The College Town Next Door
Davis is 20 minutes west of Sacramento, just across the Yolo Causeway on Interstate 80. It is a small city with a big university at its center, and that combination gives it a character that is distinct from the Sacramento suburbs to the east. The downtown is compact and walkable, with independent shops, restaurants, and a few small hotels that feel more like a Northern California college town than a bedroom community.
I work with Davis clients regularly. I come to you, whether that is a hotel downtown, your home, or an outdoor spot. The logistics are simple.
Downtown Davis Hotels
Davis has a couple of boutique hotel properties downtown that work well for boudoir. The Aggie Inn on A Street is a smaller hotel with rooms that have warm interiors, decent window light, and a quiet atmosphere. The Palm Court Hotel on D Street is another option I have used, with slightly larger rooms and a courtyard setting.
These are not the big chain hotels you find along the freeway. They are smaller, older properties with some personality in the details, wood trim, textured walls, windows that let in filtered light through trees outside. That character shows up in the images and gives the photos a feel that is different from a generic hotel room.
For larger, more modern hotel rooms, the Hyatt Place UC Davis on the edge of campus is a newer property with clean interiors and big windows. It is more corporate in style but the light is predictable and the rooms are spacious.
The UC Davis Arboretum
The Arboretum at UC Davis runs along Putah Creek through the south side of campus. It is 100 acres of gardens, native plantings, and mature trees connected by paved paths along the waterway. For outdoor boudoir, the Arboretum offers variety within a short walk. Mediterranean climate gardens with dry grasses and succulents. Redwood groves with deep shade and vertical lines. Willow trees along the creek that drape over the water and create a canopy.
I shoot here in the early morning, before classes start and the paths fill up with students and joggers. At 6:30 or 7:00 AM on a weekday, the Arboretum is nearly empty. The light comes in low from the east through the tree canopy, and the creek reflects whatever sky conditions we have that day.
Privacy is manageable at the right hour. I know the sections of the Arboretum that are less trafficked and where the plantings provide natural screening. It is not as private as an indoor session, but it is workable, and the variety of backgrounds in a single location means we can get several different looks without moving more than a few hundred yards.
The Agricultural Landscape
Davis is surrounded by farmland. Drive five minutes in any direction outside the city limits and you hit open fields, irrigation channels, and rows of crops or orchards depending on the season. This flat, agricultural landscape might sound boring, but it produces remarkable light. The fields act as natural reflectors when the sun is low. The big sky gives you sunsets that stretch from horizon to horizon. In the spring, the mustard fields bloom bright yellow, and the almond orchards along County Road 99 are covered in white blossoms.
I have shot on farm roads outside Davis at golden hour, and the combination of open sky, warm light, and simple backgrounds lets the subject be the entire focus of the image. It is a stripped-down, honest look that works well for clients who want less production and more feeling.
Getting Booked
Whether you want to shoot in Davis or at another location nearby, the process starts with a conversation. Fill out the form on the contact page and I will respond within 24 hours to set up a consultation call. We will talk about what you want, what you are comfortable with, and what location makes the most sense.
Check the gallery for recent work across all my shooting locations. Session details and pricing are on the services and investment pages.