Downtown San Antonio Photo Shoot Neighborhood Discount

The downtown area is underutilized for photo shoots, and it is my mission to try and get more people to visit my neck of the woods. The diversity of backdrops in the community lends itself well to portraits of all types. So, if you are looking for a shortened session that can have you jump from a green park to a super chic skyscraper just by crossing the street, then read all about my downtown San Antonio photo shoot neighborhood discount in today’s blog post!

Meet Yuliya

Let me start off by introducing you to Yuliya. She and I met through a mutual friend. Yuliya is a bit of a vagabond and was just heading off on a whirlwind tour of Peru. But while she was in town for a few days, she asked if I can take some new headshots of her.

Details of Our Downtown San Antonio Model Headshot Session

I, of course, made myself available and I had the perfect locations in mind for our shoot. I began by creating a Pinterest board of the locations and look for our shoot. Yuliya is just starting out as a model, so she needed basic headshots showing how she could rock a pair of jeans and a basic t-shirt. For this casual look I decided to start at the San Pedro Creek. This area is always beautifully landscaped and rarely visited.

For a second look, we decided walk one block over to the UTSA campus. Here I posed Yuliya against a piece of public, modern art. Again, there was no one on the street, so we had the place all to ourselves. Our final location was one block over by the STREAM waterfall between Commerce and Houston Streets.

Downtown San Antonio Photo Shoot Neighborhood Discount:
No, it’s NOT the Pearl

I know what you’re going to say: ‘why not just go to the Pearl?’ Listen, I love the Pearl. It’s a great location in San Antonio, and one I am very familiar with for proposals and engagement shoots (see my recent shoots here and here). But let’s be honest: it’s a bit overdone. Everyone goes to the Pearl. And because of that, the area has become very crowded and parking is a nightmare. You have an alternative, and it’s right downtown.

Downtown San Antonio Photo Shoot Neighborhood Discount:
Where Can You Go?

So where can you go instead of the Pearl? Let’s start by defining ‘downtown.’ I consider downtown San Antonio to be bounded by four major navigation points: Cesar Chavez Boulevard at the south and the Central Library at the north; and everything in between Interstate 10/35 and Interstate 37 going from west to east. Within these four coordinates you have lots – and I mean LOTS – of location options.

I have written about my preferred downtown spots (here and here), but let me recap my favorites. If you want to go with a classic park background, then you can’t do better than the San Pedro Creek area. This was the starting point for my model headshot session with Yuliya.

For family portraits, you also have Civic Park at Hemisfair and the Yanaguana Garden. Even though the park is currently under construction (expected to be completed in 2025), you still have lots of green space to choose from. And if you are looking for a fun place to entertain the kids, then may I recommend the colorful playground at Yanaguana. The playground even has a splash pad that can cool off the littles (and bigs) after your shoot.

If architecture is your jam, then the quaint, colonial structures of La Villita and Market Square fit the bill nicely. (Check out photos from my engagement session with Nadia and Joshua at La Villita here.) You can also go for a chic, city vibe by strolling down Jefferson Street and Peacock Alley. The point is, you can get just about any look you are going for in the downtown San Antonio area.

Downtown San Antonio Photo Shoot Neighborhood Discount:
What’s Included?

My portrait sessions are normally 90 minutes in length, and cost $450. But if you have a little one with a short attention span, then an hour and a half may be pushing it. Likewise, maybe you just want a few photos for a ‘Save the Date’ session. Then this quickie session – 60 minutes for $300 – is the perfect fit.

Best of all, these shortened sessions still include all of the benefits of my full portrait sessions:

An extensive pre-shoot consultation, during which I work with you to develop a shot list and timeline
Photo shoot location visits ahead of your session to assess the lighting
Editing and color correction provided for all images, with an average of three hours of post-production work for every single hour of photography
On average, 50-75 photos delivered for every hour of portraiture
High-resolution digital files for all images with personal-use print release; no watermarks
A black and white, high-resolution duplicate of each color image
An online, password-protected gallery to conveniently share your photos and order prints
The best 20+ images are ready to view within 48 hours and will be posted online for you to share
Final delivery of all edited images within five weeks’ time
All images are delivered in JPG format via digital download, in both low- and high-resolution

Downtown San Antonio Photo Shoot Neighborhood Discount:
Why You Should Come Downtown

Maybe you haven’t thought about downtown San Antonio except in terms of the chaos and crowds of Fiesta. I live here (on Dwyer Avenue!) and I am happy to tell you that it’s different downtown. Sure, parking is a pain, but a photo shoot downtown doesn’t have to include tons of tourists and vagrants in the background. The neighborhood is safe and I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Yes, there are more people moving around downtown, but there are tricks to make it look like you have the entire place to yourself. Furthermore, you have many different locations within a 10-block radius that can fit just about any mood you want. Indeed, the variety of looks you can achieve downtown just can’t be matched in any park in San Antonio.

So, if you live around the corner, drop me a line and let’s set up a time to schedule your portrait session downtown. Our community has a lot to offer, and I am always happy to work with my fellow neighbors.

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If you found this article on ‘Downtown San Antonio Photo Shoot Neighborhood Discount’ useful, then check out my other interesting articles here:

Are you interested in scheduling a portrait session in San Antonio? Drop me a line and let’s chat about how I can help you. All portrait sessions include editing and high-resolution files.

To view more images from my photography portfolio, please visit my website – KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com