seniors - Stephanie Friedman

Ladybird Lake Trails – High School Senior Photos

by admin | May 6, 2024 | photography, seniors

Senior + Family photo session around the Ladybird Lake Trails in Austin

This softball playing, live music listening, future Environmental Engineer wanted an iconic nature background for her High School Senior Photos.

We picked the Ladybird Lake trails and the Pedestrian Bridge in downtown Austin, Texas for the photo session.

If you’re also interested in having your Senior Photo Session around Ladybird Lake, check out my essential tips below.

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions on the Trails:

You have several entry points as options for Trail photos – around Austin High School, near Zachary Scott Theater and near Butler Park are my top 3 favorites. This family picked starting out near Zachary Scott Theater (so check their Events page in case a show is happening at the same time and then parking is limited).
You can get a great combination of downtown skyline views from the bridge as well as greenery and water around the Lake trails.
Make a night of it – and walk to dinner at several nearby restaurants after your photo session is done.
Wear your cap and gown last so the cap doesn’t flatten your hair (I’ll have bobby pins and double sided tape on hand in case it’s windy to keep everything in place)
Props are always welcome to show your current and future interests.

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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 session in Austin, Texas. Explore more Senior sessions like Stella’s on my blog.

What prompted you to have this photo session? Stella wanted professional pictures to commemorate graduating from high school and to put on her graduation announcements. We also hadn’t done family photos in almost 15 years, so it was fantastic to be able to add those on so easily.
What do you plan to do with your digital photos? Graduation announcements and prints for ourselves and grandparents, Aunts and Uncles.
How did you choose your location for your session? We were pretty sure we wanted to take photos around Lady Bird Lake, but weren’t sure exactly where. Stephanie sent us pictures of a bunch of locations and we chose the pedestrian bridge area. We are so happy we did, it was the perfect mix of city and nature!
What advice would you give to others planning a similar Senior + Family photo session? Don’t wait until 30 minutes before the photo shoot to choose what the family is wearing, it makes things a little stressful 🙂 Also, be sure to bring props, that makes it super fun!
Anything else you’d like to add about working with Stephanie Friedman Photography? Stephanie made the whole experience super fun and easy! We highly recommend her.

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

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Dog-friendly photo session locations in Austin

Jan 13, 2025

My Top 10 locations for a Photo Session with your pet dog in Austin, Texas If your four-legged friend is a part of your family, let's make sure to include them in your next family photo session. Austin is known for being super dog-friendly, and there are plenty of...

Bull Creek Park – Senior Photo Session

by admin | May 2, 2024 | photography, seniors

Exploring Bull Creek District Park for High School Senior Pictures

This mom requested a nature spot for her son’s Senior Photo Session. After I sent some options (Pease Park, Commons Ford Ranch, etc.), they picked Bull Creek.

Recent rains meant the water was flowing in the creek, and the landscape was nice and green.

If you’re also interested in having your Senior Photo Session at Bull Creek District Park, check out my essential tips below.

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions at Bull Creek:

Bring a towel and water shoes if you don’t mind going in the Creek for some photos and want to dry off afterwards.
The Park restroom is currently under contruction (as of April 2024), so be prepared to change outfits in your car.
This location works well for an early morning or a sunset session.
This spot is very popular for all types of photo sessions, so don’t be surprised to see other photographer’s working there.

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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 session in Austin, Texas. Explore more Senior sessions like Edward’s on my blog.

What prompted you to have this photo session? High school graduation is such a big milestone and there are so many big emotions surrounding this time. I knew that I would want to document the season with a professional photo session
What do you plan to do with your digital photos? I will use the photos for a graduation announcement, as well as gifts for family members.
How did you choose your location for your session? Edward is an outdoorsman, so Bull Creek was the perfect spot.
What advice would you give to others planning a similar Senior photo session? My advice is not to overthink it. I was worried because my son was a little reluctant about the photo session. I should have known that it would all be fine. Stephanie immediately put him at ease. I think he even enjoyed it.
Anything else you’d like to add about working with Stephanie Friedman Photography? This is my second round of senior photos with Stephanie Friedman Photography. Stephanie is so easy to work with and can make anyone feel comfortable in front of the camera. Both of my kids were very happy with their experience during the photo session and with their photos. I can’t recommend her enough!

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

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Mueller Southwest Greenway – Senior Photo Session

by admin | Apr 28, 2024 | photography, seniors

Family photos add-on, Spring Wildflowers and Vintage Collections

For Senior Photos Sessions, you have the option to add-on a mini-family session. Your family can either come at the end of your session or be there throughout – weaving in and out of your poses.

