couple walking through zilker botanical garden being photographed by Naomi, an Austin texas photographer

Zilker Botanical Garden Engagement Session | Austin Texas Photographer

Engagements

As an Austin Texas photographer, I have a plethora of places I love to photograph. But one of my all-time favorite engagement session locations? Zilker Botanical Garden!

There are a few reasons for this:

  • Obviously, it’s BEAUTIFUL!
  • There are SO many places to photograph with lush greenery, a lot of colorful plants and flowers, and even a beautiful view of downtown Austin.
  • Unlike other locations and venues, the photography permit is not outrageous. It costs $50 and includes two admission tickets: one for the photographer and one for one other person. So for an engagement session, you would just need to purchase one additional ticket at $6 (for Austin residents) or $8 (for non-Austin residents).
  • There is onsite parking (woohoo!)
  • Two public bathrooms are available for bathroom breaks and/or outfit changes.
  • Although it’s a size-able park, it’s not too overwhelming and can easily be walked. Most of my sessions here are one hour (however, this one was two hours) and we can get a lot done within that one hour!

I highly recommend engagement sessions and proposals here! It’s just one of the BEST!

T+P Engagement Session

When Talieh first reached out, I could just tell how excited she was to do her session. But, there was some reservation in her voice. As we dove deeper into our conversation, we got down and dirty.

The first reservation is the most obvious: like most of us, including myself, she and Payam aren’t entirely comfortable being in front of the camera. They wanted a little more direction and posing. She had been scrolling through Pinterest for ideas and wanted to make sure I was onboard and ok with being more “hands on.” Not a problem. This is exactly why I love consultations! Knowing this lets me know that she wants direction and has no problem with a little “bossiness.” **Whereas some of my couples prefer a more natural approach and less posing.**

The second had to do with an experience they had in the past with another photographer, who had them doing a lot of PDA. This was the kind of thing they didn’t want to do. They wanted more family-friendly posing that could easily be displayed on walls and save-the-dates.

As for the rest of the session, they just wanted to be comfortable and have fun! I mean, I feel like we achieved all of the above!

Couple posing at the keyhole at Zilker botanical garden smiling at Austin Texas Photographer
Couple dancing in front of the keyhole at Zilker botanical garden
Couple in a loving embrace in front of the keyhole at Zilker botanical garden in austin TX
An engagement ring that the Austin Texas Photographer shot.
Couple standing in front of the waterfall at Zilker botanical garden in Austin Texas
Engaged couple on the walking path at zilker botanical garden with Austin Texas Photographer
The bride to be holding her fiance from behind at zilker botanical garden.
The couple holding hands and walking through the rose garden at zilker botanical garden
Couple standing on top of rocks at Zilker botanical garden while Austin Texas Photographer stands below
Engaged couple walking on rocks across the pond at Zilker botanical garden in Austin.
Austin Texas Photographer shooting couple on a bridge at Zilker botanical garden.
Newly engaged couple sitting on steps on a bridge at Zilker botanical garden.
Bride to be looking at Austin Texas Photographer.

These two photos were shot on 35mm film (I shot one roll of film during our session):

Film shots of the couple at zilker botanical garden in Austin, texas
The couple sitting in the rose garden at Zilker botanical garden.
The couple sitting on a stone wall at zilker botanical garden in austin texas.
Austin Texas Photographer photographing couple throughout zilker botanical garden.
Newly engaged couple running through the grass at the park in austin, texas.
Couple underneath the trees at zilker botanical garden in austin, texas.
newly engaged couple in a small pagoda at zilker botanical garden.
the couple being playful while being photographed by the Austin Texas Photographer.

And we ended our session where we began … at the keyhole …

The couple sitting in the keyhole at zilker botanical garden in austin, tx.

Austin Texas Photographer

Engaged, excited to start your wedding journey, and want to celebrate with a session? Reach out and let’s talk about celebrating together!

Looking for more romantic settings? Check out my list of the best locations for engagement photos in Austin!

Mine is @naomiphelpsphoto!!!