Category Archives: Nature Photography

One of the most popular questions Moms ask is where the best locations are for family photo shoots close by.

There are many scenic settings around Plano and neighboring cities that can create beautiful backdrops for your family photos, including some great places which are Instagrammable!

So, get ready to book your photographer, go shopping for cute outfits and choose your location; depending on what vibe you are going for, we got you covered.

As we are getting closer to the holidays it’s going to be time for those fun family photos!

Before your schedules build up and time gets away from you, be sure and grab your sweet kids and check out some of these fabulous places for outdoor photos in and around Plano.

We have so many around here and the majority are at parks or so easy to get to. Grab your cameras, or hire your Photographer and practice those pretty smiles!

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family photo family

Outdoor Photo Shoot Locations around Plano

The Boardwalk at Granite Park

Address: 5880 TX-121, Plano, TX 75024

You can get fun and unique photos here either day or night.

There are tables and beach chairs by the boardwalk overlooking the pond with water fountains.

The string lights give a magical effect at night, and a fire pit is perfect for cool fall weather.

Legacy West 

Address: 5908 Headquarters Dr, Plano, TX 75024

Phone: (469) 609-1500

Legacy West is perfect for a fun, modern, and urban feel photoshoot location.

You can pick many spots by just walking around and you can end or begin your photoshoot with food/ drink from any of the many great restaurants.

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Photo by Goldie Holloway

Oak Point Park

Address: 5901 Los Rios Blvd, Plano, TX 75074

Oak Point Park and Nature Reserve is Plano’s largest park in which it gives you plenty of scenic spaces that are perfect for your family photoshoot and we love it as a great spot for our Scavenger Hunt too!

You can either take photos by the trail that runs through a creek and lake or at the pavilion with columns and open space.

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

Known for its beautiful scenery, hills, and nature- you might have to walk the trails a little to find some pretty backgrounds but this makes for some breathtaking photos

and don’t forget Bob Woodruff Park which has a large lake area and grass for nice family photos

Downtown Plano

Address: 1021 E. 15th Street, Plano TX 75074

When you think of downtown, you probably picture buildings, traffic, and an urban atmosphere.

However, if you are looking for a vintage feel or want to get artsy with your photos at night then downtown is the setting for you.

With its historic charm and trendy restaurants that line the streets, downtown is perfect

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Downtown Plano

Haggard Park

Address: 901 E. 15th Street, Plano TX 75074

This has a gazebo, a bridge, and a pond. It’s beautiful and right next to Downtown Plano so you can get some pretty nature shots and then cross over and get some urban shots in Downtown Plano!

St. Andrews Methodist Church

Address: 5801 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093

This is a great place to go and so pretty! Go behind the church. They have a pond, stream, rocks. It’s very nice back there.

Shops at Legacy

Address: 5741 Legacy Dr, Plano, TX 75024

Great for those urban photos!

The best Outdoor Locations for Photo shoots around Allen

Allen Old Stone Dam

Address: 381 E Exchange Pkwy, Allen, TX 75002

Phone: (214) 509-4670

Historically significant, 1874 stone spillway & railroad water station located north of Exchange in Allen Station Park. This is a really cool place, especially if you like to get photos on and around train tracks.

Dayspring Nature Preserve

Address: 622 Rainforest Ln, Allen, TX 75013

Phone: (214) 509-4700

Dayspring Nature Preserve offers green space with paved and dirt trails for hiking or mountain biking, a pavilion & a playground which are all great backdrops for your photo shoots. 

Parker Rose Garden

Address: Farm to Market Road 2501, Allen TX 75002

Parker Rose Garden is right on the border between Allen and Parker, Texas. This place is a beautiful site with a cute old barn, small pond, nature trails, and fields with trees.

This place gives you a stunning sunset behind the barn.

Watters Creek

Address: Watters Creek Dr, Allen, TX 75013

I’ve taken photos here several times early in the mornings and they turn out great. Go by the horses by Mi Cocina and the pond/rocks. Very pretty.

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Photo Credit: Shannon Gauger

The best Outdoor Locations for Photoshoots around McKinney

Historic Downtown McKinney

Address: 202 S Chestnut St, McKinney, TX 75069

Phone: (972) 547-2660

The historic Downtown McKinney is so charming that it provides a perfect spot for your family photo shoots.

It offers tons of cool places to shoot with that vintage and unique look. It’s perfect for those urban photos and there are so many great places to eat up there afterward.

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Photo Credit: Historic Downtown McKinney Facebook page

Adriatica Village

Address: 6602 Mediterranean Dr, McKinney, TX 75070

Phone: (972) 540-5955

There is no need to travel to Europe for photo shoots; you can get European vibes at Adriatica Village in McKinney.

The remarkable architecture, stone buildings, cobblestone streets, and breathtaking views make this a great spot to get unique photos.

Bonnie Wenk Park

Address: 2996 Virginia Pkwy, McKinney, TX 75071

Phone: (972) 547-7480

Bonnie Wenk Park is a beautiful park that offers so many activities for everyone in the family.

You can take your family here for a photo shoot at any time of the year, but the best time is when foliage is visible during fall. Stunning… simply stunning!

The McKinney Cotton Mill

Address: 610 Elm St, McKinney, TX 75069

Phone: (972) 838-7558

The historic Cotton Mill in McKinney, TX, is a unique facility offering office space, a gorgeous event hall, and the perfect backdrop for photo shoots.

However, you’ll need to pay for admission for access.

Heard Center for the Arts

Address: 205 W Hunt St, McKinney, TX 75069

Phone: (972) 569-6909

The Heard-Craig Center for the Arts is a historic mansion turned into an art museum and event center in the heart of historic downtown McKinney.

