San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of family walking in forest consisting of grandparents, adult brother, and mother and father holding hands of little boy
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San Antonio Botanical Garden Family Portrait

ByKelly Williams, Photographer

It doesn’t matter the time of year; the San Antonio Botanical Garden is always a beautiful location for a photo shoot. It is a particularly good location for family portraits, though for large groups the garden can pose certain challenges. In today’s blog post, I’ll give you all the behind-the-scenes details of my most recent San Antonio Botanical Garden family portrait session. I’ll take you through the planning, the process, and most importantly, the photos so that you’ll know what to expect for your upcoming session.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of family consisting of grandparents, mother holding little boy, father, and adult man standing in the forest

Meet Tyler and Her Family

Let me introduce you to Tyler and her family. Tyler wanted to make her mother’s upcoming 60th birthday special with a family portrait session to commemorate the day. Luckily, I got the call to make this a birthday to remember. The whole family piled into the car from Buda and came down to San Antonio to make it a weekend vacation. The plan was to have a fun time making memories together at the botanical gardens before they enjoyed a birthday celebration dinner.

The Planning

As always, I visited the botanical gardens to scout locations for Tyler’s family portrait session well ahead of our photo shoot. While I know the San Antonio Botanical Gardens quite well, looking at the gardens in terms of knowing where to strategically place people for group portraits is another matter. During my visit, the gardens were decorated to the hilt with pumpkins. I checked with the front desk, and was assured that these pumpkins would remain in place upon our return on November 8th for our session.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of woman wearing white shirt and corduroy dress holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants and touching foreheads

The Portrait Session

The Challenges

Surprise! No, such luck with the pumpkins. The garden was in the process of installing the ‘lluminate’ winter display, and nearly all of the pumpkins were gone. This was fine with Tyler, as she was not that much a fan of the, shall we say, pumpkin-forward displays that were in the garden. Still, I had to pivot, and pivot I did. My locations remained the same, but this time with the absence of marigolds and pumpkins in the background.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of grandmother wearing maroon dress holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants

Our Locations

Tyler had wanted to concentrate on the Texas Native Trail. We did indeed spend the majority of our time taking photos in this area. However, we started off the photo shoot by the wall of the family adventure garden since there was some shade here.

Tyler had requested individual photos with each family member and her son, so I began with these individual images. The next step was a great family portrait on the stairs, and then a quick few photos on the bench at the overlook.

Mother and father holding little boy holding small pumpkin in front of log cabin wall during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session

Our Final Photos – with Pumpkins!

While the dappled light found throughout the Texas Native Trail was certainly tricky, this portion of the session was fun to shoot. Tyler’s little boy had a blast throwing rocks and playing in the dirt with his dump truck. I encouraged him (and everyone else) to have fun in the dirt. At the end of the trail, we were rewarded with a few pumpkins, which Tyler’s son absolutely adored.

San Antonio Botanical Garden Family Portrait Session – The Best Photo Locations

So, what are the best locations for family portraits in the San Antonio Botanical Gardens?

Wide view of Kumamoto En Japanese Garden showing azumaya, pond, bridge, stones, and trees for an article on the best San Antonio Botanical Garden photo locations

Documentary-Style Gardens. For small families looking for candid photos, you can get expressive photos just about anywhere. The key here is to concentrate on experiencing the garden together. For example, going to the desert greenhouse, and pointing out cactus to your children, etc. If you are going for a documentary style, I recommend the desert greenhouse, Kumamoto En Japanese garden, sacred garden, and old-fashioned gardens. you can certainly take composed portraits in these areas, but note that due to the limited size of the gardens, it is a bit difficult to keep other visitors out of your background. (Note: the Lucile Halsell Conservatory and Exhibit Room are closed for renovation as of November 2025.)

Wide view of grass and stone columns covered in vines of amphitheater for an article on the best San Antonio Botanical Garden photo locations

Amphitheater. For portraits where you need to spread out a blanket for little ones, or when you just want to have space for kids to run around, I recommend the amphitheater. The lawn in front of the amphitheater is hardly ever in use, and you will have no visitors in your background. The vine-covered columns of the amphitheater get fantastic, filtered light and are beautiful for portraits as well. This is truly one of my favorite areas in the San Antonio Botanical Gardens which I recommend for photo sessions of all types.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of family of grandparents, mother, father, and brother plus little boy sitting together on steps with bushes on side

Staircase. The shaded staircase is a practical choice for a seated family portrait. Note, however, this is a high traffic area. Get your family together ahead of time and be quick about your photo so that you are not holding up other guests.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother and father playing peekaboo with little boy on wooden bench

Overlook. Don’t overlook the overlook. The benches at the overlook are a fun stop for photos. You do, have to watch out what is in the background. Often this area is in transition, as it was during Tyler’s family portrait. But on a clear day, there is a terrific view of the San Antonio skyline waiting for you in the distance.

