Highland Park is one of the North Shore suburbs I photograph in most often, and for good reason. It has a creative energy that sets it apart — a community shaped by decades of music, art, and architecture that shows up in everything from the Ravinia Festival grounds to the repurposed historic buildings of Fort Sheridan. As a Highland Park photographer, I get to work in locations that are dramatic, varied, and deeply specific to this town. No two sessions here look the same.
Senior Portraits in Highland Park
Highland Park High School seniors are some of my favorite clients. They tend to have strong opinions about how they want to be photographed — they want something personal, not generic — and I love collaborating on sessions that reflect who they actually are. Hair and makeup are included with every portrait session, so your senior shows up, gets taken care of, and steps into the shoot feeling confident and camera-ready.
Highland Park offers session locations that most North Shore towns simply cannot match. I often start at Rosewood Beach, a beautifully restored stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline with clean architectural pavilions, native plantings along the bluff path, and a sandy beach that catches golden hour light perfectly. The geometric lines of the pavilion structures add a modern, editorial edge that Highland Park seniors love.
From there, we might move to the Ravinia Festival grounds, where the landscaped gardens, mature trees, and winding pathways create a lush, almost park-like estate feel — even when the venue is between concert seasons. The grounds are expansive enough that we can find quiet pockets with gorgeous backdrops at every turn. For seniors who want something with more edge, the historic architecture of Fort Sheridan — with its Romanesque stone towers, arched brick facades, and wide parade grounds — offers a bold, textured look that you will not find anywhere else on the North Shore.
Weddings in Highland Park
Highland Park’s wedding venues reflect the town’s character: artistic, warm, and distinctive. Fort Sheridan is increasingly popular for couples who want a venue with architectural gravitas — the preserved officer’s quarters, the brick-paved streets, and the tower create a setting that feels storied and grand without being stuffy. The surrounding green spaces and lake views expand the options for ceremony backdrops and couple portraits.
The Ravinia Festival grounds and the adjacent area along the Green Bay Trail offer possibilities for intimate outdoor ceremonies and styled elopements surrounded by the lush gardens that have made Ravinia a landmark for over a century. For receptions and events, Highland Park’s downtown Port Clinton Square area puts couples within steps of restaurants and event spaces that carry the town’s warm, neighborhood-driven spirit.
I also frequently photograph weddings for Highland Park couples at venues throughout the North Shore — from the Armour House in nearby Lake Forest to private estates along Sheridan Road. Wherever your celebration takes place, I bring the same approach: learning the venue, knowing the light, and making sure your day is documented beautifully from start to finish.
Branding Photography in Highland Park
Highland Park’s business community is creative, independent, and community-oriented. Whether you run a boutique on Central Avenue, a wellness studio off Deerfield Road, or a consulting practice from a home office, your branding images should feel as intentional as the work you do. I build sessions around your brand: lifestyle portraits, environmental headshots, detail shots of your workspace or products, and social-ready content that gives you a library to draw from for months. Hair and makeup are included, always.
Favorite Session Spots in Highland Park
Rosewood Beach — Restored and reopened in 2013, Rosewood Beach is a standout on the North Shore. The angular wooden pavilions, native dune grasses, and clean sightlines to Lake Michigan give it a contemporary, designed feel that most lakefront spots lack. Sunset sessions here are extraordinary — the light sweeps across the sand and catches the architectural lines of the structures in warm amber tones.
Ravinia Festival Grounds — Even outside of concert season, Ravinia’s 36 acres of gardens, lawns, and tree-shaded pathways are one of the most photogenic locations in the suburbs. The mix of open meadow areas, intimate garden nooks, and mature specimen trees gives us variety within a single location. It feels private, established, and quintessentially Highland Park.
Fort Sheridan — This decommissioned military base, designed in the 1890s by the firm of Holabird and Roche, is now a residential community — but the historic architecture remains intact. The Romanesque Revival water tower, the symmetrical brick barracks, and the wide, tree-framed parade grounds offer a backdrop with real character and gravitas. It is one of the most unique portrait locations in the entire Chicago area.
Moraine Park — Tucked into Highland Park’s western neighborhoods, Moraine Park is a quieter, more wooded option. Its mix of open fields, dense tree cover, and gentle trails gives us a natural, relaxed setting for sessions where the goal is warmth and simplicity.
Book Your Highland Park Session
If you are a Highland Park High School senior getting ready for portraits, a couple planning a wedding at Fort Sheridan or anywhere on the North Shore, or a local business owner ready for branding images that actually represent your work — I would love to hear from you. Every session includes professional hair and makeup, a style consultation beforehand, and a carefully edited final gallery. Reach out and let’s start planning your Highland Park session. This town gives us so much to work with, and I can not wait to show you.