Nashville’s Best Portrait Locations

by Meredith

kids, library, Nashville TN, parks, pets, weddings

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy thru these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.


I took this portrait of my daughter in her grandmother’s garden.

We had such a great time at our do-it-yourself photo shoot that I brainstormed a few more portrait-quality spots in the Nashville area.

Nashville has many gorgeous locations for photographing wedding or children’s portraits — many at no cost to you!

Digital cameras have made do-it-yourself photo shoots both easy and inexpensive.

You can take 500 photos and only develop the very best shots.

These are some of Nashville’s very best backdrops…

For A Sense of Local History…

I like backdrops with natural stone or old concrete benches. Many of Middle Tennessee’s historic homes charge admission for tours, but not to their grounds! Perhaps you can discreetly use the exteriors and outbuildings of:

For A Natural Outdoor Setting…

I never walk through the Ellington Agricultural Center on a weekend without seeing at least one professional photographer snapping away.

This free estate houses Tennessee’s agriculture and wildlife departments.

You get the benefit of several different settings, all without leaving the Ellington grounds. Popular photo spots include:

  • in the Iris Garden gazebo
  • in the demonstration gardens around the museum
  • against the white-washed horse fences
  • near the woodsy log cabins

UPDATE FROM THE ELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL CENTER:  

Due to problems with artifacts being broken and historic sites being disturbed we no longer allow commercial photography.

For A Park Setting…

portrait-photography-nashville.jpg

We’re lucky to have so many beautiful parks in Nashville. A few of my favorite backdrops in parks are:

For A Local Landmark…

If you’ve found a great portrait location in the Nashville area, let us know in the comments!

Getting married in Nashville, Tennessee?

Don’t miss our page FULL of local Nashville wedding information, including firsthand reviews of historic homes for rent, reception sites in downtown Nashville, the best–and cheapest florists, and much, much more!