County Farm Park

This park is the perfect place for a spring, summer or fall session. My favorite is late summer, because their community gardens are in bloom and it makes for a great backdrop. This park has wooden fences, a wooden pergola, nature trails, and gardens. In the spring they have a large daffodil garden. I used to live next to this park and it is one of my absolute favorite locations for a session. Bonus are the easy parking (free lot on site) and bathrooms.

Law Quad

The Law Quad is my go to in late fall and winter because the architecture is so beautiful. In fact, all of the photos below except for about 5 were taken in November and December! The Law Quad is great in any season though, and is a great location formal or casual. It’s within walking distance to other beautiful campus buildings as well as the Nickels Arcade and downtown State Street for more urban looking photos. Many start at the Law Quad with a more formal outfit and then change into a casual one for downtown A2 photos. Parking is a little trickier with street parking only and there are bathrooms a block or so away at the U of M Student Union. The one downside to the Law Quad is that every one knows about it and it can be very busy in all seasons except winter, as families, seniors and weddings also like to come here for photos.

Nichols Arboretum

This is a fave of so many for obvious reasons! My favorite time to shoot here is when the peony garden is in bloom from Memorial Day weekend to mid-June. It is very crowded, so one hour before sunset is the best time to go so you don’t have tons of people in the background of your photos. On Sundays, you can park in one of the U of M lots for free, but otherwise it’s pretty difficult to park at the peony garden entrance (there are only 3 parking meters out front on the street). I think there may be bathrooms but not sure! It’s pretty in fall too, but in summer the mosquitoes are really bad so I tend to avoid the area down by the river when they are out.

Nickels Arcade

This is a perfect spot for urban photos! It’s also covered and blocks the wind, so good if the weather isn’t so great on the day of your shoot. There are always people walking through so it can get busy. Parking is street only and can be a challenge to find a spot. Expect to walk a lot. Bathrooms available at the student union down the street a few blocks.

U of M Campus Buildings

There are so many beautiful buildings on campus, literally everywhere you turn can yield a good photo if the light is right. Parking is a challenge, but it can be fun to just walk around and take photos when you see something cool. Bonus to shooting on campus is that there are no fees because because it’s a public university. Bathrooms at the student union on State Street, but other buildings are pretty restricted.

Ann Arbor City Parks

There are so many great parks in the city of Ann Arbor. I mentioned County Farm Park above (because it deserved it’s own section), but other parks I love in Ann Arbor are Barton Nature Reserve and Island Park. They are both a ways from downtown, so only choose these spots if all you want are casual nature photos. Parking on site. Bathrooms available at Island Park, not sure about Barton.