WOO! You're engaged! Or, you're about to be one day soon and you found yourself on this here blog post. Well, I'm glad you did. My goal in the next few minutes is to inform you on the best spots in Omaha, Nebraska to get your engagement pictures taken. These locations are all within city limits; besides one which is about 20 minutes outside the city. Each location is beautiful, free of charge, open year round, and perfect for pictures of you and your soulmate. Without further ado, my favorite locations in Omaha.
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is home to a variety of awesome areas that are perfect for an urban feel. The tall highrises and variety of colorful buildings look great as a back drop and I'm always finding new spots to incorporate into my shoots. My current favorite spots to shoot at are the Douglas County Courthouse where the gray concrete and beautiful architecture is a great backdrop for whatever you choose to wear. There are plenty of green trees and flowers in the front as well as sweet windows and structures that provide a variety of vibes. Another great spot in downtown Omaha is under the Durham museum near 10th and Leavenworth. Here you'll find cool beams and a parking garage that provides cream of the crop light leaks. Head to the top of the garage for a beautiful view of the city and across the street next to the Old Market lofts where you'll find beautiful space between the buildings for a unique look. Obviously, the Old Market is a beautiful spot as well if you want to stroll through a timeless part of town. Just about any time besides noon is perfect to shoot in downtown Omaha but my favorite time by far is shooting at golden hour - or the hour before the sun goes down.
Lewis and Clark Landing
This is a beautiful area east of downtown next to the Missouri River. I love taking couples here after shooting in downtown Omaha because it's so close and the view of the city during twilight is stunning. Some of my favorite pictures I've taken have been here while the sun goes down on the city. This place has a boardwalk feel to it and off in the distance you can see the magnificent Bob Kerrey bridge. Right near here under the 480 bridge is an area of broken concrete slabs that serve as a great backdrop for a different type of urban feel than you get anywhere else. In addition to the great backdrop of the city, river, and bridge, there are large expanses of grass next to cobble stone that give the images a modern and contemporary feel. This is great if you want to bring your dog on the shoot - which I highly recommend if you have a dog that you absolutely adore.
Memorial Park
I use this place frequently for all different types of shoots because it's an all around beautiful spot, especially when the leaves are still on the trees. There's a ton of beautiful trees, a rose garden, a gorgeous concrete embankment circling another small garden of flowers and a big, beautiful American flag to top it all off. There are so many great locations just within this park that I've discovered and I feel like I've only scratched the surface. I typically shoot at 1-3 locations for my engagement shoots and this place is great for a one-stop shop because of the variety you can find, and it's also great in addition to another park or downtown Omaha. You really can't go wrong shooting your engagement pictures at Memorial Park and if you'd like, I'll even bring my drone to get some awesome shots from above! My favorite!
Neale Woods
Neale Woods. Boy, do I have love for you. I shot my first engagement pictures here when I first picked up photography professionally. The place is well-known within the photography community for beautiful rolling hills and the far-away view downtown Omaha in the background. The best time to shoot here is at dusk as the sun settles in the West below a beautiful hill of grass. TBH, I can't get enough of this place and I'm always down to shoot here if my clients are okay with a 15 minute drive from town. In addition to the rolling hills there's a neat little tree-covered path that leads to an adjacent expanse of rolling hills and flowers for another great backdrop. I have only shot here in the summer and downside is this is a mosquito HAVEN so bring bug spray!! Or if I'm your photographer I'll bring enough for the three of us.🙂
Hitchcock Nature Center
If you're looking for expansive rolling hills and are okay with a 20 minute drive outside of town, Hitchcock Nature Center sure gives Neale Woods a run for its money! It's a small 10 minute hike to get to the really good area but once you're there, you will not be disappointed. When you first roll up, you're going to want to take the Badger Ridge trail to get to the area I'm talking about. You'll end up at the top of beautiful hill with miles and miles of beautiful rolling hills and grass for as far as your eyes can see. There are beautiful droopy trees lining the trail that are perfect to stop under for a quick little kiss and pic and if you keep going you'll come to a gorgeous little creek. I suggest bringing your favorite blanket and snuggling up in the grass for a pics with one of the best backdrops the Omaha area can provide.
Blackstone
Are you slightly hipster? Do you enjoy strolling through hipsterish parts of town? Do you love craft beers almost as much as you enjoy wearing flannel in the fall? If you answered yes or no to any of those questions then you may consider getting your engagement pictures taken in Blackstone! This area of town stretches from 37th to 41st streets between Leavenworth and Farnam and it is PACKED with beautiful backdrops, walls, storefronts, and more. Feel like grabbing a brew in your favorite bar on the street or a big yummy slice of pizza at Noli's pizzeria? Perfect! Me too. While we're at it I'll take some cute pics of you two for you to look back on for decades to come. No matter what kind of vibe or style you're going for I guarantee you there is an area in Blackstone to match it.
While this is by no means an exhaustive list of beautiful places in Omaha to take your engagement pictures, these are a few of my all time favorites. Nebraska can get a bad rap sometimes from people that don't know what they're talking about. Omaha has countless beautiful locations that are perfect for picture-taking. If you're still searching for a photographer then I would LOVE to show you around one of these spots and take some beautiful pics of you and your sweetheart. If you've got that base covered - no worries! Jot a few of these locations down and bring them to your photographer and pretend like you found them all by yourself and they'll know you're the real deal😉
Honorable Mentions:
OPPD Arboretum, Benson, Schramm Park, Pacific Meadows Park, Lake Zorinski, Elmwood Park, Hummel Park, Chalco Hills, Mahoney State Park, West Shores, Fontenelle Forest, Lewis & Clark Monument, Lookout Point, Lauritzen Gardens (small fee), Ackerhurst Barn, Lake Manawa.
