Highland Park · Portraits & Engagements
Flippen Park
An elegant Highland Park legacy
Highland Park · Portraits & Engagements
An elegant Highland Park legacy
Why I shoot here
Tucked into the quiet heart of Highland Park, Flippen Park is one of the most coveted portrait locations in Dallas — and one I come back to constantly. The romantic gazebo, the manicured hedges, the long shaded walks: it photographs like a storybook without ever feeling staged.
It's my go-to recommendation for engagements and proposals, milestone family portraits, and anyone who wants that classic, elegant Dallas look. At golden hour the whole park goes soft and warm, and the gazebo becomes the kind of backdrop people assume was a set.
Engagements & proposals · classic family portraits · anniversary sessions
Elegant, romantic, timeless — manicured greens and storybook architecture
Golden hour, about an hour before sunset. I'll time your session to it and handle every detail of the plan.
None needed to have portraits made in the park. Only a gazebo proposal needs a reservation.
Inside the park
Flippen Park is small, which is part of its charm. Everything is a short, easy walk, so we spend the session making photographs instead of hiking between spots.
Water, soft greens and a stone bench at the edge of the reflecting pool. This is where I make the quieter portraits: one person or a couple, with the fountain melting into the background.
Cream-colored arches and wrought-iron scrollwork that frame a couple the way a doorway frames a person. It's the park's signature, and the place most proposals happen.
Wide lawn and big oaks. There's room for a family to sit, walk and move, and for kids to run off the nerves before we settle in.
Good to know
No permit needed. You don't have to reserve a time to have portraits made in the park. We walk it and shoot.
Proposing in the gazebo? That is the one thing that needs a reservation with the Town of Highland Park, and I'll help you set it up. The Town's online application has to be filed by a Highland Park resident, holds each slot to 30 minutes in daylight, and doesn't allow chairs, flowers or other props. Reserve early and tell me the time you get, and we'll plan around it.
Toddlers and little kids. It's a small park and an easy one to walk with toddlers.
If it rains, we reschedule.
What to wear. Soft, solid colors look beautiful against the greens and cream stone. Skip tiny patterns and logos.
The light
Golden hour begins about an hour before sunset. In Dallas, mid-month sunsets run roughly:
Dec 5:22 PM · Jan 5:42 PM · Feb 6:11 PM
Mar 7:34 PM · Apr 7:56 PM · May 8:17 PM
Jun 8:36 PM · Jul 8:36 PM · Aug 8:14 PM
Sep 7:35 PM · Oct 6:55 PM · Nov 5:27 PM
Fall and winter are the sweet spot: golden hour lands well within the park's evening hours, and the low sun turns the cream stone warm. In spring and summer sunset comes late, so tell me your date and I'll pick the time that gives you the best light.
Park rules
The Town of Highland Park has a short photography policy for its parks, and it suits the way I work: a camera, good light and you.
Questions
No. You don't need a permit or a reserved time for a portrait session in the park. Only a proposal in the gazebo needs a reservation with the Town of Highland Park.
Yes. It's a small park and easy to walk with toddlers, so a session stays relaxed.
We reschedule to a day that works.
Engagements and proposals, milestone family portraits, anniversaries and senior portraits. See the engagement page, the family portrait page and our Highland Park family photography.
The Gallery
Check Availability
Tell me a little about what you're planning and I'll come back with dates and everything you need to know. I answer every inquiry personally.
Keep Exploring
Also see Highland Park family photography.
