Best places to take photos in the Denver Metro area
Colorado is home to some of the best views the United States has to offer, so it’s no wonder why photographers flock here. As a photographer based in the Denver metropolitan area, here are some of my favorite places to take photos on the East side of the Rocky mountains.
Downtown Denver
Okay, this is an obvious answer, but this list wouldn’t be complete without it. The construction on 16th street mall, which has been renamed to simply 16th street, has ended, and it (somewhat) paid off. Some of the best places to shoot on 16th is in front of Union Station, in the D&F clock tower (I actually got engaged here! Incredibly gorgeous interiors and the staff was very nice and accommodating,) and the street itself. 16th is a great place to successfully capture the feeling of a busy downtown without feeling claustrophobic. While a seriously unfortunate side effect of the construction was that more business’s had to close, as 16th became less accessible, it does mean that there’s now more room for photographers and their subjects. Hopefully it won’t be like this forever, though.
Aside from 16th street, a few of my other favorite locations in Downtown Denver is Larimer Square (especially the secluded courtyard,) Platte street in LoHi, the Auraria Campus (my personal favorite areas are the Tivoli building and the historic 9th street park,) and Civic Center near the art museums. All these areas are a great place to shoot if you’re looking for a grungy yet spontaneous feel.
Bear Creek Park
In all honesty, I’ve been gatekeeping Bear Creek Park near Lakewood (about 20 minutes outside of Denver,) as a photography location. It’s a fairly small park, but don’t let that fool you! It offers a variety of secluded wooded areas, ponds, and vintage-looking structures such as bridges. It’s pretty accessible, as it has two separate parking lots, one on West Kenyon Avenue and South Raleigh St. This is one of the best places to do outdoor photography sessions on this list, especially for families and couples, as it’s near Denver, can be used for multiple purposes since it offers you (or your photographer) a simplistic background letting the subject take focus, and is very family friendly. However, it’s a common place for families and friends to spend time together, so it can become pretty crowded without notice (but that’s what the other parking lot is for!)
Central City
This is one of the furthest out from the Denver metropolitan area (about an hour long drive) on this list but it’s so worth it! Central City is a great place to shoot for vintage-inspired photos as many buildings were built before the 1960s, or at least heavily inspired by vintage architecture, making them virtually indistinguishable from each other. Central City is clearly very proud of its roots in mining as it was once known as The Richest Square Mile on Earth, and hosts a multitude of antique stores, the Central City Opera House, the Gilpin History Museum, Belvidere Theater, and, somewhat infamously, tons of casinos.
And when I say tons of Casinos, let me be clear, when I took photos here there were literally no restaurants that I could find that weren’t in a casino. It was fine then, because both me and my model, Aislin Stewart, were above the age of 21 at the time, but I wouldn’t recommend Central City for taking photos of people below the age of 21.
Some of my favorite places to take photos in Central City is outside the Belvidere Theater (when I visited in February 2025 the inside was still under reconstruction,) the stairways next to the Teller House and along main street.
Belmar Heritage Park
Anyone that lives near Lakewood or Littleton probably knows about Belmar’s shopping district, but did you know about the heritage park across South Wadsworth? This park has very diverse features, making it one of the most unique places I’ve ever personally photographed. Of course, it has the things you would expect, like large fields, water ways, and an amphitheater, but the absolute highlight is the historic buildings (can you tell I love all things vintage??)
Belmar Heritage Park has 15 historic structures (from the 1920s - 1960s) that were moved from various places around Denver to the park. This makes it a great place for taking vintage inspired photos, much like Central City, but can also be great for eerie, mysterious, or liminal photoshoots. One photo I took of the Peerless Gas Station, which I called Nightmare Fuel, landed itself in a gallery and is easily one of my most popular photographs I’ve ever taken. Many buildings also open during events, however, you can only go in certain areas.
Nederland
If you’re looking for a mountain town to shoot in, Nederland is a great choice. It ties for the longest drive from Denver (about an hour away,) but it has everything you’d want in a mountain town; tons of trees, old machinery, water ways, wooden buildings, and of course, mountains! Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised by was how easy it was to drive up and find a spot to park, which is not something I can say for most mountain towns. However, because of the lack of the large, open areas I would say Nederland is best suited for landscape and nature photography, rather than couple or family photo sessions. I really loved how my color film photography popped here, and when I visited it in mid-April it was perfectly overcast.
Colorado Renaissance Festival
Did you know that the Colorado Renaissance Festival has an annual photo contest? It doesn’t seem like there’s much of a prize other than being featured on their website but regardless, it can be a fun challenge and good inspiration. Unlike the other places on this list, it does cost money to take photos here, about $30/person, however, this is simply the cost of a ticket and there isn’t an additional fee for taking photos. Another downside is that it’s only open in the summer, as it’s a seasonal event, but don’t let that scare you. In my experience, they’re very photographer friendly and the people at the gate didn’t have a problem with my camera bag. It was a really good opportunity to get super dynamic photos of fantastical things like fire breathers, unicorns, King Henry and Queen Anne, knights in shining armor, and a variety of other things. But if you’re taking photos here, dress up! Personally, when I’m taking photos at the Renaissance Festival seeing someone wearing a t-shirt and jeans just ruin my pictures, so don’t be that guy!
