Connie and Tanner sitting on the bank of the pond at Lakeside Park in Highland Park, a white columned house across the water

Location guide

Where we could shoot

Dallas, Fort Worth and everywhere between

Start here

These are the places around Dallas and Fort Worth where I know the light.

If you have booked a session, this page goes with the Outfit and Location Guide I sent you. The seven places in that guide are my favourites and are marked here, with more beside them and the practical detail for each: the best light, what to wear, parking, and any entry fees.

Where I have photographed a place, you will see my own frames from it. For the rest there is a photograph so you know what you are choosing, and a few places I have been saving are at the end.

Anything else? The questions couples usually ask are answered at the bottom.

01Pick two or three
Scroll through, or filter by the feel you are after. Favourites, not a final answer.
02Tell me why
Put them in your questionnaire, or text me. What drew you to each one helps me more than you would think.
03I plan the light
I time the session to end as the sun goes down, check the forecast, and send you a pin for where to meet.

The places

Filter by feel

25 places

Part one

Dallas

Highland Park, downtown and the lakes, with two wilder places to the north.

Connie and Tanner sitting on the bank of the pond at golden hour

Autnum spinning in a long cream skirt beside the water

Connie and Tanner lying on the grassy bank above the pond

Autnum and Judah holding hands on the stone edged bank of the pond

Connie and Tanner embracing on the bank, a white house across the water

Autnum and Judah at dusk under a pink sky

From my sessions here: Connie & Tanner and Autumn & Judah

01 · Highland Park, Dallas

Lakeside Park

One of my favourites
Water
Gardens
I have shot here

Stone edged ponds, soft lawns and old trees, with grand houses looking on from across the water. It is the closest thing Dallas has to an English country estate, which is exactly why I love it.

There is room to walk, sit by the water and wander the quiet, tree lined streets around the park, and once the light gets low the whole park doubles itself in the ponds.

See Connie & Tanner Google Maps

Feels like: English estate, calm, classic
Best light: Highland Park allows photography from 7:30am to 7pm, so the last hour before sunset works here from October to early March. In summer we start here and finish at Turtle Creek Park for sunset.
Wear: Soft greens, creams and blues that sit with the grass and water. Shoes you can walk on grass in.
Permit: None. The town welcomes portrait sessions, as long as there are no props, chairs or lighting.
Come dressed: Changing in cars is not allowed in Highland Park parks, and neither are picnics.
Parking: Free, on the street along Lakeside Drive.
Pairs with: Flippen Park, a few minutes away, or Turtle Creek Park, five minutes down the same creek.

02 · Highland Park, Dallas

Flippen Park

One of my favourites
Gardens
Water

A tiered stone fountain, a long reflecting pool, an arched gazebo and wide oaks that filter the evening sun. It feels like a quiet European garden tucked into the neighbourhood.

It is small, so we move slowly and use every corner, from the edge of the fountain to the shade under the trees.

Feels like: European garden, soft, romantic
Best light: Golden hour, when the sun comes through the oaks. Highland Park stops photography at 7pm, so evenings here work from October to early March.
Wear: Creams, whites, navy and lace. Longer dresses look beautiful against the stone.
Permit: None. The same Highland Park rules as Lakeside: no props, chairs or lighting, and come dressed.
Good to know: The gazebo is booked now and then for residents’ weddings.
Pairs with: Lakeside Park, a few minutes away in Highland Park.

Google Maps Park photography rules

Jayden bending back beneath the iron pergola on its red brick pillars

Jayden in arabesque against a white column of the portico

Jayden on pointe on a brick path under the oaks

Jayden holding a green lamp post with one leg lifted

From my session here with Jayden

03 · Uptown, Dallas

Turtle Creek Park

One of my favourites
Gardens
Water
I have shot here

A vine covered iron pergola on red brick pillars, big shady trees, and the white columned portico of Arlington Hall above a lawn that runs down to the creek. It has the feel of an old English walled garden, right in the middle of Uptown.

The pergola frames you beautifully, and there are paths, stone bridges and a formal garden to walk through between shots.

