Tips for Photo Sessions at Pease Park

Tips for Photo Sessions at Pease Park

Tips for Portrait Sessions at Pease Park | Austin Senior and Family Photographer

Whether it’s for a Family or Senior Portrait Session, one photo location I recommend year-round is Pease Park.
Located in Central Austin between along Lamar Blvd. from 15th St. to 31st St., their main entrance is at Kingsbury Commons (1100 Kingsbury St.)

map of pease park in central austin

This 84-acre district park in the heart of Austin has a mix of greenery and hardscapes to explore. It was also Austin’s first public park (it was established in 1875).
high school girl in front of the metal treehouse pod at pease park in central austin

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

  1. PARKING: There is a small parking lot at 1100 Kingsbury St with 18 spots. There is limited parking available on Parkway, south of Kingsbury, that is free during the week and pay-to-park on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Live Oak Meadow also has a small parking lot and street parking along Parkway, North of Kingsbury. More details HERE. I usually recommend parking near the Live Oak Meadow.
  2. OPERATING HOURS: The park is open from 5am-10pm daily.
  3. LOCATIONS: Main features include the Live Oak Meadow, the Tudor Cottage (with string lights across the courtyard), the metal Treehouse Observation Pod and Malin the Troll sculpture. Shoal Creek also runs through the park (water levels vary throughout the year).
  4. WARDROBE: We’ll be doing some walking from one of the park to another, so wear (or bring) comfortable shoes.
  5. SCHEDULE: Check their Events page before you book.
  6. FOOD / RESTROOMS: There are currently three food trucks on site – Tex-Mex, Coffee and Snowcones. There is also a restroom near the Treehouse. 
  7. NEARBY RESTAURANTS: If you’d like to go out for dinner after your photo session at Pease Park, some nearby favorites include: Galaxy Cafe (very kid-friendly), Jeffrey’s (upscale date night), Cipollina (Italian bistro).
  8. DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, this park is definitely dog-friendly.
  9. WHAT TO BRING: It’s optional, but some prop ideas are listed HERE for families and HERE for Seniors. 

    _______________________________________________________________________________________

    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

    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.

    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 Senior or Family Photo Session?

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    Hope Outdoor Gallery – Family Photo Session

    Hope Outdoor Gallery – Family Photo Session

    Tips for Photo Sessions at HOPE Outdoor Gallery | Austin Family Photographer

    Whether it’s for a Family or Senior Portrait Session, a new photo location in Austin is the re-opened HOPE Outdoor Gallery.
    Located near the Austin Airport, this 6,000 ft. gallery and event venue includes outdoor mural walls that you can leave your own mark on.
    If you’re a family that appreciates color, creativy and something unique, I recommend this space for your next photo session.
    family photo session at the HOPE outdoor gallery spray paint

    If you’d also like to have a Family or Senior photo session at HOPE Outdoor Gallery, here are my tips below:

    1. PARKING: There is plenty of free parking in their lot
    2. OPERATING HOURS: The gallery is open Wednesdays – Sundays from 10am- 6pm.
    3. LOCATIONS: This venue has two levels on an eight-acre community art park.
    4. WARDROBE: You’ll be in front of lots of bright, colorful walls. And if you have kids with spray paint in their hands, make sure you’re okay getting a little messy.
    5. SCHEDULE: Check their Events page before you book.
    6. FOOD / RESTROOMS: There’s a coffee bar inside the event space as well as restrooms. 
    7. DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, this park is definitely dog-friendly (this family even brought their cat as well)
    8. WHAT TO BRING: Spray paint to use on the outside concrete walls. They have an art supply shop is on-site if you need to stock up as well while you’re there.

      _______________________________________________________________________________________

      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 photo sessions on my blog.

      Client Advice and Feedback

       

      1. What prompted you to have this photo session? My husband surprised me with it as a birthday gift since we haven’t had family photos since our youngest was born. I love photos of my kids and do not enjoy getting photos taken of myself, but I love having these moments in time captured. 
      2. What do you plan to do with your digital photos? We will share them with family, print some to hang and then hopefully have a Christmas card this year! 
      3. How did you choose your location for your session? I wanted someplace artsy and vibrant so I was thinking of St. Elmo’s area with the murals, but Stephanie suggested the HOPE Outdoor Gallery which I had never heard of and it was PERFECT. I absolutely loved the vibrant, beautiful artwork and the opportunity for us to try out spray painting ourselves. It kept my kids very engaged. 
      4. What advice would you give to others planning a similar Family photo session? I think I always want to be in a better headspace about my body and where I am at personally for photos. I always want pictures of my kids but I struggle getting excited to be a part of the photos because of my own issues around self image. I think I would encourage others to try to push any of that aside because these moments are precious, and we deserve to have ourselves pictured along with the rest of our family in this chapter of time. 
      5. Anything else you’d like to add about working with Stephanie Friedman Photography? Stephanie was amazing at working with us and our special variety of chaos. She was flexible and quick to adjust based on everyone’s energy levels and quickly changing moods. She had beautiful vision but also checked in with us to see if there was something that spoke to us whether it be a pose or a background we liked. She kept things moving quickly which was what our crew needed. Her communication was incredible – from the initial set up plan through to when we received the photos. Highly impressed with her professionalism and extensive knowledge about the area and different suggestions for the best locations for our family. 

      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 Family Photo Session?

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      High School Senior Year Checklist – February

      High School Senior Year Checklist – February

      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?

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        Baseball Senior Pictures – Toomey Fields

        Baseball Senior Pictures – Toomey Fields

        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.
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        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?

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          Tips for Graduation Photo Sessions at the University of Texas

          Tips for Graduation Photo Sessions at the University of Texas

          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.

            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 College Senior Photo Session?

            More From This Category

            Senior + Family Photos – Waterloo Greenway Park

            Senior + Family Photos – Waterloo Greenway Park

            Austin Senior Portrait Session at Waterloo Park | Austin Senior & Family Photographer Planning your High School Senior Photos in Austin and need an outdoor stage? Or a backdrop that works well for headshots? Do you want some greenery as well as some interesting...

            read more

            High School Senior Year Checklist – January

            High School Senior Year Checklist – January

            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?

              More From This Category

              Senior + Family Photos – Waterloo Greenway Park

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              Austin Senior Portrait Session at Waterloo Park | Austin Senior & Family Photographer Planning your High School Senior Photos in Austin and need an outdoor stage? Or a backdrop that works well for headshots? Do you want some greenery as well as some interesting...

              read more