High School Senior Year Checklist – May

by admin | May 2, 2026 | photography, seniors

High School Senior Year To Do List | Austin, Texas

Happy Graduation!

High School Seniors (and your Parents):

See below for your May To Do List to keep on top of your college applications and a reminder to keep an eye on your School Calendar for events and traditions. And don’t forget to make time for fun as well.

may checklist for senior year students

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Please contact me if you’d like to book a Senior or Family portrait session in Austin, Texas this year.

Ready to reach out to book your photo session?

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Fun Things to do in Austin – May 2026

by admin | May 1, 2026 | photography

Pun-off, Celebrate Mom and School’s Out! | May Newsletter links

Happy May!

Ready for a fun mix of events, classes and places to visit in Austin, Texas in 2026?

Check out the links below for inspiration.

May END OF SCHOOL CELEBRATION

School’s out for the summer! (end of May dates vary) – why not go swim at Barton Springs, get an snow cone or ice cream cone and burn all your old school work in a fire pit (as long as we’re not on a burn ban 😉

Or maybe you want to throw a water balloon fight or go float in the river.

You could also hire an ice cream truck to come to your neighborhood for all your friends.

May EVENTS

Appreciate the wacky wordplay at the O. Henry Pun-Off (their 49th year!) on May 9th from 10am-6pm at Brush Square Park. To get in the mood, read some of these terrible puns.

Eat well at the Hot Luck Food Festival May 22nd-25th (at various locations).

Listen to a free outdoor concert starting May 22nd at the Long Center for their Drop-in Music Series.

Watch free Ballet under the Stars May 29th-30th at the Zilker Hillside Theater.

Attend Season 15 of the ATX TV Festival from May 28th-31st

May CLASSES

Learn what plants are most dog-friendly at the Wildflower Center on May 2nd.

Prepare a full Frontier Feast with this cooking class at Pioneer Farms on May 2nd.

Get Paid to Talk after you take this Intro to Voice Overs workshop on May 3rd.

Take a repair-to-re-wear workshop with CrafternoonATX on May 16th.

Feel prepared after attending an Emergency Preparedness Pop-up at the Library on May 20th.

May HOLIDAYS

Mother’s Day (May 10th): You could always get your mom the gift of photos (see photo session section below), take her out for brunch, watch Steel Magnolias at Waterloo Greenway, picnic at the Wildflower Center, or bring Mom to see some art at the Blanton.

Memorial Day (May 25th): Why not get out on the water to celebrate Memorial Day – you could kayak, take a cruise or go camping. Or you could eat and dance at the Austin Greek Festival.

May PHOTO SESSIONS

If you’d like to book Senior or Family Photos this Spring/Summer (perhaps as a Mother’s Day gift), reach out and let me know.

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stephanie friedman headshot

Stephanie Friedman first picked up a camera in high school, went on to study photojournalism in college (Hook ‘Em), then worked as a photo researcher in educational publishing for over 20 years.

During all that, she’s been photographing Families and Seniors for the last 10 years. You can count on her to be communicative and organized before your session. She’ll help you feel relaxed and confident during your session. And you’ll have a smile on your face after your session once you see your new photos.

Interested in Booking a Photo Session?

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Tips for a Senior Photo Session at Champion Park

by admin | Apr 24, 2026 | photography, seniors

What to expect at your Champion Park Photo Session | Austin Senior Photographer

This Vista Ridge High School Senior chose Champion Park as his photo session location.

Champion Park is located next to Brushy Creek Park in Cedar Park

champion park map

This park has access to the Brushy Creek Trail and crosses Brushy Creek. It also has fields of wildflowers in Spring.

brushy creek at champion park in cedar park high school senior photo session

For photo sessions at Champion Park, I like to walk both directions on the trail. Check out the Park Map below:

Champion Park map

If you’d also like to have a Senior photo session at Champion Park, here are my tips below:

PARKING: There is parking in front of the park. If it fills up, there are also spots in the neighborhood across the street.
OPERATING HOURS: The park is open daily from 7:30am-10:00pm.
LOCATIONS: Main features include the trails, the bridge over the creek and the wildflower fields.
WARDROBE: We’ll be doing some walking from one part of the park to another, so wear (or bring) comfortable shoes. Since you might be standing in tall grass, wear boots for one of your outfits.
RESTROOMS: There is a public restroom available.
NEARBY RESTAURANTS: If you’d like to go out for dinner after your photo session at Champion Park, some nearby options include: Moonshine, The League Kitchen & Tavern and Mama Betty’s Tex-Mex.
DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, this park is definitely dog-friendly.
WHAT TO BRING: It’s optional, but some prop ideas are listed HERE for Seniors.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Please check out some of my favorite images below and contact me if you’d like to book your own Senior Photo session in Austin, Texas. Explore more photo sessions on my blog.

stephanie friedman headshot

Stephanie Friedman first picked up a camera in high school, went on to study photojournalism at the University of Texas (Hook ‘Em), then worked as a photo researcher in educational publishing for over 20 years.