See Jayden Google Maps

Feels like: Walled garden, elegant, timeless
Best light: Late afternoon into golden hour, when the light comes through the vines. Open until 11pm, so this is where we finish at sunset once Highland Park has stopped photography for the day.
Wear: Black, cream, deep green or burgundy. Rich colours look lovely against the brick.
Permit: A City of Dallas park. Professional photography there goes through the city’s Office of Special Events.
Good to know: Arlington Hall is a wedding venue, so its terraces are sometimes booked.
Season: Azaleas and wisteria in spring, gold ginkgos in autumn.
Pairs with: Lakeside Park, five minutes by car.

Jayden on pointe inside the ring sculpture beneath the white bell tower

Jayden in arabesque on the steps inside the ring

Jayden on pointe between the white pillars with the downtown towers behind

Jayden dancing in a small garden between the towers

From my session here with Jayden

04 · Thanks-Giving Square and the gardens around it

Downtown Dallas

One of my favourites
City
Gardens
Water
I have shot here

Quiet green gardens hidden between the glass towers. Thanks-Giving Square is a sunken triangle of calm designed by Philip Johnson: white pillars carrying three bronze bells, a gold Ring of Thanks, and ramps and water channels stepping down between the lawns.

Old oaks, flower beds and smooth paths give you the calm of a park with the city just behind you. A great fit if you love a little city in your photographs, or want a soft, cool, overcast look.

See Jayden Google Maps

Feels like: City garden, calm, modern classic
Best light: Late afternoon, or a soft overcast day when the towers shade the gardens. Thanks-Giving Square is open 8am to 8pm.
Wear: Navy, black, white and soft blues. Clean lines and fabrics that move.
Permit: Thanks-Giving Square is private foundation property. Personal photography is welcome, and paid sessions are arranged with the Foundation’s staff.
Parking: Metered streets, and a paid garage across Pacific Avenue. DART’s Akard Station is a block away.
Pairs with: Main Street Garden, six minutes on foot.

05 · East Dallas

White Rock Lake

Water
Fields and big skies

Nine miles of shoreline, and the east side looks west across the water, so the sun goes down over the lake. Winfrey Point is a hilltop meadow with the skyline in the distance, Sunset Bay is sheltered and still, and the old spillway at the south end is a stepped concrete cascade.

Best light: Sunset from the east shore. Around midwinter the sun sets close beside the downtown skyline.
Wear: Soft blues, whites and sand tones that sit with the water and sky, and something that moves in the wind off the lake.
Permit: A City of Dallas park. Professional photography there goes through the city’s Office of Special Events.
Parking: Free lots at Winfrey Point, Sunset Bay and the spillway.
Season: Bald cypress turn rust in November, and pelicans spend the winter in Sunset Bay.
Pairs with: The Dallas Arboretum, on the same shore.

Winfrey Point on Maps Sunset Bay on Maps

06 · White Rock Lake, Dallas

Dallas Arboretum

One of my favourites
Gardens

Stone walls, climbing vines, balustrades and garden beds that change with every season. It is the most European feeling place in Dallas, with a new backdrop around every corner: the Crape Myrtle Allee, pools and water walls, and lawns that look west across White Rock Lake.

We can move between walled gardens, fountains and open lawns in one session, so it is perfect if you would like variety.

Feels like: European garden, elegant, romantic
Best light: We shoot from 3pm to 5pm, the window when the Arboretum allows a photographer’s gear. The garden closes at 5pm, so from about November to January that window runs into golden hour.
Wear: White, cream, black and soft pastels. Dressier looks suit this place.
Tickets: No photography fee, but everyone needs a ticket: $21.95 Monday to Thursday, $25.95 Friday to Sunday. You cover entry for the two of you and for me, about $66 on a weekday or $78 at the weekend, and parking is $15.
Good to know: Buy tickets on the Arboretum’s own website. No drones. Come dressed, or book their private dressing room.
Season: Tulips and azaleas in spring, crape myrtles in summer, pumpkins in autumn.
Pairs with: White Rock Lake for sunset once the gates close.

Google Maps Photography policy

Vanessa walking into the sunset through the prairie grass in a tiered ivory dress

Vanessa smiling with her eyes closed in the last light, pink sky behind

Vanessa from behind on the grassy ridge under a big evening sky

Vanessa sitting in the long golden grass in a lace dress

From my session here with Vanessa

07 · Plano

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

Fields and big skies
Woodland
I have shot here

Two hundred acres of Blackland Prairie on the edge of Plano: long golden grass, a creek, pockets of woodland and a huge sky. It is the closest thing Dallas has to an English meadow, and at the end of the day the light comes straight across the grass.

