Senior Portraits at Cross Estate Gardens in Morris County, NJ

Cross Estate Gardens is one of my favorite locations for families looking for outdoor senior portraits in the Morristown and Morris County area. With beautiful gardens, tall grasses, open natural spaces, and gorgeous evening light, it offers a very different look from many of the parks closer to my Maplewood studio.

For Jordan’s senior portraits, that difference was exactly what we were looking for.

Jordan’s Senior Portrait Session at Cross Estate Gardens

Jordan came into planning with a very clear visual direction. The inspiration images she loved had tall grasses, open natural backgrounds, and warm backlight. Because we’re both based in Maplewood, I knew we could create beautiful portraits close to home, but our local parks weren’t going to give us that more expansive, almost rural look.

So I recommended Cross Estate Gardens in Bernardsville. It had the tall grasses and open space she was looking for, but also something extra: beautiful formal gardens, stone walls, winding paths, and layers of greenery that made the session feel much more distinctive than a simple field.

That’s what makes Cross Estate such a special senior portrait location. You can get the soft, natural, Pinterest-inspired look, but also create something that feels unmistakably tied to a beautiful New Jersey setting.

The evening was extremely overcast, so I explained that we would likely have very soft, flattering light rather than strong backlight. We still created exactly the gentle, natural look Jordan loved throughout most of the session. Then, near the end, the sun appeared and gave us a few dramatic, glowing backlit portraits as a bonus.

Choosing the Right Location for Your Senior Portraits

The best location isn’t always the closest one. I choose locations based on the look a senior is drawn to, how much visual variety we want, and who else may be photographed.

For Jordan, traveling about 40 minutes was worth it because the setting itself was central to the look she wanted. Cross Estate gave us gardens, stone, paths, tall grasses, open space, and room to move, all in one session.

For another family, staying closer to home may make more sense, especially if siblings or a larger family group will be involved. The goal is always to balance the look you love with a location that works well for your family.

Including Parents in Senior Portraits

My senior portrait sessions are centered on the senior, but I always encourage parents to step into a few photographs too. It doesn’t need to become a full family session, although siblings (and pups!) are always welcome if you’d like to include them.

Graduation marks a major transition for the whole family. A few photographs with Mom and Dad capture something the senior portraits alone cannot: what this moment feels like for all of you. And these updated parent-and-child portraits often become some of the family’s favorites.

For this session, we took just a few minutes to create portraits with each parent before moving on to the graduation photographs.

What to Wear for Outdoor Senior Portraits

Many female seniors choose a white dress for their senior portraits. It’s a classic choice, and white photographs beautifully outdoors, especially against the greenery and colorful gardens at Cross Estate.

You also don’t need multiple outfits to create a gallery with plenty of variety. At a location like this, we can change the background, light, composition and movement throughout the session, creating very different portraits while keeping the wardrobe simple. One outfit you truly love is often enough.

If you’d like additional variety, you can always bring a second, more casual look or something personal to incorporate after we’ve finished with your primary outfit.

For Jordan, graduation was just around the corner and college was the next exciting chapter, so we incorporated her graduation gown, honor cords and Middlebury pennant toward the end of her session. Those details made the portraits especially personal to this moment in her life.

Planning Senior Portraits in Morris County, NJ

Senior year comes with plenty of things that need to get done, but senior portraits can be about much more than checking another item off the list.

Whether we photograph close to home or travel to a location like Cross Estate Gardens, I’ll help with the decisions that go into creating the session, including location, wardrobe, timing, and the types of portraits that matter most to you.

Sessions can focus primarily on the senior, or we can incorporate portraits with parents, siblings, or the full family when that feels right. The result is a collection that celebrates who your senior is right now while also preserving an important transition for your family.

Nicole Hawkins Photography creates senior portraits for families throughout Maplewood, Essex County, Morristown, Morris County, and surrounding New Jersey communities.