Fall Portraits in Cliff’s Valley

This was my first time doing a family photoshoot where I hadn’t been to the location beforehand. Normally, if I am shooting in a new place (like this one here), I go there once or twice beforehand and get a feel for the land, figure out where the sun will be during the shoot, and so on. I suppose that’s pretty standard practice. However, these fall portraits were a bit different as they were on this family’s property in the Cliff’s Valley of Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina. It was a first for me, and luckily Cliff’s Valley is an ideal location.

They were in town for just that weekend and were hoping to squeeze in a family portrait session while the leaves were still colorful. I happened to be shooting a Baptism, but was available Monday morning. Once I headed to the property though, I knew there were numerous locations to choose from on this gorgeous mountain view property.

We also got a bit lucky because it was an overcast morning. The first in many weeks, actually. So some spots that would have normally been too sunny worked out very well. It was also much colder than usual so we tried to work quickly!

So where is The Cliff’s Valley located where I took these family portraits?

The Cliff’s Valley is nestled in the blue ridge mountains. So close to the border, it actually lies in both North and South Carolina. It has breathtaking features for ideal photography:

• views of the blue ridge mountains
• an expansive golf course
• stunning water features
• winding roads
• beautiful stone
• iron gates
• and let’s not forget about that autumn foliage.

This was a lovely family and I’m grateful that we were able to squeeze in these fall portraits in Cliff’s Valley given the spontaneity of it all.