Newborn, Stroller and Mobility Accessible Portrait Photography Locations in Nanaimo
The Nanaimo photo location choices are endless for portrait sessions with your partner or family.
What can be challenging is finding the best locations if you have a new baby, or if you need to manage a stroller, wheelchair or other mobility concerns with your family members who are joining in for these special photos.
As a family, newborn and maternity and wedding photographer in Nanaimo, BC, I have had the opportunity to work with many families and in a lot of really unique and beautiful locations. I also work with a lot of big family groups who want to have a beautiful background for their photos, but also need to be conscious of hills, stairs and uneven surfaces for some members of the family.
These are a few of my recommendations for newborn, stroller friendly and mobility friendly family photo session locations around Nanaimo.
Nanaimo Newborn Photography Locations
When it comes to newborn sessions I feel like at home is your best choice for lifestyle, candid images. You simply need a cozy spot to sit together, some lovely window light, and a few feet for me to move around you and capture your snuggles and sweet baby with you and on their own.
The Loft Studio in Downtown Nanaimo is ideal for newborn, family and business portraits
In warm months, an outdoor session can be perfectly natural and beautiful. Pretty much any beach, park, viewpoint that doesn’t involve too much distance for a Mama who is still recovering. You just let me know if you want forest, field, beach, flowers or anything else that comes to mind and I can recommend some of my favourite quiet locations that are perfect for newborn photos in Nanaimo.
In winter months I have some great studio rental options in Nanaimo, Parksville and Victoria that can elevate your newborn family portrait experience in a staged space that looks fresh and ready for photos, so you don’t have to do any work to prepare for the session.
Some of the best Nanaimo photo locations for an outdoor newborn session are the ones that are not crowded or popular so the session is peaceful and stressfree and still includes some beautiful backdrops.
Places like the wildflower fields and rhododendron forest at Bowen Park, the Japanese Garden at VIU on a weekend, some of the lesser known beach access spots off Hammond Bay Rd and Stephenson Point, or the beautiful forest backdrops and easy walking trails around Linley Valley and Lost Lake Road. Anywhere that we can park easily, not walk far for you as a new mama,
One location you should also consider, is doing a welcome baby or Fresh 48 newborn photo session right at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. It may seem like a lot to do photos when you are in a gown, barely ready for visitors, but having documentary images of the first day or two of your new baby being in this world, those are images you will always cherish. These sessions are especially memorable if its the first time older sibilings are meeting their new baby brother or sister.
A fresh 48 session at NRGH with baby twins
Nanaimo Family Photo Locations that are Stroller Friendly or Wheelchair Accessible
One thing that is important for me when selecting locations with my clients, is understanding the family dynamics, ages and any special mobility or accessibility requirements for our photos. I also always keep safety in mind when it comes to choosing locations, especially when we have young children or active pets joining us.
Nanaimo, the Regional District of Nanaimo including Nanoose Bay and Parksville-Qualicum have been upgrading many of their parks for better trail conditions and accessibility in the past year. In some locations they even offer temporary wheelchair ramps onto the beach at certain locations such as Neck Point Park and Rathtrevor Provincial Park.
Here are a few of my top locations for easy access for all family members.
Neck Point Park is the number one Nanaimo Photo Location for most photo sessions.
It’s the first place people usually request and it suits most family dynamics. Neck Point Park offers some paved pathways (though does require a steep hill climb and descent), the main forest and beach trails are well travelled by hundreds of people daily and are generally in good condition for most walking abilities and is stroller friendly for most spots, though some lookouts have staircases.
Through the park you’ll find garry oak forest and fields, rustic fencing, several scenic rocky beaches, great maple trails for fall color, and perfect sunset viewpoints. There are so many different backdrops at this park.
As it is very popular, it can be difficult to park in the lot and you may need to park at the school lot on weekends or roadside before the park. There is a bus stop on Hammond Bay Rd just up from the park as well.
