Last month was the first time in my photography career I had ever shot in Lake Nona. Since I am currently located in Orlando, I rotate shoots through typical spots – Winter Park, Park Ave, Baldwin Park and Downtown Orlando. You can imagine that years of this cycle could get pretty uninspiring after a while. Well, it turned out that I had two different types of sessions in Lake Nona in just one day. And I can say I was pleasantly surprised with the location and awesome outcome of the images we were able to create! So, I’m going share three reasons for photographers (especially in Orlando) to get out of your comfort zone and check out this amazing place!

There’s scenery! Lake Nona has some crazy awesome architecture to play with!  As a photographer, I love using architecture to create an edgier vibe. So, for my session, we actually used the outside of a parking garage across from Chroma Modern Bar + Kitchen, which had lots of texture to add to our images

There’s variety! Across from Canvas, we were able to find a field as well. And, if you are an Orlandian, you might understand that there are not many fields on our side of town. I love that Lake Nona has this option because my clients love being able to get two different vibes in one portrait session (ex: urban + outdoorsy, or the downtown scene + woodzy vibe).

There are editing spaces! This is a cool one for me. I love to get through a shoot and find a local shop to sit and work afterwards. Of course, Orlando is filled with places like that, but I was surprised Lake Nona had a great variety of coffee shops and work spaces, too! After my session, I headed over to Canvas. It was quiet and cute, with lots of natural light – which is awesome for editing images! Plus, it had a great, healthy selection of food and drink.

I will be honest when I say I was very skeptical when asked to shoot in Lake Nona – it’s not the quickest drive for me. But after my experience, I will surely be coming back to Lake Nona for other sessions – portrait, engagements and even styled shoots!