A backdrop can be very inspirational and make a photograph more intriguing. And photographs like your senior portrait shouldn't be any exception. As a Greensboro and Winston-Salem portrait photographer, I'm always scouting for new and exciting places that lend themselves to portrait photography. And these are my top picks for beautiful and inspiring senior photography locations.

Gardens, Murals, Pergola and Gates

1. Gateway Gardens
The Gateway Gardens is a beautiful public garden with lovely gems perfect for taking pictures. Because of the variety of structures, it's easy to find something that you'd like to photograph in front of. Plus, the park's not that large which means you don't have to walk too far from one structure to another to get great pics. Yay!

Here are some of the Garden's best features.

  • Giant Apples 
  • Butterfly Bench
  • Hydrophyllum Icon & Water Feature

2. Holiday Circle Mural
Located at 405 S Greene St, Greensboro, NC this mural on a large wall can be a very unique feature when taken from the right angles. It also adds scale to a picture and is an excellent minimalist backdrop. 

3. Traditional Cornerstone - Greensboro Downtown Greenway
A gorgeous pergola at the edge of Greensboro's Downtown Greenway this space is quite inviting and simplistic. This means that you can style the photograph in several ways to get the best outcome!

4. Millennium Gate (220 South Greene Street, Greensboro, NC)
Definitely the most iconic gate in Greensboro. This gate was sculpted by Jim Gallucci and a team of 17 artisans who created 106 icons representing the most significant inventions, ideas, people and events of the past millennium. 

Benches

Benches are probably the most simplistic backdrops ever invented. No matter how you look at them they just make posing so much easier and a lot comfier!

5. Five Points Bench - Greensboro Downtown Greenway
Located at 451 Freeman Mill Rd, Greensboro, NC the Five Points Bench has historical value. But the bench also lends itself to inspirational photoshoot if used at the right angle. Each bench has a different word carved into it, which in themselves are quite inspirational. You can use this feature to describe yourself.

6. Inside/Out Bench - Morehead Park
Who doesn't love a good bench? And the right bench makes it so much easier to take epic pictures. Now you don't have to worry too much about how you're positioning your body or if you're getting the right angles. Just sit on this picturesque seat and the rest is history.

7. News and Record Bench (200 East Market Street, Greensboro, NC)
If you love journalism the News and Record Bench is probably going to be an iconic place to take the perfect picture. Located just outside the News and Record building the seat offers the perfect rustic backdrop.