San Antonio Botanical Garden Family Portrait Session – The Most Challenging Locations

All of the gardens listed below are lovely, but beware the challenges that come with such beauty.

View through gate to rose garden for an article on the best San Antonio Botanical Garden photo locations

Rose & Old-Fashioned Gardens. The rose garden and it’s next-door neighbor, the old-fashioned garden, are the most popular gardens. And because of that, you can expect to never have these two gardens to yourself. Plan to be cropped in close for any portraits.

The other issue is that these two gardens are pretty much always in full sun. If you are going to shoot here, you will need to schedule these gardens for the end (or at the start, if you’re shooting in the morning) of your session so that you can avoid the harshest rays of the sun.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of parents and daughter and son in front of tree and bushes

Texas Native Trail. You can get some lovely photos tiptoeing through the forest in the Texas Native Trail. However, if you don’t schedule your session so that you are avoiding the overhead sun, you’ll likely be fighting dappled light here, there, and everywhere. Inconsistent light is the bane of every photographer’s existence. And let me tell you, I was fighting it hard during Tyler’s photo shoot. This means blown out highlights and dark patches in the same photo. The other problem with this area is that on crowded weekends, the good spots tend to get snatched up quickly. The ring around the lake can feel very small.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of family walking in forest consisting of grandparents, adult brother, and mother and father holding hands of little boy while swinging him in the air

San Antonio Botanical Garden Family Portrait Session – Best Group Locations

The trick with group photos is that you need to maintain a blank background that is free of visual clutter, including other visitors. That can be tough to do in a crowded garden. There are a few spots, however, I would recommend.

Amphitheater. The amphitheater’s wide-open space is going to be your best bet if you have a huge group.

Texas Native Trail. Next up, try the Texas Native Trail. Backing a group up against a wall of trees will make it look like you have the forest all to yourself.

East Texas Log Cabin. At the end of the Texas Native Trail is the East Texas Log Cabin. There aren’t usually many people hanging around this building, so you can use it for photos. This is the one location where we found pumpkins, and during my initial venue check it was decorated even more fully.

Mother and father looking at little boy being held up in the air in front of trees in front of lake during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session

San Antonio Botanical Garden Family Portrait Session – Logistics

Photo Permit

Any type of staged photo shoot at the San Antonio Botanical Garden requires a photo permit. A photo permit costs $50, and is payable on the day of your shoot at the admission desk. The new policy is that photographers turn their driver’s license in and receive a badge to wear around their neck to show that the permit has been purchased.

Hours

Hours for the botanical gardens are as follows:

November – February
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Daily
The Garden will close at 4 p.m. daily from November 19 – January 11 for Illuminate.

March – October
8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Daily
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Sunday

The garden hours tend to change depending upon if there is a special event going on in the garden, so make sure you check the San Antonio Botanical Garden website to confirm the hours before the day of your photo shoot.

Please note that garden members can get into the gardens an hour earlier. So, if you are taking photos of a garden member and their family, they can also get their photographer into the garden an hour early as well.  This will really let you have the garden all to yourself.

Admission Fees

Admission to the garden is $18 on weekdays, and $22 on the weekends. There are special discounts for children and for military.

Mother and father holding little boy holding small pumpkin seated on bench in front of log cabin wall during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session

San Antonio Botanical Garden Family Portrait Session – Tips

Avoid the weekends if you can. I have harped on this thousands of times before, but avoid the San Antonio Botanical Gardens on the weekends if at all possible. Saturdays and Sundays are the garden’s busiest days. Case in point, Tyler’s photo shoot on Saturday had two public events going on and the garden was quite full. Make your life easy, and schedule your session for a weekday. If you have to schedule your session for a weekend, however, schedule your shoot for as late in the afternoon as possible. Both of the afternoon events I mentioned during Tyler’s photo session finished by 2pm.

Go for ‘golden hour’. Several of the prime gardens are in full sun. To look your best when the sun is at its worst, you need to schedule your session so that the rays of the sun are at as much of a slant as possible. This means timing your session so that it is just after the garden opens or just before it closes. The good news is, this is a great way to also avoid crowds.

Wear comfortable shoes. Remember, the San Antonio Botanical Garden covers 39 acres. Unless you’re sticking to one tiny portion of the garden, you’ll likely be walking quite far. Wear comfortable shoes so you can get from point A to point B without ruining your feet. Also, not all of the pathways in the gardens are paved. You’ll be going over rough terrain, so it pays to be appropriately heeled.

