One of the first questions I hear after someone books a session is, “Where should we take our photos?” And honestly? I completely understand why choosing a location can feel overwhelming.

Central Texas is filled with beautiful places to photograph, but the “prettiest” location isn’t necessarily the right location for you. A wide-open field creates a completely different feeling than a quiet wooded trail. A lake gives you movement and reflection, while an urban setting can feel more modern and editorial.

Your location helps tell the story of your session.

So instead of simply picking a pretty backdrop, I want to help you find a place that feels like you.

As a Central Texas photographer, I photograph sessions throughout the Jarrell, Georgetown, Round Rock, Hutto, and greater Austin area, and I’m always scouting for new places that give my clients beautiful variety without making their session feel overly complicated.

Before we even talk about where you want your session, think about how you want your photographs to feel.

Do you picture:

Warm and romantic?
Think golden fields, tall grasses, trees, and soft evening light.

Playful and carefree?
A park or open outdoor space gives children plenty of room to move, explore, and simply be themselves.

Quiet and intimate?
Wooded areas and tucked-away trails can create a more secluded feeling.

Adventurous and natural?
Water, rocky landscapes, trails, and wide-open spaces can add a little more personality to your images.

Clean and timeless?
A simple field or classic park can keep the focus exactly where it belongs: on you.

There isn’t one perfect location for every session. The best location is the one that complements your people, your outfits, and the feeling you’re hoping to capture.

Finally, here are some of my favorite types of locations—and a few of the places I love most.

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1. Open Fields & Wildflower Locations

There is something so timeless about photographs taken in a wide-open field. Tall grass moving in the breeze, warm sunlight filtering through the trees, and plenty of room for you to walk, cuddle, play, and interact naturally can create some of my favorite images.

Fields are especially beautiful during golden hour, when the sun sits low on the horizon and everything takes on that warm, dreamy glow.

They’re also incredibly versatile!

A field can work beautifully for:

Family sessions
Maternity sessions
Couples
Engagements
Seniors
Mommy & me sessions
Extended families

And if we’re lucky enough to catch wildflowers in bloom? Even better.

One of my favorite things about field locations is that they don’t require you to spend your entire session looking directly at the camera. We can walk, talk, snuggle, dance, explore, and let the photographs happen naturally.

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2. Wooded Locations

If you love photographs with a little more depth and texture, a wooded location may be perfect for you.

Trees create beautiful layers in an image and can give your photographs a more intimate, almost storybook feeling. They’re also particularly helpful when we’re trying to incorporate shade into a session.

And here in Texas, I’ll never complain about having a little shade!

Wooded areas can be especially beautiful in the fall, when the changing foliage adds another layer of color and texture to your photographs.

If you love earthy, romantic, and slightly moodier imagery, this may be your kind of location.

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3. Water

There’s something about water that immediately changes the feeling of a photograph.

Whether we’re working with a creek, river, lake, or shoreline, water gives us another element to incorporate into your session. Reflections, movement, rocks, shoreline grasses, and the opportunity to actually interact with the water can all create images that feel a little different from a traditional park session.

And, of course, there’s the Texas heat to consider.

Sometimes getting your feet in the water isn’t just a cute photograph—it’s a very welcome break from the heat!

Water locations can be especially beautiful for couples and maternity sessions, but they’re also a wonderful option for families who want something a little more adventurous.

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4. Overlook Park at Lake Georgetown

If I had to choose one location that gives us a little bit of everything, Overlook Park would be very high on my list.

Located at Lake Georgetown, Overlook Park combines open fields, mature trees, and beautiful water views into one location. That variety is a huge advantage during a portrait session because we can move around and create several different looks without having to completely change locations. You can have your classic family portraits in the field, move into the trees for something more intimate, and finish near the water for a completely different backdrop. It’s one of those locations where you can arrive with one vision and leave with a gallery that feels much more varied than you expected.

And there’s a reason locations like this are so popular for portraits: they give us options.

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5. Brushy Creek & Natural Central Texas Locations

Brushy Creek runs through several communities in Central Texas, including Adam Orgain Park in Hutto, Texas (One of my favorite locations!), and offers a completely different look from a traditional manicured park.

Natural locations like this can give your photographs a more relaxed, organic feeling. Instead of everything looking perfectly landscaped, we can incorporate trails, grasses, trees, creek beds, and the surrounding landscape.

If you’re drawn to photographs that feel less posed and more like a little adventure, natural locations are worth considering.

Sometimes the most beautiful photograph isn’t taken at the obvious scenic overlook. Sometimes it’s the photograph we capture while you’re walking from one spot to another.

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Moral of the story? Don’t overlook your local park!

When people hear “park,” they sometimes imagine a playground and a picnic table. But many Central Texas parks have beautiful fields, mature trees, trails, water, bridges, and open spaces that can work wonderfully for portraits.

The trick is knowing where to stand and when to be there.

A location that looks completely ordinary in the middle of the afternoon can look completely different during golden hour.

That’s one of the reasons I don’t choose locations based solely on what they look like in the middle of the day. I’m thinking about the light, the surroundings, the season, and how we can actually use the space during your session.

And don’t be afraid to think outside the box!

Your session doesn’t have to happen in a public park. Some of the most meaningful locations are places that already mean something to you.

Maybe your family has a ranch that has been in the family for generations.

Maybe there’s a piece of property where you spend your weekends.

Maybe you and your partner have a favorite place you visit together.

Maybe your grandparents have a beautiful piece of land that has been part of your family for years.

Those places matter.

A location doesn’t have to be traditionally “beautiful” to create beautiful photographs. Sometimes the sentimental value behind a location makes the photographs even more meaningful.

If you have access to private property, a family ranch, an estate, or another special location, I’m always happy to talk through the possibilities with you.

So, How Do You Choose?

If you’re still staring at this list thinking, “Okay… but I still have no idea where I want to go!” don’t worry.

You don’t have to.

When you book a session with me, choosing a location is something we can work through together.

I’ll consider the type of session you’re planning, the age and personalities of everyone involved, your outfits, the season, the kind of photographs you’re drawn to, and—most importantly—the overall feeling you want your gallery to have.

Because your location should never feel like an afterthought.

It should be part of the story.

Whether that’s your little ones running through a field, your family walking along the water, you and your partner tucked beneath the trees, or your senior exploring a location that feels completely like them, there is a place for your story here in Central Texas.

And if you have no idea where that place is yet?

That’s okay.

That’s what I’m here for!

Ready to Find Your Perfect Location?

If you’re planning a portrait session in Jarrell, or the surrounding Central Texas area, I’d love to help you find a location that feels right for you.

Let’s create something beautiful together. (You can book right here!)

I am so excited to capture what matters most to you.