a date night in bishop arts with alex and tyler
There’s no way around it: planning for Christmas cards can be incredibly stressful. What should you wear; where should you go; should you include your pets? There’s no shortage of decisions you have to make for these kinds of family portraits, but when Alex and Tyler approached me with the task of photographing theirs, I knew exactly how to tackle this session.
I’ve never been a big proponent of just posing a family for the grip and grin smiles. My philosophy is when something can be done better, it should. I wanted this session to be more than just Christmas card worthy, so I suggested we start off with their dogs for a full family photo and then spend the rest of our time together on a date night around their neighborhood in Bishop Arts. Bishop Arts is a unique district in Dallas; an eclectic mix of boutiques, night life, restaurants and residential spaces that combine to make a charming and special neighborhood. For Alex and Tyler, it’s also the place their relationship blossomed as they grew together and fell in love.
Once the pups were put away, we headed off to explore together. They reminisced about dates they’d had here and things they’d bought there, and after, decided to show me a few of their favorite places. They stopped for coffee at Palmieri and danced together under strung-up twinkle lights. Each place we photographed felt like theirs alone and after kisses under the neon lights from Dude, Sweet Chocolate on 8th, we made our way to Oasis Plant Shop.
Oasis is a regularly-visited spot for these two and from the moment we walked in, you could tell. Both love plants and they strolled through the back patio browsing together like I wasn’t even there. It was something they’d done together countless times, almost like a habit. After stopping to laugh, kiss, and enjoy the moment together, they finished the night with one final dance under the Bishop Lane marquee.
What started as a portrait session to check the Christmas card box ended as an intimate and memorable night filled with photos that show the real story of this couple and the place they fell in love. Sure, there’s no formula for portraits and every couple is different. But, if you’re looking for a solution to getting something a little bit more than just point-and-shoot smiles, I can’t suggest a night like this one enough.
