High School Senior Year Checklist – February

by admin | Feb 3, 2026 | photography, seniors

High School Senior Year To Do List | Austin, Texas

Happy Winter!

High School Seniors (and your Parents):

See below for your February 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.

february to do list for austin high school seniors

___________________________________________________________________________________

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

Ready to reach out to book your photo session?

Contact Me

← Previous Post Next Post →

More From This Category

Tips for a UT College Graduation Photo Session

May 5, 2026

University of Texas at Austin College Photo Session | Austin Senior Photographer When planning a University of Texas college graduation photo session, I tell my Seniors to pick their top three-four anchor locations on campus. Then we'll plan the flow of their session...

About Me Contact Me Photo Session Types Blog

Baseball Senior Pictures – Toomey Fields

by admin | Jan 25, 2026 | photography, seniors

Tips for a Baseball Senior Photo Session | Austin High School Senior Photographer

If you’re a High School baseball player and want to include your sport in your High School Senior Photo Session, I’ve got you covered.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here are my Top Five Tips:

1) WHEN TO BOOK: Book during your off-season (for this high school athlete, we met in early January before his baseball season had started). If you play multiple sports, pick your least busy time of year.

2) WHERE TO GO: Plan to meet at a Baseball Field (this Senior had access to Toomey Fields in South Austin) – but you could also ask about access at your school campus. We took shots in the dugout, on the bleachers and on the field. I also loved the views of the Austin skyline from this angle.

high school senior baseball photo session in south austin by stephanie friedman photography

3) WHAT TO BRING: Bring all your gear – we made use of his baseball hat, bat, ball and glove. His mom also brought his first uniform from his T-Ball days (from this very same field!) as well as a photo from that younger era (see gallery pics below). This Austin High Senior also brought his fishing gear. Then we got some fishing shots around Lady Bird Lake as well.

4) WHAT TO WEAR: Outfits – we took photos in his baseball uniform, cap & gown as well as in a more casual outift. Variety is the key to a well-rounded image gallery.

5) HOW TO POSE: I’ll give lots of instructions, but overall we’ll do a mix of action, posed and detail shots during your photo session.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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, then went on to study photojournalism in college at the University of Texas in Austin (Hook ‘Em Horns). After that, she worked as a photo researcher in educational publishing for over 20 years.

Besides 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 Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

← Previous Post Next Post →

Tips for Graduation Photo Sessions at the University of Texas

by admin | Jan 9, 2026 | photography, seniors

Planning your UT Photo Session | Austin Senior Photographer

When planning a University of Texas college graduation photo session, I tell my senior to pick their four anchor locations on campus. Then we’ll plan the flow of their session around these spots.

Outlining the route:

For this graduating Biology major, she picked the:

MLK Statue on the East Mall
Turtle Pond
UT Tower

as her must-haves.

university of texas college graduation senior photo session on campus by stephanie friedman photography

I suggested we fit in the Biology building exterior as well since it’s so close to the Turtle Pond. And since the Tower is now partially covered in scaffolding, we also made our way down to the Littlefield Fountain to get Tower views (but with less construction mess).

We also took advantage of the South Mall T-E-X-A-S letters left on campus from the Longhorn Lights Holiday display for some cap throwing as well.

If you’d also like to have a Graduating Senior photo session on the University of Texas at Austin campus, here are my recommendations below:

TIMING: Right before Spring Graduation, Campus gets pretty full of photo shoots. So try and plan earlier in the semester or choose off-times for your photos (or be okay with waiting for your turn in front of popular spots) – We met over winter break for her photo session and only saw three other seniors getting photographed at the same time.
PREP: Iron your regalia and bring it on a hanger.
WHAT TO WEAR: You can pose in your full cap and gown, part of your regalia, regular dressy clothes or any combination of the above.
LOCATIONS: If you have a particular spot on campus that means a lot to you (Ex. where you took the majority of your classes), let me know so we can include it in our route.
ROUTE: I’ll send you a list of popular spots before your date so you can give me your top 4 choices to visit in your hour-long session.
MINI ADD-ON: If your family will be in town, we can add-on a mini-family photo session.
CELEBRATE: If you want to end your session in the Littlefield Fountain – bring some champagne to “pop” as well as a towel for drying off and flip flops to wear for afterwards.
WALKING SHOES: Since we’ll likely be doing a lot of walking around campus, wear or bring comfortable shoes to change into between spots (I’ll have my blue rolling cart to help carry everything).
GROUP SESSIONS: If you’re interested in a group session with some friends, contact me for group pricing.
TOWER CONSTRUCTION: Keep an eye on the latest UT Tower construction updates.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Please check out some of my favorite images below and contact me if you’d like to book your own College 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 in college (Hook ‘Em Horns), then worked as a photo researcher in educational publishing for over 20 years.

Interested in Booking a College Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

← Previous Post Next Post →

High School Senior Year Checklist – January

by admin | Jan 4, 2026 | photography, seniors

High School Senior Year To Do List | Austin, Texas

Happy New Year!

High School Seniors (and your Parents):

See below for your January 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.

january checklist for austin high school seniors

___________________________________________________________________________________

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

Ready to reach out to book your photo session?

Contact Me

← Previous Post Next Post →

Tips for Photo Sessions at Bull Creek Park

by admin | Jan 2, 2026 | family, photography, seniors

Tips for Photo Sessions at Bull Creek Park | Austin Family + Senior Photographer

Whether it’s for a Family, Senior, Extended Family or Maternity Photo Session, one of my favorite park locations to recommend is Bull Creek District Park.

This 48-acre city park (with easy parking and restrooms) has a mix of limestone cliffs, flowing stream and hiking trails.

I like that it works in any season with lots of photogenic backdrops.

family couple photo session at bull creek in stream

If you’d also like to have a Family + Senior photo session at Bull Creek District Park, here are my recommendations below:

PARKING: Use the lot at 6701 Lakewood Dr.
LOCATIONS: From green trees and grass in the front park area to limestone cliffs along Bull Creek, you can get a variety of backgrounds in one small area. The water level (and strength of the Creek’s current) can vary throughout the year.
WARDROBE: If you’d like to get in the water for part of your photo session, bring a towel and water shoes to dry off afterwards. Or put your kids in rain boots.
SCHEDULE: This park is VERY popular with photographeres – so expect to see other photo sessions happening at the same time. For that reason, choose weeknights for smaller crowds.
WHERE TO EAT NEARBY: End your photo session with a meal at County Line on the Lake or Waterloo 360 just down the street
DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, this park is definitely dog-friendly
CAUTION: It hasn’t happened to me (*knocks on wood*) but there are car break-ins reported from their parking lot – make sure no valuables are visible and lock your car.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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

stephanie friedman headshot

Interested in Booking a Senior + Family Photo Session?

Contact Me

← Previous Post Next Post →

Lakewood Park in Leander – Family Photo Session

by admin | Dec 21, 2025 | family, photography

Sculpture Garden Trail | Austin Family Photography

Last year for their holiday photo session, I met up with this family at Mayfield Park.

mayfield park family photo session austin, texas

This year, we met up at Lakewood Park in Leander (the site of their family photos two years ago).

We made sure to revisit some of our favorite pieces of art on the hiking trail.

sculpture garden trail in leander texas family photo session by stephanie friedman photography

If you live in Austin and are also interested in having your Family Photo Session at the Sculpture Garden Trail at Lakewood Park in Leander, check out my tips below.

Tips for Family Photo Sessions at Lakewood Park:

This 125-acre park has lots of great spots to explore. I recommend parking near the kayak rental area for easy access to the Sculpture Garden Trail.
Make sure to also walk over to the dock to get some water views.
There are restrooms by the pavillion and the kayak rentals.
The Sculpture Garden Trail has calls for new artwork on occasion so keep an eye out for new rotating pieces.
Lakewood Park also has a skatepark, splash pad, playground, volleyball courts (and more) – so expect crowds on nice weekends.
If we’ll be exploring all over the park, bring a pair of comfortable shoes to wear for all the walking between different locations.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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