One of my favorite things about being a McKinney TX photographer is discovering the wonderful locations available in the DFW area. When we moved back to this area, I spent the first year or so mourning the loss of my favorite places I had left in the Chicago region. I missed the urban feel of the big city and the rich variety of shots available in our local nature preserve. I had a hard time branching out and discovering new places to shoot.
Luckily, I soon discovered a little secret: there are hidden gems EVERYWHERE. I used to think that the secret to a great portrait session was the location, but it turns out that’s really not the case. We can make an empty parking lot look great, as long as the light is beautiful. We don’t need epic scenery to make a successful session (it’s a bonus, though!). YOU are the subject; the location is secondary. Once I discovered this secret, it actually opened up a world of possibilities. There are few things I enjoy as much as taking my camera out for a walk and discovering all the new places we can shoot–they are literally everywhere.
Being a McKinney TX photographer, it was only natural to start exploring in the heart of downtown. This area has turned out to be one of my absolute favorite places, both to shoot and just to hang out. Even though I have been here hundreds of times, I feel like I still am discovering little hidden gems every single time I go.
I would love to walk you through a few of the locations that I chose for this session with beautiful Peyton, who was an absolute joy to work with. Here we go!
The Parking Lot
Remember when I said that you can shoot in an empty parking lot and make it work? Case in point. When we met up for this session, the sun was just starting to go down. Since we were meeting downtown, the sun started to dip low behind the buildings right at the beginning of our session. I knew that I wanted to get at least a few images that would be backlit by the sun, so we literally had to chase that particular type of light down. This led to this empty lot, where I focused on capturing a few headshots of Peyton against the simple green background.
Downtown
Peyton is an incredible dancer, and I wanted to showcase her flexibility in this session. There are so many gorgeous buildings available in downtown McKinney, so it was very easy to find a few beautiful yet complimentary backdrops. My goal was to compliment her without overpowering her as the subject, so I was on the lookout for beautiful framing and lines. (Extra bonus when you are flexible enough to become a leading line yourself!)
The Wall
As a downtown McKinney TX photographer, it’s only natural to want to showcase some of the gorgeous walls available. McKinney does not disappoint! This area has a wide range of colorful backdrops available to choose from. This was a wall that we just happened to stumble upon on the way to her car–we actually thought we had gotten all the shots we wanted by this point, and this turned out to be a happy accident. However, I wanted to utilize the beautiful colors and shapes in a way that would fit with Peyton’s story. We spent the last few minutes of daylight trying to capture Peyton’s gorgeous leaps and jumps. As a side note, she is so incredibly talented. Can you believe that most of these images were captured on her very first try?!
Moral of the story: locations are super important for establishing the mood and feel of the session that you want, but they should never be the focus. As long as the light available is beautiful, we can make wonderful portraits in any location. However, it is super fun to be creative and discover all of the wonderful locations available in the area! I am excited to continue to explore and provide an endless option of locations for your session!
If you have loved everything you have seen so far, please get in touch with McKinney TX photographer Christina Freeman to book your session today! I look forward to hearing from you!
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Christina Freeman is a lifestyle photographer based in Anna, TX. She specializes in photographing families, newborns and children in Collin County including Melissa, Van Alstyne, McKinney, Plano, Princeton, Farmersville, Prosper, Frisco, Wylie, Celina, Little Elm and other Dallas suburbs. Send an email to christinafreemanphotography@gmail.com or call her at 940-453-4962 to get a conversation started today!