Google Maps Plano park page

Feels like: Open prairie, golden, free
Best light: The last hour before sunset, out in the tall grass away from the paved loop.
Wear: Linen, lace and long dresses in cream or ivory, like Vanessa. Boots or sandals you can walk through long grass in.
Permit: Plano handles portrait sessions under a parks policy it does not publish, so this one is confirmed with the city before we book.
Hours: Open 5am to 11pm, except Wednesday mornings, when it is closed until 2pm.
Good to know: Wildflowers peak around the third week of April. Chiggers in summer, so bug spray and nothing too short.
Parking: Free lot at the main entrance on Parker Road.

Prairie Creek ParkPhotographs soon

See visitors' photos on Google Maps

08 · Richardson

Prairie Creek Park

Water
Woodland

A wooded creek that tumbles over stacked stone in a run of small waterfalls, with footbridges across it. Small, green and lush, and at its best a day or two after rain.

Best light: Late afternoon under the trees, before the woods get too dark.
Wear: Earth tones and soft greens. Shoes with grip for the stone around the falls.
Rules: Richardson asks for one photographer per waterfall or bridge at a time, no big props, and nobody standing in the water.
Good to know: Popular with photographers at weekends, so weekday evenings are calmer.
Parking: Free, on the street along West Prairie Creek Drive.

Google Maps Richardson park rules

Part two

Fort Worth

Gardens, a duck pond, a waterfall, and a downtown with more brick than glass.

The reflection pond below the Rose Ramp, with the stone shelter house at the top of the terraces — Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

09 · Cultural District, Fort Worth

Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Gardens
Water

The 1933 Rose Garden is the showpiece: sandstone terraces and stairs modelled on Versailles, a shelter house at the top of a long rose ramp, and a reflection pond at the bottom that doubles all of it. Beyond are trellis walks, an oval rose pavilion and a boardwalk through native planting.

Best light: The garden closes before sunset, so we take the last photography pass of the day. Best from November to February, when closing time sits close to golden hour.
Wear: Soft colour and a little formality: a long dress, a linen suit, a crisp shirt.
Permit: A $30 photography pass for two hours, plus admission ($12 each online, $14 at the gate). You cover entry for the two of you and for me, about $66 to $72 in all. The pass is bought at the admissions desk.
Good to know: No petals or confetti, no leaving the paths, and no sessions in the Rainforest Conservatory.
Season: Roses peak in April and May, with a second flush in October and November.
Pairs with: The Japanese Garden on the same ticket, and Trinity Park next door.

Google Maps Photography rules

The high arched Moon Bridge over a pond in the Fort Worth Japanese Garden, framed by maples — Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

10 · Inside Fort Worth Botanic Garden

The Japanese Garden

One of my favourites
Gardens
Water

Wooden pavilions, still ponds, tall pines and flowering shrubs. It is quiet and hidden away, with deep shadows and soft pockets of light that feel like a painting.

Seven and a half acres of koi ponds, waterfalls, a pagoda and a high arched moon bridge that makes a full circle with its reflection. Perfect if you want something intimate, moody and completely different from a city park.

Feels like: Hidden, intimate, painterly
Best light: Late afternoon, when the sun breaks through the pines and the ponds are still.
Wear: White, cream, soft linen and natural textures that glow in the shade.
Permit: The same ticket as the Botanic Garden: $14 each at the gate plus a $30 photography pass for two hours. You cover entry for the two of you and for me, about $72 in all.
Season: Maples turn from early November into December. Cherries and magnolias in spring.
Good to know: No photography passes during the spring and autumn Japanese Festivals, and the decks are ceremony venues that may be booked.

Google Maps The garden

The duck pond in Trinity Park seen through the trees, with a fountain in the water — Photo: Dameon Hudson, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

11 · Cultural District, Fort Worth

Trinity Park Duck Pond

Water
Woodland

A quiet pond under big pecans and willows, with a fountain, benches and plenty of ducks. Gentle, easy and lovely for families. The Trinity Trails and the river are a short walk away if we want a wider view with the downtown skyline.

Best light: The last hour before sunset, when the trees break the light up across the water.
Wear: Soft neutrals and gentle colour. Relaxed and easy, and it suits families too.
Permit: Fort Worth parks ask for a photography permit for paid sessions, booked through the city ahead of time.
Entry: Free. Open 5am to 10pm, with free parking around the park.
Pairs with: The Botanic Garden next door, or downtown a few minutes east.

