If you’ve been scrolling my page trying to figure out where to do your senior photos, let’s just cut to it: a great answer is almost always Morven Park.
I’ve shot more senior sessions at Morven than I can count at this point, and every single time I still find a new corner of it I love. It’s a little bit historic mansion, a little bit sprawling countryside, and a little bit secret garden which basically means it can give you every look you want without ever leaving the property.
Here’s why I keep bringing my seniors back here, and what I’ve learned about getting the most out of a session on those grounds.
That mansion porch is an instant classic
The front portico at the mansion with the big white columns, the dark green shutters, and that black-and-white checkerboard floor is one of those backdrops that just works. It’s clean, it’s classic, and it photographs like something out of a magazine without you having to do anything except show up and stand there.
This is usually where I start a session. The light on that porch in the early evening is soft and even, which means we get a few minutes of genuinely effortless photos before we’ve even walked anywhere else. If you want one photo that looks timeless – the kind you’ll still love in twenty years – this is where we get it. During this session, Ella was obsessed with the porch images!
The gardens do all the work for you
Near the mansion, Morven’s boxwood gardens are where things get fun. Those brick steps tucked between the hedges are one of my favorite hidden spots on the property and most people walk right by them. However, they make for the kind of candid, walking-and-laughing shots that end up being everyone’s favorite from the whole session.
This is also where I like to bring in a little personality school gear, a favorite color, whatever makes the photos feel like you and not just a pretty location. A Virginia Tech tee against all that green? That’s the kind of detail that’ll matter way more to you in ten years than it seems like it will right now.
And if you’ve got a dog, bring the dog
Morven’s open fields are where I send anyone who wants something a little more relaxed, a little more golden-hour, a little less “posed portrait” and a little more “this is genuinely who I am.” Wildflowers, tall grass, that soft late-day light… and if you’ve got a dog who’s basically your best friend, this is where they come too. This is one of my all-time favorite senior sessions which ended with a golden retriever flopped in the field of daisies.
Why I love shooting seniors here specifically
I get asked a lot why I keep coming back to the same park for session after session, so here’s the honest answer: variety. In one afternoon at Morven Park, we can get the classic architectural portrait, the candid garden walk, and the dreamy wildflower or grass field – three completely different vibes, zero driving between locations. For a senior session, that means you walk away with a gallery that doesn’t look like it was all shot in fifteen minutes in the same spot. It looks like a whole story. And I didn’t even mention the barn and dirt road!
And because I’ve shot here so many times, I know exactly where the light is best at any given hour, which corners get crowded on a Saturday, and which little pockets most photographers walk right past. That’s the kind of thing you only pick up after a lot of sessions in the same place – the difference between “nice photos” and photos that actually feel like you and will last forever.
If you’re a senior (or a senior’s very stressed-out parent) trying to figure out where to shoot, I’d love to talk it through with you. Morven Park is always high on my list, but I’ll help you figure out the right spot, the right time of day, and the right amount of golden retriever (or insert your furry friend here) for your session.
Want to book a senior session at Morven Park or talk through location ideas? Reach out – I’d love to hear about your senior year and figure out the perfect shoot for you.
