Melbourne's best kept botanical garden.
Deep in the heart of the quaint, little harbor town of Melbourne, FL lies a verdant paradise that instantly feels like it's taken you to another part of the world the moment you step in.
Located on the campus of the Florida Institute of Technology, this garden is open to the public from sunrise to sunset all week long, and it's totally free as well. It is a little discreet, but you can easily enter the garden with the parking lot just off on the west side of Babcock.
The garden sits on 15 acres and has various trails that wind around through tons of tropical palms, native vegetation and small flowing creeks. Because of the dense greenery, you'll find this location provides a lot of shade which is great for even lighting.
I've included some images from one of my all time favorite sessions. The couple featured here are close friends, and this was for their maternity session with their first baby. Mom decided to go with a bold, reddish-orange gown. It was a great choice since that orange shade leans towards red, it naturally compliments the green in the surroundings.
There are plenty of sidewalks, but the real fun starts once you go off-road. My favorite place to position clients is out in the open grass where you can have some depth between your subject and the palms in the background. Also, check out those ginormous pothos trailing up the palms! They have had lots of time to grow in peace.
Speaking of peace, you'll find this isn't a super busy spot. Sometimes you come to pass by other visitors, but it's so few and far in between that you almost never have to worry about people being in your shots. If I could rate this location out of a 10, I would give it a 9. It's always so well kept and it's tucked away from the craziness that you come across in other popular spots. If you're looking to shoot in a location that feels like a jungle without the 12 hour international flight, this is your place.
Website: https://www.fit.edu/garden/