Google Maps Fort Worth photo permits

The Active Pool at the Fort Worth Water Gardens, water falling down terraced concrete steps — Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

12 · Water Gardens, Sundance Square, Courthouse

Downtown Fort Worth

City
Water

Fort Worth does downtown in brick and pink granite rather than glass. The 1895 courthouse stands at the top of Main Street, and Sundance Square is all red brick and old facades.

The Water Gardens are a sunken concrete canyon of falling water that looks like a film set. It was one: Logan’s Run was shot there in 1976.

Best light: Golden hour for the courthouse granite. The Water Gardens stay shaded and cool on hot evenings.
Wear: Sharper lines: a slip dress, tailored trousers, a jacket. Warm tones look good against the brick and pink granite.
Permit: Sundance Square gives free permission if you ask a week ahead. The Water Gardens are a city park, so the Fort Worth permit applies.
Good to know: No wading in the Water Gardens. Sundance Square garages give free time with a receipt from a business on the square.
Pairs with: Trinity Park, a few minutes west.

Google Maps Sundance Square photo form

Airfield FallsPhotographs soon

See visitors' photos on Google Maps

13 · Westworth Village, west Fort Worth

Airfield Falls

One of my favourites
Water
Woodland
Fields and big skies

Huge weeping willows, open grass and a little waterfall tucked away in the trees, the largest natural waterfall in Tarrant County. When the sun drops low the willows glow gold and the whole place feels like a storybook.

There is plenty of open lawn to dance, twirl and run, which is exactly where a flowing dress comes alive.

Feels like: Storybook, golden, free
Best light: The last hour before sunset, when the willows light up. The falls run best a day or two after rain; in a dry spell they slow to a trickle.
Wear: Creams, whites and soft earth tones that stand out against the green. Shoes you can walk on grass and dirt paths in.
Permit: Individual photographers need no permit on the Trinity Trails. No drones: the air base controls the sky.
Entry: Free, with a small lot, restrooms and a pavilion at the trailhead.

Google Maps Trail rules

Part three

Between the two

Arlington, Coppell, Grapevine and Colleyville. Handy if you live in the middle, and full of water and woods.

River Legacy ParkPhotographs soon

See visitors' photos on Google Maps

14 · Arlington

River Legacy Park

Woodland
Water

Thirteen hundred acres of bottomland forest along the Trinity, crossed by rust red steel footbridges. Green tunnels of trees with the river glinting through them. It feels a long way from the city for somewhere so central.

Best light: The hour before sunset, on the bridges and at the river overlooks.
Wear: Rust, olive and cream against the green and the red bridges.
Permit: Arlington asks for a photography permit for professional sessions, through Parks and Recreation. None at the Nature Center building itself.
Entry: Free. Open 5am to 10pm, with several free lots.
Season: Autumn colour and spring green. Bug spray in summer, and the trails can flood after heavy rain.

Google Maps Visiting the park

A wooden footbridge on old stone abutments over the rock lined channel at Grapevine Springs — Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

15 · Coppell

Grapevine Springs Park

Woodland
Water

A small preserve of post oaks along Grapevine Creek, laced with Depression era stonework: a rock lined channel, old walls and footbridges. Sam Houston camped under the great oak here in 1843. Storybook, and more than a little English.

Best light: The last hour of the day. The oaks keep it soft all evening, and the park closes 30 minutes after sunset.
Wear: Knits, linen and earthy colour to sit with the old stone.
Permit: Coppell publishes no photography permit. Dallas County calls it a popular spot for photoshoots, so we may have company.
Parking: Free, at the Coppell Senior and Community Center on Bethel Road.

Google Maps Dallas County page

Red rock bluffs above the open blue water of Lake Grapevine — Photo: Dameon Hudson, CC BY 3.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons

16 · Lake Grapevine, Grapevine

Rockledge Park

Water
Fields and big skies

Red rock ledges and bluffs above the open water at the dam end of Lake Grapevine, with a long horizon and a big sky. The Northshore Trail starts here and runs along the bluffs.

