Today, I will be breaking down one of my favorite locations in the Cleveland, Ohio area: the Italian Cultural Garden. This location is adaptive to most any type of session, due to the great varieties of backgrounds, colors, and textures all within a short walking distance!

Where exactly is the Garden located?

The Italian Cultural Garden is part of a larger group of gardens that run along Martin Luther King Boulevard between East 105th and I-90. Most every culture or country is represented here, with more being added as the years pass. The Italian Garden is about 2/3 of the way down MLK, located on your right if you are traveling north towards I-90. I always prefer to turn right onto Parkgate Avenue (from MLK) and park across from the Montessori school.

What is the best time of day for a session at this location?

As with most outdoor sessions, either around sunrise or sunset is going to be the best time. This will ensure that the sun is not too high in the sky (to cause harsh brightness and shadow) and there aren't too many people around to clutter up the background.

My most recent session at the Italian Garden occurred from 6:30pm - 7:15pm in late April. As you can see in the photo below, the sun had partially dipped behind the treeline, providing a beautiful glow behind Jane.

Girl with cello in front of the fountain at the Italian Cultural Garden in Cleveland, Ohio

And the water droplets from the fountain? Swoon!

What are the main spots to shoot at this location?

I would say that there are four main spots at the Italian Cultural Garden: the fountain, the overlook, the stairs, and the lower level. Within these four spots, there are so many possibilities to be created!