Violet Crown Trail Senior Photos | Austin Senior & Family Photographer

Tips for Senior & Family Photos on the Violet Crown Trail | South Austin

A birding senior, a grandparent’s inspiring photo wall, and a trail this family has walked for years — this is what a personal senior session looks like.

One of my favorite things about being an Austin senior photographer is that not every session looks the same. Some seniors want the downtown skyline. Some want wildflower fields. And some — like this Ann Richards School student — want the trail behind their neighborhood, the one their family has walked together since she was small. And it made a perfect backdrop to include her birding gear.

high school senior photo session holding up birding field guide pages

This student came prepared with binoculars, birding books and handmade field guide one-pagers for us to include.

For her setting, we walked along the Violet Crown Trail near the Wildflower Center. She even pointed out some birds in the trees as we went along.

If you’re a senior who loves the outdoors, birding, hiking, or just wants something more personal than a parking garage or popular landmark — this trail is worth considering.

This session was also a senior + family combo — her family joined us at the end for portraits together. And their coordinating bird-themed outfits? Perfect.

If you’re a senior who has a hobby, a passion, or a place that means something to you — bring it. The best senior sessions aren’t the ones with the most popular backdrops. The best senior sessions highlight you.

family photo session on violet crown trail

If you’d also like to have a photo session along the Violet Crown Trail, here are my tips below:

PARKING: There are multiple access points to different trailheads. We went to the one closest to the Wildflower Center (which has street parking on the eastern end of La Crosse Ave.)
OPERATING HOURS: Open from dawn to dusk. Portions of the trail may close after significant rain, so check their closures page for updates.
LOCATIONS: This part of the trail we were on had a canopy of trees, a small metal bridge and an accessible creekbed.
RESTROOMS: There are no nearby restrooms, so I brought my pop-up changing tent for outfit changes.
NEARBY RESTAURANTS: If you’d like to go out for dinner after your photo session, there are a lot of options along W. Slaughter Lane nearby such as: DeSano Pizzeria, Oasthouse Kitchen + Bar and Tacodeli.
DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes, you can bring your dog to a photo session on the trails.
WHAT TO BRING: It’s optional, but some prop ideas are listed HERE for Seniors. In the summer, pack bug spray and water.

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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 that feels like you. Explore more photo sessions on my blog.

Client Feedback and Advice

What prompted you to have this photo session? My grandparents had hallways in their homes that were sort of “walls of honor” where they’d display all of their children and grandchildren’s milestone pictures: senior pictures, graduations, weddings. Growing up, I’d look at all the pictures of my parents, aunts, and uncles, so it was a big deal when I made the respective walls my senior year. It was important to me to get really good pictures of my daughter’s senior year as part of that tradition.
What do you plan to do with your digital photos? Some of them will become part of graduation announcements and family holiday cards. Some will be printed for our daughter’s graduation party; some may end up on a slideshow at the party as well, and some may end up on our own wall of honor some day.
How did you choose your location for your session? We chose the trails behind our neighborhood because we’ve been walking there as a family since our children were young. We walked there to unwind on tough days. We walked there during the pandemic, and to see snow during Winter Storm Uri. We’ve run there together as our daughter trained for cross country and for a half marathon. We’ve seen literal seasons and seasons of life there, so it felt like the right place to celebrate our daughter’s senior year.
What advice would you give to other High School Seniors planning a similar photo session? If you have a location that is special to you, talk to the photographer about it. We were very happy having our session in a space we knew well and felt comfortable in. There are plenty of senior pictures by Austin landmarks and in wildflower fields, and they look great, but I think we’ll be happy in future years looking back on our more personal session. I also highly recommend taking the time to work out your outfits ahead of time. Our daughter didn’t want anything very formal, but there were some odds and ends that we were glad we worked out ahead of time, like a belt that matched her shoes.
5. Anything else you’d like to add about working with Stephanie Friedman Photography? Our daughter wasn’t enthused with the idea of portraits at first; she thought they were that they were over-the-top extravagances that wouldn’t suit more outdoors and casual style. But we had fun during our session with Stephanie. She worked with us on a comfortable location for our daughter and chatted with her amicably throughout. She also included props that mattered to our daughter, especially her bird books and birding binoculars.

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.

Besides 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.