For this High School Senior, we got to include her family throughout her session, show off her vintage hat and typewriter collection and celebrate where she’s going to college next year. We did all of this in the Spring wildflower fields at the Mueller Southwest Greenway.

If you’re also interested in having your Senior Photo Session at the Butterfly Gardens in Mueller Southwest Greenway, check out my essential tips below.

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions at the Mueller Southwest Greenway:

These sessions work best at golden hour (about 1-2 hours before sunset)
Wear closed-toed shoes or boots since the grass gets pretty high at peak wildflower season
Keep an eye out for bugs, reptiles and other creatures among the fields (we had to move one turtle safely out of the way to get my cart through the walking path to the pond)
Plan to meet at the Butterfly Garden’s Rocket Ship (an excellent landmark meeting spot)
There is no restroom nearby, so be prepared to change outfits in your car
Wildflower season lasts from March – May in a good year

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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 session in Austin, Texas. Explore more Senior sessions like Lilia’s on my blog.

What prompted you to have this photo session? I am in my senior year of high school, so I really wanted to get some professional photos done for my college decision cards that I am going to mail out. I also wanted to have a photo shoot to document my senior year to look back on when I am older.
What do you plan to do with your digital photos? I plan to use them when my send out my graduation announcements as well as posting a few of them on my instagram. I also had some of the photos taken with my college shirt, so I am going to use those for a post on my High School’s instagram page about where I am going to college.
How did you choose your location for your session? I was really interested a nature photoshoot, so I told Stephanie what I wanted, and she came back with some really great options for the photo shoot. I was deciding between two of them, but I ultimately picked the location that was abundant with colorful wildflowers.
What advice would you give to others planning a similar Senior photo session? I would recommend taking full advantage of being able to bring objects with you. I brought my type writer with me and Stephanie did an amazing job coming up with poses that would work for it. I think bringing an object that was special to me made the photoshoot a lot more fun and unique.
Anything else you’d like to add about working with Stephanie Friedman Photography? I felt really comfortable throughout the whole photoshoot. Stephanie was really good making the photoshoot fun and casual. She was also great at picking out spots that worked well with the outfits I had chosen and she had a lot of good poses that she came prepared with, which I really appreciated.

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

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Butler Park & Ladybird Lake Trails – Senior Photo Session

by admin | Apr 14, 2024 | photography, seniors

Butler Park skyline views, Running around Ladybird Lake and Celebrating Graduation

I always ask my graduating Seniors in Austin, Texas if they’d like to incorporate some of their hobbies into their Senior Photo Session.

This University of Texas Senior loves running around Ladybird Lake (aka Town Lake) so we made sure to get some images in one of her favorite parts of town.

If you’re also interested in having your Senior Photo Session at Butler Park and around the Ladybird Lake Trails, check out my essential tips below.

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions around Ladybird Lake:

You have several entry points as options for Trail photos – around Austin High School, near Zachary Scott Theater and near Butler Park are my top 3 favorites
If you like the Butler Park area, pay for parking at the Long Center and walk over
We can get a combination of skyline views from Butler Park as well as nature and water backdrops near the Lake
I’ll make sure to check local event calendars to make sure there aren’t any large event conflicts during your session date and time

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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 session in Austin, Texas. Explore more Senior sessions like Maddie’s on my blog.

What prompted you to have this photo session? Graduating is always a big deal, but I didn’t really get to celebrate my high school graduation as it was during the Covid era, so I really wanted to try and commemorate my college graduation. I wanted to have nice photos to look back on and also use for my announcements!
What do you plan to do with your digital photos?I plan on using them for my announcments and for the obligatory instagram grad post, of course. I will also end up using on of the photos for my LinkedIn profile.
How did you choose your location for your session? I have really fallen in love with running and with Austin over the past year, and Lady Bird Lake has become a comfort place for me- so it only seemed right to take these photos here.
What advice would you give to others planning a similar Senior photo session? Trust in the weather to cooperate as long as it isn’t raining! And for this location, take note of the events happening on the same day, we got lucky with empty-ish spaces to shoot but it was definitely more packed than normal, even for an Austin weekend!
Anything else you’d like to add about working with Stephanie Friedman Photography? She was amazing to work with. So sweet and full of energy, she got me pumped up to shoot these photos when the weather had been concerning me. She made me feel like a hundred bucks and I’m so grateful that she was recommended to us, truly such a considerate and talented photographer. I’m so excited to see the photos!

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

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Seaholm District – Austin High School Senior Photos

by admin | Apr 2, 2024 | photography, seniors

Exploring Downtown Austin, Walking the Butterfly Bridge and Dealing with lots of wind

I always do a weather and text check-in with my High School Seniors (and their parent) the day of their photo session. This makes it easy for them to find my contact info in their phone if they have last-minute questions.

