Location Spotlight: Donkey Creek Park/ Austin Park

Location Spotlight: Donkey Creek Park 

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Want to get up and close and personal with Gig Harbor? Then taking your family photos or senior portraits here is a great option! This location works best for 30 minute sessions, or as an add on to a 60 minute session at the Russell Foundation, Ancich Park, or Skansie Park.

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Pros: This small park has a variety of super cool backgrounds including lush green forest, a cool historical building, a small beach, and a rustic log for sitting. It is great in any season, but I love summer and fall because it has tall wildflowers called dara (Queen Anne's Lace), which look like something from a Dr Suess book, both when they are alive and dead. There is even fall color making it the perfect location for fall photos with an evergreen forest background, a Gig Harbor water background, a beach, tall grass and dying foliage AND an rea on the side with gorgeous fall color (see the end of this page for examples of that)

For those less abled, it's a great location since it is near parking, and its easy and wheelchair accessible.  There is an option to park closer, right across the street from The Beach Basket, for an easier walk to the beach.

Cons:  When the tide is super low, the beach is mucky and yucky, but we can shoot at the top of the beach where it's "clean." It is also suuuuuper bright on sunny days and we have to be super careful about flattering angles to have the sun at your back. It works for sessions between 9-10:30am. 

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This Park REALLY shines Sept-late October! It has the best fall color in Gig Harbor, and golden grass

Here is a shot with my classic edit vs my modern edit

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Here are two full galleries from a 30 minute fall session:
Classic Edit

Modern Edit

September examples:

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Late July (below):   

This is part of Donkey Creek, which joins Austin Park. Let me know if you want to use it, and I can save time to walk there.   DSC_6127-5 DSC_6241

Below is a mixture of photos taken on different days in the day. Some are edited in my classic style and some are in my modern style   DSC_6317

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Here is is in the spring on a sunny day, which can be tricky after 10am!

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And a sunny spring/summer day in with my modern edited style:

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