Map of the San Antonio Botanical Garden

Bring your own snacks and water. Sadly, the restaurant in the gardens closed down this past year. The only food that’s available is in the gift shop. For little ones (and for big ones) bring some snacks to give you a second wind.

So, that’s it for this post. Enjoy the images, and I’ll have more photo adventures for you next week!

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If you find this article on my ‘San Antonio Botanical Garden Family Portrait’ useful, then check out these articles:

Looking to book a family portrait session in San Antonio? Drop me a line and let’s chat about how I can help you. I have hourly rates, and all photo shoots include editing and high-resolution files.

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

San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of grandmother wearing maroon dress playing with little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of grandfather wearing plaid shirt and khaki pants holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of grandfather wearing plaid shirt and khaki pants playing with little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man wearing plaid shirt and khaki pants holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man wearing plaid shirt and khaki pants holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man wearing plaid shirt and khaki pants holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man wearing purple shirt and brown pants playing with little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man wearing purple shirt and brown pants playing with little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man wearing purple shirt and brown pants holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants on his shoulders
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man wearing purple shirt and brown pants holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants on his shoulders
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of woman wearing white shirt and corduroy dress holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of woman wearing white shirt and corduroy dress holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of woman wearing white shirt and corduroy dress holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of woman wearing white shirt and corduroy dress holding little boy wearing purple shirt and tan pants
Mother wearing corduroy dress holding hand of little boy wearing maroon shirt walking up stairs during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother, father, and little boy who is eating goldfish crackers on a wooden bench
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother and father kissing little boy on the cheeks on a wooden bench
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother and father playing peekaboo with little boy on wooden bench
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man with beard wearing brown plaid shirt standing in front of trees
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of family walking in forest consisting of grandparents, adult brother, and mother and father holding hands of little boy
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother and father walking in the forest holding hands of little boy while swinging him in the air
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother, father, and grandmother watching little boy throw something in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother and father watching with little boy throw something in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother and father watching with little boy throw something in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother and father watching little boy throw laugh in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of little boy smiling while wearing maroon shirt sitting beside man and woman in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of mother and father watching with little boy throw something in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of little boy wearing maroon shirt and khaki pants playing with mulch in his toy dump truck
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of little boy wearing maroon shirt and khaki pants playing with mulch in his toy dump truck
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of little boy wearing maroon shirt and khaki pants playing with mulch in his toy dump truck
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of little boy wearing maroon shirt and khaki pants playing with mulch in his toy dump truck
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of little boy wearing maroon shirt and khaki pants playing with mulch in his toy dump truck
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of little boy wearing maroon shirt and khaki pants playing with mulch in his toy dump truck alongside his grandparents
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of little boy wearing maroon shirt and khaki pants playing with mulch in his toy dump truck alongside his grandparents
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of grandmother wearing maroon dress and long necklace showing handful of dirt to little boy's hands
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of woman with head resting on man's shoulder in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man wearing maroon shirt looking at woman wearing corduroy dress in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of grandparents holding hands of little boy walking through the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of grandparents holding hands of little boy walking through the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of older man kissing older woman wearing maroon dress on the forehead in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of older woman wearing maroon dress standing with older man wearing plaid shirt in the forest
San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait of man with beard wearing brown plaid shirt standing in front of trees
Brother with beard wearing brown plaid shirt standing with sister wearing white shirt and corduroy dress in front of trees during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Brother with beard wearing brown plaid shirt hugging sister wearing white shirt and corduroy dress in front of trees during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Grandparents with hands up in the air swinging on bench swing with little boy in forest during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Mother and father holding little boy holding small pumpkin seated on bench in front of log cabin wall during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy wearing purple shirt with arm outstretched in front of large pumpkin standing in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy wearing purple shirt banging on large pumpkin standing in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy wearing purple shirt with hands on large pumpkin during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy wearing purple shirt holding small pumpkin in front of people sitting during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy playing playing with large pumpkin alongside father wearing matching purple shirt in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy playing playing with large pumpkin in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy playing in water stream with grandparents and family in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy playing in water stream with grandparents and family in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy playing in water stream with grandparents and family in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy playing in water stream with grandparents and family in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy playing in water stream with grandparents and family in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session
Little boy playing in water stream with grandparents and family in front of bushes during a San Antonio Botanical Gardens family portrait session

Hi! My name is Kelly Williams, and I am a wedding and family photographer serving San Antonio and Austin, Texas. I love telling the story of someone’s love, life, and happiness in one frame.

I proudly call San Antonio home, but I have lived in NYC for the past 21 years.

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