For this Senior, my day-of text message to them said “Pack a Hairbrush – it’s going to be windy!”

Thankfully, her mom was on hand to do hair touch-ups in the different spots we explored around the Seaholm District and Downtown Austin near the Central Library.

Some spots were definitely less windy than others – like this beautiful green ivy wall.

If you’re also interested in having your Senior Photo Session in the Seaholm District, check out my essential tips below.

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions in the Seaholm District in Austin, Texas

It can get crowded with other photo sessions at peak times (weekend evenings in Spring and Fall) – so pick off times if possible.
Garage parking is available at the Central Library or Trader Joe’s nearby (Trader Joe’s will validate your parking with purchase)
Have a spotter when you’re taking photos on the Butterfly Bridge and be ready to get out of the way fast if cars are coming
Make sure to capture the mix of greenery, artwork and industrial buildings
If your clients need a place to change or restrooms, the Austin Central Library is right there (if your session is during their open hours)
Make a plan to eat downtown after your session, there are lots of great restaurants within walking distance

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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 session in Austin, Texas. Explore more Senior sessions like Lauren’s on my blog.

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

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Commons Ford Ranch – Wildflower Senior Pictures

by admin | Mar 26, 2024 | photography, seniors

Spring wildflowers, celebrating Senior year and a view of the river from the dock

If you book your High School Senior Photo Session in Austin in March, April or May, there’s a good chance you can have a backdrop of Spring wildflowers in your photos.

Since that was this Senior’s request, I went on some wildflower location scouting trips. Finding a nice patch of bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush there, I suggested Commons Ford Ranch in South Austin for her location.

If you’re also interested in having your Senior Photo Session at Commons Ford Ranch, check out my essential tips below.

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions at Commons Ford Ranch

It can get crowded with other photo sessions at peak times (weekend evenings in Spring and Fall) – so pick off times if possible.
It’s about a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the Lakefront area – make sure to wear or bring comfortable shoes for walking between locations
The Lakefront area can be a popular party area – keep an eye out for stray beer cans in your frame and you might have to wait your turn on the dock. (We had some lovely fisherman move out of the way so we could get the angle and shots we wanted)
Lots of wildlife call this park their home. If you are going to be in the tall grass, wear cowboy boots or pants as one of your three outfit options.
Springtime wildflowers can be spectacular – peak blooms are usually in March, April and May. Winter has some lovely golden dry grass as well.
Enjoy the beautiful and peaceful scenery just 25 minutes away from downtown Austin

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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 session in Austin, Texas. Explore more Senior sessions like Lanie’s on my blog.

What prompted you to have this photo session? I wanted to have this photo session because I am a senior and wanted to have pictures done, not just to put on graduation cards & that sort of thing but also to memorialize this time in my life. I think it will be fun to look back and see how I looked as a senior in high school when I am older.
What do you plan to do with your digital photos? I plan to post some to my personal instagram account, send some to relatives and put one on a graduation card.
How did you choose your location for your session? I chose Commons Ford because I really wanted something natural. I felt like an urban setting wouldn’t really match my personalty; I love Austin nature and wanted to be photographed in it. I also wanted to have wildflowers in my photos and I heard from a friend (plus Stephanie scouted it out for me) that the wildflowers there were pretty.
What advice would you give to others planning a similar Senior photo session? Make sure you look at the forecast beforehand! I didn’t realize it would be so cloudy on the day I picked; I hoped the sky would be bluer. That said, I think my photos still turned out well. Also, go in with a specific vision and don’t be afraid to communicate that!
Anything else you’d like to add about working with Stephanie Friedman Photography? Stephanie was so sweet; I liked her immediately. She made me feel very comfortable, which was good since I don’t love being photographed. She also was very prepared, she had everything from double-sided tape to hairspray to props. She made posing feel natural and it wasn’t awkward at all. My mom and I enjoyed chatting with her, her happy manner and her expertise behind the camera!

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

Contact Me

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Senior + Family photo session around the Ladybird Lake Trails in Austin

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions on the Trails:

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Exploring Bull Creek District Park for High School Senior Pictures

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions at Bull Creek:

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Family photos add-on, Spring Wildflowers and Vintage Collections

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions at the Mueller Southwest Greenway:

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Butler Park skyline views, Running around Ladybird Lake and Celebrating Graduation

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions around Ladybird Lake:

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Exploring Downtown Austin, Walking the Butterfly Bridge and Dealing with lots of wind

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions in the Seaholm District in Austin, Texas

Interested in Booking a Senior Photo Session?

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Spring wildflowers, celebrating Senior year and a view of the river from the dock

Tips for Senior Photo Sessions at Commons Ford Ranch

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