Water Senior Portraits: Lake Sessions at Little Elm Beach

Water senior portraits don’t have to mean going under. You can walk into a lake up to your knees in a dress, near sunset, and never get your hair wet. This page is about senior pictures in the water at Little Elm Beach on Lewisville Lake, about 20 minutes from Frisco.

I haven’t shot a session in the lake yet. What I have shot is a senior wading in the creek at Limestone Quarry Park (that’s Zoe below) and underwater portraits in a pool. The lake sits between those two, and I’d like to shoot it. If you book it, you’d be my first one out there.

Three ways to get in the water

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People mean different things by water senior portraits, so here’s how I split it up.

The easy one is ankle deep in a creek. Partway through a regular session you kick off your shoes and step into the creek at Limestone Quarry Park in Frisco. Zoe did it in a sundress. It fits inside any session and costs nothing extra.

The one this page is about is a lake. You walk in from the sand at Little Elm Beach, as far as your knees or your waist, and the dress gets soaked.

All the way under is a different session: underwater senior portraits, shot in a private pool for $750.

Why Little Elm Beach

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Little Elm Park, 701 W Eldorado Pkwy, Little Elm, TX

Little Elm Beach is a sand beach on Lewisville Lake, inside Little Elm Park. The town calls it one of the largest open swim areas in North Texas. I picked it for the sand: it’s a swim beach, so you can walk from dry ground into the lake in a long dress. I haven’t waded in there myself yet. I’ll scout it before the first session and add what I find to this page.

The drive: about 20 minutes from central Frisco, straight out Eldorado Parkway.

Parking: it depends on the day. In 2026 the town charged $10 a car on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from April 3 through Labor Day, and more on holiday and event weekends. Monday through Thursday wasn’t on the paid list. The town’s beach page has the current dates.

It’s a real beach, so warm weekends get busy. A Monday through Thursday evening should be quieter, and those were the free parking days.

There’s no lifeguard. The posted rule is swim at your own risk, in the designated area only. Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach or the beach sidewalk, so leave yours home for this one.

It’s also a North Texas lake, so don’t expect clear blue water. Water looks better late in the day, when it’s reflecting the sky, and that’s when I’d shoot.

How the session would go

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I haven’t run this one yet, so read this as the plan.

We’d plan it the way I plan any session: outfits, a backup date, and for this one, how far in you want to go.

On the day we start dry. The first part of the session is on the sand and around the park, while your hair and outfit are still the way you left the house. The lake comes last, because once the dress is wet it stays wet.

Then you walk in slowly. Ankles first, then knees, and up to your waist if you’re up for it. How far is your call, and I won’t take anyone deeper than that. I direct you the same way I do on land: where to look, what to do with your hands, when to move the skirt. You don’t need to show up with poses.

For timing, I’d shoot in the last hour or so before sunset, like most of my outdoor sessions, on a Monday through Thursday if you can. I’d plan it for the warm months, roughly May through September, since you’ll be standing in the lake for a while. The creek works earlier in the year because it’s only your ankles.

What to wear in the water

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I haven’t shot a dress in this lake yet, so take this as where I’d start. Some of it comes from the pool, where I’ve seen what fabric does once it’s wet.

A long, light dress is the idea. In the pool, chiffon and tulle float and heavy fabric sinks, and I’d expect the same here, with the skirt drifting out around you on the surface. Skip denim and heavy knits. They soak up water and cling.

Pick a dress you can wash. It’s lake water, so leave the one you’re saving for graduation at home.

White and pale fabric goes see-through when it’s wet, so wear a swimsuit or a nude slip under it. I don’t have a color rule for the lake yet. Wear a color you like, and I’ll know more once I’ve shot there.

Guys: shorts or pants you can roll up, with a tee or an open button-up. A jersey works too.

Bring water shoes or old sandals you can get wet. I haven’t walked the lake bottom yet, and Lewisville Lake has zebra mussels, which have sharp shells. If it’s soft sand where we end up standing, the shoes can come off for a few frames.

Do your hair and makeup like you would for any other session.

Bring: a towel, a full change of clothes, and a bag for the wet outfit.

For the dry half of the session, start with what to wear for senior pictures.

Is it safe?

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It’s wading, and I keep it that way. You stay inside the designated swim area, in water you can stand in. Nobody swims and nobody goes under.

That rule is there because the beach has no lifeguard. Little Elm Beach is swim at your own risk.

A parent or guardian stays for the whole session, which goes for every senior session I shoot. For this one I’d want them down at the water’s edge with us.

The weather call is mine. If I call it off for a storm or rough water, you pick between a new date and a refund.

And if you’re not a water person, say so. The creek gives you the same idea in ankle-deep water.

What it costs

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A lake session is a regular senior session, so it costs the same.

The quick session works if one outfit can do both jobs, dry on the sand and then wet in the lake. The full session gives you a dry outfit and a water outfit, which is how I’d do it.

A $100 booking fee holds the date and comes off the price. The only extra is the town’s parking fee, on the days it charges one. The rest is on the senior portraits page and the pricing page.

Other places to get in the water

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The creek at Limestone Quarry Park in Frisco runs over limestone and is ankle deep where Zoe is standing. It’s the spot for a few water frames inside a regular session, and it’s in my Frisco locations guide.

The lakeside section of my DFW locations guide has a dozen more lakes and creeks, from Lake Grapevine to Benbrook Lake. I haven’t shot at all of them, and I’m happy to drive to any of them.

FAQ

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What are water senior portraits? Senior pictures where you’re standing in a lake or a creek, usually in a long dress near sunset. You wade in and your hair stays dry. Underwater portraits are a separate session, shot in a pool.

Where can I take senior pictures in the water near Frisco, TX? Little Elm Beach on Lewisville Lake, about 20 minutes from central Frisco. It’s a sand beach with a designated swim area. For something ankle deep and closer, there’s the creek at Limestone Quarry Park in Frisco.

How much do water senior portraits cost? The same as any senior session with me: $250 for 30 minutes or $400 for 60. The only extra is the town’s parking fee at Little Elm Beach on the days it charges one. In 2026 that was $10 a car on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from April through Labor Day.

Do I have to swim or go underwater? No. It’s wading. You go in as far as you’re comfortable, and I wouldn’t take anyone past their waist.

What should I wear for senior pictures in a lake? I’d start with a long, light dress in chiffon or tulle, with a swimsuit or a slip under anything white or pale, since wet fabric goes see-through. Skip denim and heavy knits. Bring water shoes, a towel, and a full change of clothes.

Is there a lifeguard at Little Elm Beach? No. The town’s rules say no lifeguard on duty and swim at your own risk, in designated areas only. That’s why I keep these sessions to wading, and why a parent or guardian stays the whole time.

When is the best time for lake senior pictures in North Texas? The last hour or so before sunset, Monday through Thursday, in the warm months. I’d plan on May through September. The beach is busier Friday through Sunday, and in season those are the days the town charges to park.

If this is the senior photo you’ve been picturing, send me a note and tell me what you have in mind. I shoot about two sessions a month, so the earlier you ask, the easier the date is.