The Best Places to Take Senior Photos in Northern Arizona

Northern Arizona might be the best place in the state to shoot senior photos. You can go from granite to red rock to pine forest in under an hour, which means a senior session here can look like nothing else. Here’s where I take seniors, sorted by the look you’re after.

Prescott: granite, water, and old downtown

• Watson Lake and the Granite Dells. The stacked granite boulders along the water are the most striking backdrop in the area. Early morning the lake goes still and the rock turns warm.
• Courthouse Plaza and Whiskey Row. Classic small-town Arizona for a senior who wants character instead of a field.
• Thumb Butte and the pines just west of town for a softer, golden-hour feel.

Prescott Valley and Chino Valley: high desert and ranch country

• Fain Park for shade, water, and a little history in the frame.
• Glassford Hill and the open high desert for big sky and distance, great for a senior who wants room to breathe in the shot.
• Ranch and grassland out toward Chino Valley for anyone who wants a Western feel.

Sedona: red rock

For a senior who wants real scale, the red rocks are hard to beat. Most book this when they want one show-stopping location. I shoot it the same way I do red rock weddings, timed around the light and the crowds.

Flagstaff: pines, aspens, and NAU

• Aspen Corner and the pines for high-country green, or gold in October.
• NAU campus for the college seniors, Old Main and around the quad.
• Historic downtown and Route 66 for brick, neon, and character.

How to pick

If you book the two-location senior session at $700, pair two of these, say downtown Prescott and the granite at the Dells, for two completely different looks in one shoot. If you’re doing one location, pick the one that feels most like the senior.

Tell me the senior’s school and the look you’re picturing and I’ll help you choose. You can also see the senior portrait page for your town, or what it costs.

See senior pricing