La Villita Engagement Photos

If you only know La Villita as the site of NIOSA during the chaos of Fiesta, then you are missing out. This ‘neighborhood’ in downtown San Antonio is chock full of charm and local artists. Most importantly, it is a fantastic backdrop for photo shoots. This Thursday I had the pleasure of taking Nadia and Joshua’s La Villita engagement photos. Today’s blog post will give you all the details of the session, tips for your own photo shoot in downtown San Antonio, and a little bit of behind-the-scenes information on how I planned everything.

Meet Nadia and Joshua

Let’s start off by meeting the lovely couple: Nadia and Joshua. These two lovebirds met five years ago in nursing school. Though they have busy schedules as nurses, they are making it work and will finally tie the knot on July 25^th. I will have the pleasure of photographing the couple as they walk down the aisle at the Old San Francisco Steakhouse.

By the way, Nadia and Joshua took advantage of my ‘Elopement Essay’ photography package, which includes three hours of wedding photography plus a one-hour photo shoot downtown. So, if you are interested in making a visit to downtown San Antonio, this is an example of what is possible. (More details on the neighborhood discount next week!)

La Villita: An Introduction

While La Villita’s small square block of shops is most famous as the site of the NIOSA celebration, it actually should be better known as the birthplace of modern San Antonio. The first residents of La Villita moved there in the 18th century to raise crops along the San Antonio River and to seek the protection of the nearby Presidio San Antonio de Béjar military complex. The neighborhood, along with the Villa de San Fernando and the Presidio, came together in 1809 to form the town we know today as San Antonio. You can read more about the fascinating history of La Villita on the property’s website, here.

The modern interpretation of La Villita is as a venue hosting four restaurants and 20 local artisan shops. In addition, La Villita has six separate venues for rent including the Little Church, Plaza Juarez, and Arneson River Theatre.

Are Photo Permits Required At La Villita? Yes…

There are two separate answers to the question, ‘Are photo permits required at La Villita?’ If you go to the La Villita website, it will tell you that a photo permit from the San Antonio Film Commission is absolutely required – even for personal photography (i.e., engagements, proposals, and family portraits). San Antonio is a film-friendly city, so photo permits are free of charge. Furthermore, it is easy to apply online for a permit. The catch, however, is that the SAFC requires at least 10 days to process the permit application.

For Nadia and Joshua, I wanted to follow the rules, and filled out a permit request online. However, Nadia and Joshua have very difficult schedules, and their session came together with only two days’ notice. As could be expected, my online film permit application was declined. This definitely gave me a bit of a scare. La Villita is a pretty empty property, and security guards do roam the space. In other words, there is no hiding my camera during a photo shoot at La Villita.

Are Photo Permits Required At La Villita? …No.

But fear not: this story ends well. After chatting with the management at La Villita, the office staff confirmed that the property welcomes photo shoots and does not have any permit requirements per se. The only rule is that the property closes at 8:30 PM, and the management requests that you do not enter the stage area of the Arneson River Theatre.

Bottom line: you can freely take photos at La Villita without a permit, even though the official website instructs you otherwise. If you need to get into the Little Church or to the Arneson River Theatre stage area, then of course you will need to make arrangements directly with the La Villita office. But if you all you want is a beautiful background for a photo shoot, then La Villita is yet another wonderful space to choose in downtown San Antonio. Have I mentioned how much easier it is to take photos in San Antonio rather than in New York City? Needless to say, this story would not have ended the same in NYC.

La Villita Engagement Photos: Start at the Little Church

I started Nadia and Joshua‘s engagement session in front of Little Church. This location is easy to recognize on the map, and a good central starting point. It is also in the shade. As with most of my sessions, we started out by getting rid of the couple’s nerves with a few walking shots. Next up were a few photos on the stairs. From here we walked around the church towards Alamo Street and back towards the main patio area.

La Villita Engagement Photos: Main Patio and Fountain

The little patio with the fountain was our next stop. This is really the only area where I found some blooming flowers in July. The tree branch overhanging the patio offered a wonderful light filter and was able to still keep the couple in the shade.

La Villita Engagement Photos: Riverwalk

You can’t take photos at La Villita without also going down to the Riverwalk. This area of the Riverwalk right in front of the Arneson River Theatre is a very popular spot, so patience is essential. We took our time and got some great photos, but note that the area is very public. La Villita is an incredibly private location, and we had the entire place all to ourselves during the session. By contrast, if your subject prefers privacy, then you may need to skip the Riverwalk.

La Villita Engagement Photos: Tiled Staircase

Our last stop was at the tiled staircase, which you can find along the right side of the Arneson Theatre stairs as you are looking towards La Villita. At this time of year, the staircase is covered over in lush, green vines. And while the stairs are lovely, make sure you don’t forget the stone wall at the top of the staircase.

Conclusion

La Villita is an unbelievable venue for photos of just about any type. The unique architectural details and San Antonio heritage make it the perfect downtown spot for an engagement, surprise proposal, or a family portrait session. If you schedule your session for late in the afternoon, you are guaranteed to have the whole place to yourself. I am still going to recommend that you apply for a permit if you have 10-days’ notice. That said, you will probably be OK if you have to fly without it. Finally, once you have toured La Villita, make sure you take a few steps down to the Riverwalk for photos in front of the Arneson River Theatre.

As I have said countless times, come on downtown: we’ve got lots of places for you to explore. San Antonio is not boring.

Enjoy the images, and I will have more photo adventures for you next week!

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