Best Parks in Houston for Families & Couples
Parks have always been a great places to have a picnic or a barbecue or just to hang out, but for me, it’s perfect for family and couple photography. First of all, most parks are public meaning as long as you’re not making a disturbance, you’re being respectful, and you mind your business, taking photos in a lovely and accessible spot is a pleasant time.
I spent the past weekend checking out some spots in Houston notably some in Katy and some in Sugarland that I would choose for photo sessions for families, couples, maternities, or graduate senior portraits! This blog post will be constantly updated over time as I check out new locations throughout Houston.
Oyster Creek Park
I took the weekend to go location scouting for some potential photo shoot spots. Back on Guam, I loved shooting at parks especially Asan Beach Park. Some of my best photos were taken there and to this day, I love and look back on those with fond memories. I thought I wouldn’t be able to find a spot that made me feel the way I did with that park back home. Then I found Oyster Creek Park in Sugarland.
The parking was super shaded, which means even during the daytime, our cars wouldn’t be scorching hot. You’re greeted by a very beautiful looking wooden bridge that’s already a great spot to take photos! The only downside is it’s the most convenient way into the park so you’ll have a lot of foot traffic making it difficult for shooting. Plus as a general rule of thumb when taking pictures in public places, is to not be rude and obstruct others; otherwise they would limit photography.
But don’t let that get you discouraged because once you cross the bride, you’ll find this super wide open view of the park and if you have been doing photography for a long time now, you’ll instantly see any opportunity waiting for a shot. After the bridge, you’ll come to a gorgeous fountain that’s already a hot spot for pictures. When I went, there were many photographers doing senior portrait sessions by the fountain. Luckily, it’s a hot spot so photographers usually take a few shots and then split.
After that, there is a big overhead white pavilion with a lot of open spaces and shade. The rocky floors make it even more ‘park-ish’ (if that’s a word) so there’s already so many spots that I would shoot in.
Lastly, there was a small bridge over an aqua colored small river that leads into the pond. Not even 10 minutes into walking into the park, I was already in love with the place. If you’re planning your next photo session in Sugarland area, you already know the perfect spot.
Stevenson Park
On my second day of location scouting, I took to areas that are around Manvel and Pearland since these locations are also where I live close by. I already visited one park that I thought was pretty in the Google pics, but then when I got there, I realized it was not what I expected… *cough cough aligator and venomous snake caution signs cough cough*
Needless to say, I didn’t find the place acceptable to be having family and couple sessions so it was an instant rejection. As I was driving to my next potential location, my drive took me to the downtown Pearland. I’m used to the Pearland area that’s like Target, Costco, or Panera Bread (could really use some right now) so I wasn’t expecting this neat gem on the side of the road.
On the road, I happened to catch a park near the side of the road. At first, I thought it was a casual little hangout spot, but then there were tall trees, red pathways, and a beautiful gazebo. I made a spontaneous right turn and parked the car because I had to experience it for myself. The sun was at a nice height where the colors started to turn golden and the air wasn’t so hot. The view that I saw astounded me, I was literally speechless. The golden light shining through the trees as a father took his son to the playground and the young adult playing volleyball in the sand area was gorgeous. The park was even bigger than I saw on the road. As I walked on the pathways, there were many excellent spots I could already see having a photo shoot at.
Not to mention the absolute EYECATCHER that was the gazebo in the center of the park. Next to it was a little bench dedicated to someone under the cooling shade of the tall trees. If I wasn’t using this location for a family session, you could bet I would use it for an elopement.
I took as many pictures as I could that captured the beauty of the scenery I saw and you can view those here. The thing I find the most fun of location scouting is being able to be this little travel photographer for a little while and experiencing wondrous sights and places like Stevenson Park. If I needed a favorite location to do wedding photography or family photography or elopements, this would be it.
Independence Park
I love driving on the roads in Houston. Back at home, our roads were very turn-y, but out here, you can drive on a straight road for minutes and with your favorite songs playing on the radio, it’s a great time driving on a Saturday afternoon. Only thing that could make this feeling even better was some location scouting and my drive took me to Independence Park in Pearland. The first thing that stood out was the outdoor basketball court with a nice overhang rooftop. But what astounded me more was the vast amount of open space the park had. There were a good abundance of trees scattered and lined up, but the space was something refreshing and free.
If you were to walk past the court, you would come across a cute little pathway entrance with a pear sign (it’s Pearland, duh lol). I walked across and found a nice playground for kids that had one of those wooden monuments (I dunno what they’re called) where kids go up and pretend it’s like a castle. There were parents watching their kids and I could already see this was a safe place for families and couples to be around in.
Some families were eating a meal on the tables, but the space was just so vast, they barely took up any space. There may not be that many scenic areas around here, but I take pride knowing that a lot of my past sessions were taken in wide open spaces like this and we made it work. I also think that when Christmas time comes around, this would be even more perfect as they put up a giant Christmas tree for people to see and hangout at! Independence Park is already a sight to see, a place to relax, but come the holiday times, this place will be packed with people.