Locations With a City Feel

Beacon Hill

One of the most picturesque neighborhoods in Boston, I for one am enamored by the lanterns and the Victorian row houses with their cozy brick facades. For a Boston photoshoot, you can’t go wrong with a stroll through this area.

Boston Public Garden

Even more picture perfect is the Boston Public Garden, established in 1837 and filled with colorful plants, tulips in the spring and ice skating in the fall. Taking family photos here is certainly about more than visiting a garden, you can easily pair your family photoshoot with an activity everyone can look forward to — my recommendation to make sure the full day is enjoyable. 

Seaport

I recently took senior photos here and loved the modern, classic results. With vast views of skyrise buildings, and at the embrace of the Boston Main Channel, it’s a gorgeous location.

Fan Pier Park

Technically a part of Seaport, Fan Pier Park is a corner just off the water with a park feel — green space, cobblestone boardwalk on the water’s edge, benches and incredible views. Although it’s in the heart of the city, it feels more quaint and welcoming.

Best Boston Area Beaches For Family Photos

Duxbury Beach

Duxbury, Massachusetts

New England’s best kept secret according to Vogue, this historic area has everything you need for a family photoshoot at the beach, complete with a boardwalk, miles of sandy seaside and that quintessential marshland to add contrast and depth to your photos. Plus, you can top off the day with a short walk to Blakeman’s for fresh lobster rolls.

Rexhame Beach

Marshfield, Massachusetts

A dog-friendly beach (yes, many families choose to bring their pets to family photos!), this area is a little rockier. However, that lends itself to family photos at the beach that feel more timeless.

Nantasket Beach

Hull, Massachusetts

An area I’m quite fond of, having grown up nearby, Nantasket Beach can get quite busy in the summer with its concerts and convenient location in the greater Boston area. It has a large concrete wall with stairs leading down to the beach. There, you’ll walk onto a wide spread of sand with large rocks and tide pools. There are parking fees from May 14 to Labor Day, but if you take your photos in late fall to prepare for the holidays, you won’t have to worry about that.

What’s your favorite Boston photography location?

I’m curious — which is your favorite Boston photoshoot location for family photos? Do you lean towards a Boston photo spot with the city at your fingertips, or somewhere more secluded like the suggested farms or public beaches?

As a Boston portrait photographer, I’m drawn to the seclusion of the beaches and fields, but I always tailor my family photoshoots to the individuals I’m working with.

Don’t forget to take a look at more of my Boston family photography, and to follow along on Instagram.