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

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Pease Park – Shared Senior Photo Session

by admin | Apr 23, 2026 | photography, seniors

What to expect at a Shared Senior Photo Session | Austin Senior Photographer

One of the three Senior Photo Session Packages I offer is the “Senior + Senior” one. Want five reasons to share a photo session with a friend or sibling? Check out this blog post first.

step-brothers sitting on steps at Pease Park for shared senior photo session

What is included in a Shared Senior Session?

This package can be shared by siblings, couples or best friends. You’ll decide on one location, date and time. Then you have 1 1/2 hours of time to share. It can be used by either High School or College Graduating Seniors.
Expect about 80% solo images and 20% shared images (though this ratio can vary depending on your preference). For these two, they had just had a Family Photo Session back in the fall, so it was more like 95% solo shots and 5% shared images).
Each Senior still gets up to three outfits and is encouraged to bring props that show their high school interests and college plans.

If you’d also like to have a Shared Senior photo session, here are my tips below:

SCHEDULE: Start early with planning which date and time will work best for both of you.
OUTFITS: Since you’ll be together in some of the images, plan on the same level of dressiness for those shared photos.
PACING: When one Senior is changing outfits, I’ll focus on solo shots of the other Senior (and vice versa).
WHAT TO BRING: It’s optional, but some prop ideas are listed HERE for Seniors.

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Please check out some of my favorite images below and contact me if you’d like to book your own Shared Senior + Senior photo session in Austin, Texas. Explore more photo sessions on my blog.

stephanie friedman headshot

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

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Tips for a Senior Photo Session in Downtown Round Rock

by admin | Apr 17, 2026 | photography, seniors

Downtown Round Rock High School Senior Photos | Austin Senior Photographer

For this Round Rock High School student, he wanted to find a good spot downtown that he could park his truck and also get a view of the water tower.

round rock high school senior photos truck

His mom suggested the Round Rock Library parking garage. That was a great spot to meet.

map of the round rock public library

We started on the roof of the Round Rock Library. Then we walked around Downtown, ending at a nearby park area.

If you’d also like to have a Senior photo session in Downtown Round Rock, here are my tips below:

PARKING: There are at least four free parking garages in Downtown Round Rock you can use.
OPERATING HOURS: If you’d like to access the Round Rock Library restroom to change outfits, they’re open Mon-Thur from 9am-9pm, Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm and Sun 1pm-5pm.
LOCATIONS: The Library Courtyard has some great backdrops. I also like some of the Main Street Storefronts. Keep your eye out for fun art pieces or interesting nooks and crannies in side streets as well.
SCHEDULE: Check for Downtown Events to avoid large crowds.
NEARBY RESTAURANTS: There are over 20 restaurants on and around Main Street you can visit after your photo session.
DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, you can have your dog dowtown on a leash.
WHAT TO BRING: It’s optional, but some prop ideas are listed HERE for Seniors.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Please check out some of my favorite images below and contact me if you’d like to book your own Senior Photo session in Austin, Texas. Explore more photo sessions on my blog.

Client Feedback and Advice

What prompted you to have this photo session? We wanted some lasting memories of Jack’s senior year and to commemorate his graduation with some special pics.
What do you plan to do with your digital photos? We’re going to make an awesome graduation announcement and, of course, share them with family and friends.
How did you choose your location for your session? We knew we wanted somewhere in Round Rock and had taken pics YEARS AGO in downtown, so I knew it would have some good spots. Also, it’s a little nostalgic for us.
What advice would you give to others planning a similar Senior photo session? Plan out your outfits and iron your clothes in advance! Also, just be aware that springtime weather in Texas is volatile…be flexible with your timing if you can.
Anything else you’d like to add about working with Stephanie Friedman Photography? Stephanie has been so easy to work with and incredibly responsive to emails and texts.

stephanie friedman headshot

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

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High School Senior Year To Do List | Austin, Texas

Happy Graduation!

High School Seniors (and your Parents):

See below for your May To Do List to keep on top of your college applications and a reminder to keep an eye on your School Calendar for events and traditions. And don’t forget to make time for fun as well.

Ready to reach out to book your photo session?

More From This Category

Pun-off, Celebrate Mom and School’s Out! | May Newsletter links

Sign up to get my newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Interested in Booking a Photo Session?

More From This Category

What to expect at your Champion Park Photo Session | Austin Senior Photographer

If you’d also like to have a Senior photo session at Champion Park, here are my tips below:

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

More From This Category

What to expect at a Shared Senior Photo Session | Austin Senior Photographer

What is included in a Shared Senior Session?

If you’d also like to have a Shared Senior photo session, here are my tips below:

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

More From This Category

Downtown Round Rock High School Senior Photos | Austin Senior Photographer

If you’d also like to have a Senior photo session in Downtown Round Rock, here are my tips below:

Client Feedback and Advice

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

More From This Category

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