Downtown Leander for Portraits and Bridal Sessions

Downtown Leander, Texas on an early Sunday morning is a good choice for portraits and bridal sessions. There’s old homes converted into city offices still full of charm and plenty of old churches with steeples.

No Town Square in Downtown Leander

A town square is a clearly defined space with businesses and restaurants all along its sidewalks. I’ve lived in Leander, Texas for 14 years. Though it’s considered a small town, it has no town square.

Despite its parameters being undefined, there’s definitely a downtown “area”. So, I decided to head there on a Sunday in October for a photo shoot with my favorite model–my husband (RJ).

A Great Location for Portraits 

I did had a bigger reason for wanting to shoot there. Even though Austin is the nearest big city, I live in Leander. Clients who book me could live in neighboring cities and not necessarily in Austin. As a photographer, I need to have location suggestions at the ready. Since Downtown Leander has plenty of charm and isn’t that busy, it’s a great spot for portraits, engagement photos, and bridal sessions.

The visitor’s center is an old, remodeled, brightly-colored house. Because I love old houses, I was drawn to it. Although, I was first drawn to the dilapidated house to the left of it, which was plain white. While trying to compose a shot on the porch of the “unloved” house, the blue and red one boldly took over in the background. I shot in a spot with good light, and then we moved to the new location.

The visitor’s center was indeed welcoming–complete with red rocking chairs and a white hand rail. RJ was wearing a checkered red and blue shirt, so the house fit well with his attire. However, the backdrop of the sky-blue siding and the shade underneath the porch were not affording me great light. The end result–pretty dull photos–no pop.

Portraits in Front of City Hall

I looked across the street. The sun illuminated white stone columns at city hall. RJ grabbed his white hat, and we started again. I used one of stone columns to create foreground. The stones were light enough that they reflected light back onto my subject’s face–jackpot!

There is still so much more to explore in downtown Leander for photo sessions. I plan to go there at different hours of the day and test out lighting scenarios. I can’t wait to see the light I will find right before sunset. To be continued!