Planning an engagement photography session in Louisville, Kentucky and looking for the most beautiful location for your images? I’ve got you covered! With so many places to choose from and wanting to make sure you pick the best possible one, it can be difficult to know which area you should go with for your engagement session. Here are 5 beautiful (and also my favorite) locations for your Louisville Kentucky engagement photography session! 🙂 

My 5 favorite and (in my opinion) beautiful locations for your engagement session in Kentucky:

These locations are ranked starting with my favorite and going from there! I’m a destination Kentucky wedding photographer local to Louisville, so I have plenty of experience shooting at all 5 of these and I do love all of them!

Beckley Creek Park:

If you’re a Louisville local, you probably know all about Beckley Creek Park and the Parklands! Beckley Creek is my favorite of the 5 Louisville engagement session locations as it provides a wide variety of scenery while all being within close proximity to one another! Want to take a romantic walk in the woods? Done! Do you envision your engagement photos to be down by a large river and ending the session with a big splash? Covered! Looking to grab your partner’s hand and run around an open wild with wild flowers (in the Spring and early Summer?) Beckley Creek has it all! 

The best part is, if all those scenery options are appealing to you, we can hit all through with me as your Louisville Kentucky engagement photographer!

Beckley Creek Park is also great if you’re looking to bring your puppy/fur-baby along with you for your session! I’m a big dog guy (I currently have two German Short Haired Pointers named Gretchen and Dixie) so I’m always done for you bringing your dog along! The park also provides tons of parking and restrooms.

View a full Beckley Creek Park Engagement Session Gallery by clicking here!

Falls of the Ohio State Park:

Though “technically” in Jefferson, Indiana, the Falls of the Ohio State Park is an amazing location that provides couples with a unique look for their engagement session location in Louisville! Located less than 5 minutes from Downtown Louisville, the falls has become my second favorite on my list of Louisville engagement session locations!

The Falls of the Ohio State Park starts off with trails that take you through a lush green wooded area. The trees provide ample shade where lighting is generally still a bit too harsh for those in the trees photos you may love! You can run around and give a piggyback ride in the large clearing, or escape down one of the many small trails that lead to the rocky river bank. 

Once the sun begins to set, you can follow the paths down to the bank for a killer view for your photos! Featuring large rocky shores, the Falls of the Ohio certainly offers a view that can only be found there. You can walk all along the bank for your photos. If it happens to be a bright and sunny day, sunsets here will blow you away. The orange and pink sky reflects off the water and sets perfectly behind the river, providing you with a stunning backdrop at golden hour. 

One awesome feature of the falls is that the water levels change with the seasons so it always offers a unique look. In the summer, the water is very high, causing the waves to dramatically crash against the rocks. In the colder months, the water level is much lower, allowing you to walk further down into the river bed. There is also a perfect view of Downtown Louisville behind you on the opposite side of where the sun sets!

View a full Falls of the Ohio Engagement Session Gallery by clicking here!

Bernheim Forest and Nature Preserve:

Just a short 30-ish minute drive from Louisville you’ll find Bernheim Forest and Nature Preserve! To me, Bernheim has scenery that looks like you’re in the Rockies, without actually being in the Rockies. Unlike most places in Louisville, Bernheim has more evergreen pine trees which gives it that unique look! 

Bernheim features many walking trails, lakes, large open fields, and beautiful tree groves for your Louisville engagement session! In the warm months, Bernheim is very, very green (sometimes a little too green if you think that is a thing!) Because of this, I often prefer going to Bernheim in the Fall and Winter months! Due to the surplus in pines, the landscape maintains green in the winter while the rest of the grassy meadows turn a golden brown hue. 

Bernheim often requires a $10 entrance fee (though this always seems to change) and also closes 1 hour before dusk. The closing time changes with the season as sunset also changes, but generally you can expect to have to be out by 1 hour before sunset.

View a full Bernheim Forest Engagement Session Gallery by clicking here!

Tioga Falls:

If you’re looking to add a little bit more adventure to your engagement photos, Tioga Falls is the perfect choice for your Louisville engagement session location! Located right outside of West Point, Kentucky, Tioga Falls is a little hidden gem right off of Dixie Highway. The trail is only .8 miles one way, featuring wooded trails with little bridges, an overlook with a pretty view, and of course the Tioga Falls at the end of the trail! This location is perfect if you wish to stay in Louisville but still want your engagement photos to have a unique feel and have beautiful scenery around you. 

One draw-back to this location for your Louisville engagement session is that this trail does require a little bit more preparation than the others. Though the trail is not very long, there are a few ascents up a rocky path, some creeks you may want to get into for your photos, and it can get a little hot on a humid, sunny day. 

Despite that potential draw-back, if you think you’re up for the challenge and you love the scenery, I say hell yea, let’s do it! Though it requires a little more work than the others, Tioga Falls is one of my favorite scenic areas for an engagement session here in Louisville, Kentucky!

Click here to learn more about the trail at Tioga Falls via. AllTrails!

Main-Street in Downtown Louisville:

If your palette is craving something a bit more edgy, there are many great locations along Main-street Downtown for your Louisville engagement session! With lots of alleys, the 3rd Street walking bridge near the YUM Center, and lots of tall parking garages with great views of the city scape, downtown has lots to offer you for an urban engagement session! 

Main-street downtown is usually a very safe area as it is a very commercial area with lots of restaurants and attractions nearby. I have shot in this area many, many times over the years and have never had one incident! 

For the best experience for your Downtown Louisville engagement session, I recommend choosing a weekday to avoid large crowds and have more parking available. With the LouCity soccer stadium and the Louisville Men’s Basket stadium nearby, downtown can get very busy on the weekends.

View a full Downtown Louisville Engagement Session Gallery by clicking here!

Still on the Hunt for Your Louisville Kentucky Engagement Photographer?

Since you’ve spent the time reading this, let me introduce myself! My name is Ethan and I am a destination wedding and elopement photographer based here in Louisville, Kentucky! Though I love to travel, Louisville is the place I call home and where my career in wedding photography began, so I have lots of experience here in the Bluegrass state! If you desire an engagement and wedding experience that actually feels 100% true to you with a focus on documenting the pure, raw, and wholehearted emotions during this season in your lives, I may be the guy for you!

As your Kentucky wedding and engagement photographer, authenticity and preserving our histories as humans is what is at the very core of Rooted Photo & Film Co. To learn more about my Louisville engagement and wedding photography experiences, click here! To get in touch and schedule a commitment-free discovery call to talk about bringing me on as your photographer and third-wheel, click here!

If your story takes us to a destination, I love to travel so let’s chat about that as well! 🙂