Its grounds are so beautiful and surely worth its price.

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One of the most popular questions Moms ask is where the best locations are for family photo shoots close by. There are many scenic settings around Plano and neighboring cities …

Outdoor Photoshoot Locations around Frisco

Frisco Central Park

Address: 3155 Parkwood Blvd, Frisco, TX 75034

Phone: (972) 292-6500 Sculptured Garden

Frisco Central Park is an 8-acre park and so popular for family photo shoots.

It offers large Western-themed sculptures, a small pond, scenic trails, and an amphitheater. 

Frisco Heritage Center

Address: 6499 Page St, Frisco, TX 75034

Phone: (972) 292-5101

Frisco Heritage Center provides a historical backdrop; there are historic homes, a schoolhouse, a depot, and a blacksmith’s shop – perfect for photo shoots.

Babes Chicken

These make for some excellent photos with more of a country feel right outside of Babes in the heart of Downtown Frisco.

A plus is that you can eat at Babe’s when you are done! It’s best to go early on a Sat or Sunday morning.

Outdoor Photoshoot Locations around The Colony

The Grandscape

Address: 5752 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX 75056

Phone: (972) 668-2222

The newest extraordinary destination that everyone should check out.

You can easily find cute spots for photo shoots, and indeed the whole crew will have tons of fun exploring this place.

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Grandscape Shopping Mall The Colony

The best Photoshoot Locations around Addison

Addison Circle Park

Address: 4970 Addison Cir, Addison, TX 75001

Addison Circle Park is located just north of Belt Line Road, between Addison Road and Quorum Drive.

It has a beautiful outdoor spot with a 10-acre city park hosting various events, with a pavilion, stage, and fountains.

Outdoor Locations around Dallas

Prairie Creek Waterfall (Richardson)

Address: 2580 Prairie Creek Dr W, Richardson, TX 75080

Prairie Creek (Richardson)

Address: 2520 W Prairie Creek Dr, Richardson, TX 75080

This can be hard to find but they have a beautiful waterfall if you take the Huck Finn Trail

Dallas Arboretum

Address: 8525 Garland Rd, Dallas, TX 75218

This would require you to pay to enter but they do have the best scenery! The fall is great for pumpkins and spring has the most beautiful flowers you have EVER seen!

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Dallas Arboretum

There are many great outdoor spots around Plano, including some nice parks and lakes within Neighborhoods, including Lakeside on Preston which is popular for HoCo pictures for Teens.

© Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/The Orange County Register/TNS
A couple on a bridge dances to live music in front of the Blue Cavern tank at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. The Aquarium is celebrating New Year’s Eve with a daytime event aimed at young kids this year.

The Aquarium of the Pacific, nestled in the heart of Shoreline Village, is celebrating its 25th anniversary throughout 2023 — and the iconic venue wants Southland residents to join in by snapping photos that represent a connection with the natural world.

The Long Beach aquarium‘s “Connecting to Nature” photo contest will accept submissions through April, the organization said in an announcement this week. Contestants are encouraged to share a photo highlighting their special connection to the diverse nature that exists across Southern California.

“Suggestions include your favorite parks, beaches, hikes, dive sites, wildlife viewing, or even your own backyard,” the announcement said, “anywhere you connect to nature.”

The top 10 photos will be featured in an aquarium exhibit from May 26 to Dec. 31, during the institution’s 25th anniversary celebration. The top three winners will also get cash prizes of $500, $250 and $100, respectively.

Anyone is allowed to submit a photo for the contest — aside from aquarium employees, volunteers and board members, the Tuesday, March 14, announcement said.

Visit aquariumofpacific.org to submit your photo to the contest. All entries are due by 5 p.m. April 10.

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Accepting her award during a Feb. 24 ceremony, Li said photography plays an important role in conservation and that in recent years she had been increasingly active in capturing animals on film to support her work.

“Taking photographs of the natural world helps me to more effectively communicate the significance of scientific findings and the urgency of our conservation efforts,” she said.

“They inadvertently create a connection between us and nature, changing our perception of it and even our expectations of ourselves.”

The professor told the ceremony that she had been inspired as a child to pursue a conservation career by a picture of Peking University’s Dr. Lu Zhi studying giant pandas in the wild.

The young Li spotted the picture hanging on the wall during a visit to the university as part of a middle school biology competition.

Years later, she was presented her latest award by Zhi herself — who in turn credits chimpanzee expert Dr. Jane Goodall with influencing her own career — in the hope that Li would continue the chain of high-achieving conservationists inspiring the next generation of women into the field.

Goodall, who is one of the world’s most admired conservationists and a member of the competition’s academic committee, said she was “extremely impressed” by the way Li combined research and “wonderful” photography.

“You’ve had to shoot film and conduct research often in difficult conditions and you’ve had to succeed in a world where women are typically in the minority,” she told Li.

“I hope that this competition and your example will encourage more people — especially young people, including young women — to become involved in wildlife research and conservation.”

The photography prize, awarded by a jury of renowned photographers, nature publication editors and environmental experts, is the latest accolade to adorn Li’s mantelpiece.

Her DKU team last year received a Pineapple Science Award for its research into bird-window collisions.

Li, who is also an assistant professor at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, worked as a science advisor for the Disney nature documentary “Born in China” and holds editor positions at several conservation journals.

The winners of the prestigious British Wildlife Photography Awards have just been announced, chosen from more than 13,000 submitted images celebrating the beauty and brutality of Britain’s nature. 

An image of a red fox moving through a woodland that has been partially destroyed by industrialism has claimed this year’s grand prize, and 28-year-old British photographer Charlie Page is the recipient of the £5,000 grand prize ( approximately $6,000 / AU$9,100).