Location Spotlight: The Woods of Sehmel Park
Kopachuck State Park has always been my go-to for yummy mossy woods and ferns, but it is closing in June 2024 for a year-long facelift! Luckily, only 5-7 mins away, Sehmel park (pronounced ZAY-mul; I know this because my aunt dated one of the Sehmel brothers back when she was in high school, lol)) has us covered for families and seniors wanting the classic woods that scream "I Live in The Northwest!"
Pros: a fun adventure, stunning backgrounds, a boardwalk, moss, ferns, tall trees, not very crowded, even on weekends.
Cons: The biggest con is that is a walk, about 1/4 mile to the good stuff taking photos along the way. I do not recommend this location for toddlers. I have done it now three times and all three times it was a bit of a disaster. It is slow going, they insist on walking themselves, and once down, there is something abut a trail that just want to RUN. And is slightly downhill the whole way which makes them trip.
Another con: There are always some walkers to avoid, but it's easy enough to let them pass. Light can be harsh on sunny days, but as long as we can keep it at your back, like in these photos, the final product will be stunning.
Another con: If it is cloudy on your day and the tree cover is still leafy, unlike these top photos, which were taken in March before the trees leafed out, the photos will not look like the ones here (summer examples at bottom of this page). It is still good though! Just maybe not as yummy since not as much light will come through. Examples at bottom of this page. I have yet to do an Oct/Nov session here, but it could be excellent with the yellow maple leaves lining the path in late Oct/early Nov.
When it works: This route is perfect for either a 30 or 60 minute sessions. You park along the street. I'll send a map before your session. We will walk down to the boardwalk, about 10 minutes, snapping photos along the way and back) This session was on an April morning at 10:30am, so I would say it works best between 9:00-11am in the summer. It would probably also work well a couple hours before sunset (but I only offer 30 min sessions on weekdays only)
The following photos were taken in early March on a sunny day (clouds will look a bit different; keep scrolling down for examples of a cloudy day) and edited with my muted modern style (as always clients get to choose their edited style.)
The following photos were taken in late Aug to early Sept when the trees were still leafy. They also chose my modern style. It was also cloudy:
The following photos were taken on a cloudy early Sept morning and edited in my classic natural style: