Northeast Ohio Photo Locations

I will be relocating to the northeast Ohio area soon. Does anyone have tips on photographic locations there?

Well, I don't know too much about what type of images you are looking for, there are lots of armish towns on the northeast side of Ohio. But the upper part of Michigan is a great place to shoot, especialy durig the fall color time.

I live in Columbus and can't give you any great specific locations for general nature photography, but Cleveland's Metropark system is excellent and any of them should have great opportunities throughout the year as should the Cuyahoga Valley Recreation Area. I head up to the lake often for birding. The winter offers interesting opportunities to photograph a good variety of gulls along the lakefront from Conneaut all the way to Huron. For spring passerines, Headlands Beach near Mentor is probably the best spot in NE Ohio. In spring it's definitely worth heading to NW Ohio to the Ottawa NWR/Crane Creek area.

I've been shooting in the Cleveland area for a couple of years now. In the area: The Cleveland Metropark's North Chagrin reservation, especially Sanctuary Marsh, has been very good for birds for me; there's a blue heron there every year during the summer. If you don't mind shooting controlled animals, the Lake County metroparks has their wildlife rehabilitation center in Kirtland. The Cuyahoga Valley has many good spots; there is a Blue Heron rookery on Bath road, and the Beaver Pond is an excellent site for many different birds...and beavers, too, if you're lucky. For landscape oriented pictures, the Lake Erie shoreline has many opportunites. The Cuyahoga Valley is also very nice for lanscape shots. Brandywine Falls comes to mind in particular.

 

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I'd look for the 'watchable wildlife' book for Ohio. It lists a lot of good sites in the area. (I'm typing this off the top of my head, so I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of places.) As you can tell, I'm into bird photography; for that, I would also recommend the 'Birds of NE Ohio' pamphlet - available at the Cuyahoga Valley Recreation Area's book store. It lists a lot of good sites for birding, and nature in general.

If you don't mind coming west, Sheldon Marsh is a wonderful, quiet shooting spot for nature photography. There are lots of great locations along the Erie shore; a lot depends upon how far west you're willing to venture.

Thanks for the good information. My primary interest is landscape photography, both color and B&W. I'm looking for locations close to the Canton-Akron area for morning and evening shoots, but expect to take weekenders within a few hours radius.

After reading your second request all I have to say is go out, explore, and find your places. Ohio offers a lot of opportunities.

 

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Since no one else has menioned it, southeast Ohio is relatively pristine compared to the rest of the state. Hocking Co. is very celebrated and should be visited , but the Shawnee State Forest is really THE place in Ohio for both photo ops (and spring birding). It touts itself - and rightly so - as the "Little Smokies".

The whole state of Ohio is famous for two things: Halls of Fame, and Festivals. These aren't nature subjects, but they can provide interesting photo opportunities.

I'll second the vote for the Sanctuary Marsh and the Wildlife Rehab Center. The former, with the blue heron Mike mentioned is a perfect place to stake out at dawn or dusk, especially in the spring. The heron isn't the slightest bit shy.

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The rehab center makes for some very interesting posed shots -- not free of the "hand of man", but at least it's a helping hand. I've always found the staff to be very receptive to photographers. The Cuyahoga Valley that Mike refers to contains a series of parks called the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. There are truckloads of photo ops there. All one needs to do is explore.

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For Lake Erie shots, check out Huntington park in Bay Village and Edgewater park in Cleveland. The view of the downtown skyline from the west end of Edgewater is breathtaking.

I would recommend a place called Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, OH. There are several lakes, miles of park, interesting points of interest, hiking trails and I have always found lots of wildlife.

I know this is an old thread, but I just found this forum and thought I'd write. There are a great number of places in Northeast Ohio, Amish villages (but please show them respect and consideration. I know this should go without saying, but I live very near a large Amish Community and see some disturbing things as to the way they are treated--peole jumping out of a minivan with camera in front of a group of children, snapping a bunch of photos, and zipping off, for example, is too common.) Anyway, Ashtabula has many covered bridges, and there are a great number of parks, old barns, deer and other wildlife and of course the Lakeshore. I hope Mr. Atkins doesn't mind a link, but I have a homepage featuring NE Ohio. If you'd like to take a look, it's at: http://www.geocities.com/athens/delphi/7806/ohio.html And, please email me if you'd like any more info. (I am currently freelancing for a NE Ohio Travel & Tourism Board, a Chamber of Commerce, and a few businesses, so I get to travel around a bit.)

Oh, I just remembered a place that's a must in NE Ohio for anyone interested in landscape or nature photography, The Holden Arboretum. It's the largest in the U.S. and covers 3,100 acres. It's in Kirkland and is an incrediable place to photograph.