Westwood Lake Park
This iconic lake & trail circuit is one that almost everyone is familiar with, and you can access the start of the trail with a wheelchair or stroller from a very short distance from your car. The distant mountain and forest views across the lake make for a very beautiful BC traditional outdoor backdrop, and with a very short walk you can be in the older growth forest area with sunlight coming through to highlight all the greenery. This location is one of the best winter options as it is well travelled, has large evergreen trees for year round color, and is relatively sheltered from a little rain if we walk beneath the tree canopy.
Recent improvements to parking have made this location more accessible, though it is best for early morning or evenings in the summer months as parking is still a challenge on beachgoer days. This is an easy location at any time of the year and is accessible by transit.
Parksville Beach Community Park
Located just a short drive from Nanaimo, you’ll find an iconic boardwalk along the sandy beach that goes out for miles at low tide. You have many parking areas here with flat, paved access through the gardens and cherry blossom trees and out to the waterfront views, so your whole family can enjoy a beach day even if some of them are not able to step down into the sand.
A lovely gazebo helps create a shady and sheltered area for a different view at the end of the boardwalk, and you can enjoy the icecream trucks, dome-tent outdoor dining room at the Beach Club Resort, and giant playground after your family portraits. This is a perfect beach location as long as you don’t mind a bit of wind. It is on the colder side as there always seems to be a fair amount of wind across the wide open beachfront but it allows for beautiful views from morning through sunset.
Bowen Park
You can’t go wrong with family photos at Bowen Park in Nanaimo for family photos at any season of the year. It’s hard to sum up how many beautiful options there are for photos at Bowen Park from winter to summer.
The lush forest trails, paved paths, amphitheatre seating area and duck pond are easy to access from the Duck Pond Parking Lot. It’s a short walk to the waterfall and tree lined trails that are a mix of evergreens and perfect fall color maple trees. Further down the trail there are beautiful old growth rhododendron trees in the grove, and open wildflower fields along the river path. Most areas of the park are stroller friendly and many are accessible for mobility impaired.
Maffeo Sutton Park Boardwalk Downtown Nanaimo
If you want an iconic Nanaimo backdrop for your family portraits, Maffeo Sutton park is a great choice. You can do a fun photo with the new Nanaimo sign. The park is stunning in April and May when the tulips and cherry blossoms are in full bloom along the waterfront. The full park trail system and waterfront path are all paved for accessibility and we can go for a walk and find many great water viewpoints, garden backdrops and even include seaplanes and marina views.
The only issue with this park is it’s popularity, it can be very difficult to get parking on many days, especially food truck Fridays, and it can be challenging to do photos without people in your background.
But it is a great option if you have out of town family who want a memorable set of Nanaimo theme vacation photos as we can use the colorful sign, and catch the white Bastion building in the background for other photos. If you are looking for business headshots, this is also a great option to have some recognizable Nanaimo views for your business website.
These are just a handful of locations that I work with on a regular basis that are ideal for your family with a stroller, newborns or mobility challenges. It means a lot to me to work with your family and help plan a personal and memorable photo session for you.
Honorable mentions that are easily walkable but not my favourite spots for either lack of accessible backdrops, too may people, or difficulties with parking
Departure Bay Beach - so hard to get parking, not a lot of great backgrounds
Pipers Lagoon - great views but most of the spots require uneven terrain and climbing over rocks and logs
Woodstream Park - cute and easy, small location for shorter portrait sessions
Colliery Dam - great location for photos, but the off leash dogs area and the long distance to the waterfall down the stairs make it not the best option with strollers and toddlers
Old City Quarter - i love the urban backdrops here and all the snacks available. Great location, but can be hard to park within a couple of blocks and I prefer this one with just newborns and adults as it is a busy commercial area
Lost Lake Park - the parking lot is small and gravel and there are a couple small hills but overall this trail is stroller friendly if you stick to the right hand side. You just aren’t able to do the full loop due to the stairs at the first lookout if you go to the left side of the trail.
Check out more Downtown Nanaimo businesses and information here for your next visit to town and invite me along to spend some time and capture some family vacation photos for you!
If you have a specific location that you would love to use for your next photo session with me, please reach out and let’s discuss your ideas and book you in for your next family photo session in Nanaimo, Parksville or anywhere on Vancouver Island
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