The Kaleido Wall Mural, a hidden gem in Houston.


I was very excited for this senior session with Lainie a Monday afternoon in April. The weather in Houston does come with some challenges and this particular afternoon was a bit on the humid side, but Lainie did wonderful and looked so beautiful in her prom dress. She wanted photos taken before the actual day of the prom so we could take our time and go to a few different locations. I found a location which I though would go particularly well with the color and style of her dress, and would make her photos stand out. And the location did not disappoint. The Kaleido wall mural, located in Montrose, is gorgeous! The color tone and look of the flowers on the wall complimented Lainie's dress so well, and she was as excited as me about it. Thank you, Lainie, for being so upbeat and fun to work with! #kaleidowall #mural #montrose #houston #museumsdistrict

McGovern Centennial Gardens senior session.

The second location for this shoot was one of the most beautiful gardens in Houston, The McGovern Centennial Gardens. This was my first time shooting there and THE DAY OF the shoot I discovered that you need a permit for professional photography there. Yikes! I had not applied for one...!! The government's website said that the application process would take 3-5 days.... and the fee for a permit would add another $135 towards my photography session fee...I thought I was screwed! But luckily Lainie's mum was eager to have her daughters photos taken there so she agreed on me trying to get a permit. Only hours before the shoot I called the office that issues the permits and explained the situation. I think I really lucked out, because after completing the steps online, they emailed me my permit for that afternoon. We were ready to go. Yay!

#McGoverncentennialgardens #seniorphotos #photographypermit


We started shooting outside the main entrance of the gardens. The grey stones reflects the light well there and the trees makes a nice point of interest in the background.

On the way inside the gardens, there's a reflective metal surface on the walls, and I used it to have some reflections in the photos I took there.


That was were we were when the security guard suddenly appeared and approached us to check if I had a photography permit with me.. Which I could confidently show, and we were welcomed to continue our shoot.. We did see other groups doing photography that were being asked to leave because they didn't have a permit, so they definitely reinforce that rule there.


Note: You don't need a permit if you're only using your cellphone to take photos.

The gorgeous waterfall in these gardens are a perfect backdrop.

There are so many locations to choose from in these gardens. You can get a lot of variety out of these gardens, as you should when you have to pay a fee to photograph there....

One of my choices was to use the leading lines of the pergola and pathway there. I like how the shadows on the ground also added some interesting patterns too.

The sun was about to set, and most of the garden's visitors had already left after the security guard called out that they were about to close the gate. Lainie had just changed into this cute, white dress with flowers on it at the end of our time there, so I wanted to get in a few more shots. I used the spiral path up to the observation level as a leading line and the greenery added a nice framing to the shots. What a great place to have your senior pictures taken! Right, Lainie?! :)

That's a wrap!



Lesson's I learned

  • Apply for a permit as soon as you have set a date for a shoot in those gardens.
  • Link to photography permits in Houston's Public Parks:

https://www.houstontx.gov/parks/pdfs/PhotographyFilmingRequestForm.pdf

  • Choose a day of the week when the location is less busy to avoid having other visitors in your frame.
  • Make sure you allow enough time to shoot in the gardens as you sometimes have to wait for people to pass by to not have them in your frame.