Best light: Sunset, but the gate closes at sunset, so we finish as the sun reaches the water.
Wear: Whites and blues, and something that moves in the wind off the lake. Flat shoes for the rocks.
Permit: $50 for posed photography, bought online or at the park store.
Entry: $10 per car, or $2 on foot, card only. Weekends can fill by midday.

Google Maps Park and permits

Colleyville Nature CenterPhotographs soon

See visitors' photos on Google Maps

17 · Colleyville

Colleyville Nature Center

Water
Woodland

Forty six acres of woods and nine ponds, with a fishing pier and trails winding between the water. Small, calm and very green.

Best light: The last hour before sunset. The park closes 30 minutes after.
Wear: Soft greens and creams, and shoes that can cope with a muddy path.
Permit: None listed by the city.
Entry: Free, with parking on site. Muddy after rain.

Not yet photographed

Ennis, south of Dallas

For a few weeks each April the fields around Ennis turn blue. We would chase the best patch on the week of your session, so this one needs a little flexibility.

Google Maps

Or somewhere of your own

Where you met, your first flat, the coffee shop, your parents' back garden.

These are often the best photographs of all, because the place means something before I have taken a single frame. Tell me where it is and I will make it work.

Two places, one session

Pairs that work

The two hour session covers two locations. These sit close enough together that we lose no light on the drive, and different enough that the gallery has two moods.

Lakeside Park and Flippen ParkBoth in Highland Park, a few minutes apart
Lakeside Park and Turtle Creek ParkSame creek, five minutes by car
Thanks-Giving Square and Main Street GardenSix minutes apart on foot
The Dallas Arboretum and White Rock LakeGarden first, the lake for sunset
The Botanic Garden and the Japanese GardenOne ticket, one garden
Trinity Park and the Botanic GardenNext door to each other

Before the day

Questions couples ask

Who pays for entry fees and permits?

Most of these places are free. Where a garden charges, you cover entry for the two of you and for me, plus any photography pass. The cost is listed under each place so there are no surprises on the day. At the Japanese Garden, for example, it comes to about $72 in all.

How do we choose?

Pick two or three that feel most like you and tell me in your questionnaire, or just text me. It helps to say what drew you to each one. I choose the exact spot and the time around the light and the season.

What time will we start?

I plan every session to end as the sun goes down, because the last hour of light is the most beautiful of the day. For a one hour session that means starting about an hour before sunset.

A few places close earlier, and Highland Park stops photography at 7pm, so for those I plan around their hours and tell you the start time well ahead.

Can we shoot in two places?

Yes. The two hour session includes two locations and an outfit change. The pairs above sit close enough together that we lose no light on the drive.

Can we choose somewhere that is not on this list?

Please do. Where you met, your first home, a family ranch, a favourite coffee shop. Tell me where it is and I will look at the light and any rules there. Travel anywhere in Dallas and Fort Worth is included; further afield, travel is at cost.

What happens if it rains?

I watch the forecast all week. If rain or storms look likely, I message you by midday on the day and we choose a new date together, at no cost to you.

A grey sky on its own is not a reason to move. Soft cloud is some of the most flattering light there is, and it suits the way I edit.

Where do we meet, and where do we park?

I send you a pin for the exact meeting point before the day, and the plan again the evening before. Parking notes are under each place above, and most of it is free.

Where can we change between outfits?

Come dressed in your first outfit. If you have a second, we change between locations. Highland Park does not allow changing in cars, so when it is on the plan I order the session around somewhere you can change comfortably.

What if we are running late?

Text me as soon as you know. I arrive early to look at the light, so I will be ready whenever you get there. The sun sets on time though, so a late start usually means a shorter session.

Can we bring our dog, or a friend?

Yes, tell me in your questionnaire. Dogs make wonderful photographs, and I will check the rules for the place you choose, as some gardens do not allow them. A friend is welcome too, and is a great help holding a jacket or a bag.

When will we see our photographs?

Your private online gallery arrives within two weeks. If you need them sooner, faster delivery is $100.

Is there an outfit guide too?

Yes. What to wear has the colours that photograph best, what to leave at home, real outfits from past sessions and a link to my Pinterest board.

Can I refer a friend?

Please do. Once we have worked together, if a friend books with me because of you, 10% of their booking comes back to you, and they get 10% off. Ask them to mention your name when they enquire.

Something I have not answered? Text me, or email [email protected]. There is no such thing as too many questions.

What to wear Get in touch