How to do it at The Gallery
Part 7 of 7 of the free portrait and family sessions guide from The Gallery on Montana. Indoor rooms and a big yard in one booking at The Gallery on Montana, so heat or rain does not cancel your family session. How to use each room, a sample flow and how to book. Part 7 of the course.
Book a tour · 701 Montana St, San Antonio, TX 78203
The Gallery on Montana is a house at 701 Montana St on San Antonio's East Side with indoor rooms and a big yard in one booking. Too hot or raining? Move inside and keep shooting. Preview the rooms on the space page.
The salon. Seating for the whole family with the collection behind you.
A lounge corner. A smaller, quieter corner with warm lamplight for solo portraits.
The gallery wall. Window light and a framed wall for candid, close portraits.
Indoor and outdoor in one booking, so a hot or rainy day does not cancel the session.
Through November 1: shoots and meetings from $55 an hour, events from $60 an hour. Golden hour runs a little more. Peerspace shows the final price.
A room by room plan
- Salon: the full family seated in leather chairs with the gilded frames behind.
- Lounge corners: quiet solo portraits in lamplight.
- Dining room: soft window light from tall windows for close portraits.
- Studio Room: a brick column and dark sofa for couples.
- Yard and porch: open lawn, a red pavilion and murals for play, plus the black front door.
The salon for the group
The salon has a wall of gilded frames and mustard leather chairs. It is the place for the full family shot, with grandparents seated in the chairs and everyone else built around them. Warm palettes like olive, rust and cream sit beautifully against the frames.
- Seat the oldest generation; stand or kneel the rest around them.
- Pull the group a few feet off the wall so the frames fall soft.
- Keep a lamp on for a warm glow in the background.
Window light for close portraits
The dining room has a long wood table, tall windows and framed art. Turn faces toward the windows for soft, even light that flatters babies and grandparents alike. A parent holding a baby by the window is one of the easiest beautiful frames in the house.
The Studio Room for couples
The Studio Room has a brick column, a dark sofa and a lamp by a window. It reads as a different set, which is ideal for the couple's portraits or a teen's solo look after the family shots. Sit the couple close on the sofa, angled toward each other, with the window light from the side. Teens often like this room best, because it looks less like a family portrait and more like their own photo.
The yard for play
The yard is an open lawn with mural-painted fences and a red pavilion. Start inside with the full family while everyone is fresh, then save the yard for last, when a little grass on the knees does not matter. On a hot afternoon, keep the outdoor part short and finish with a play moment by the murals.
- Run toward the camera, spin a child, walk hand in hand.
- Use the pavilion edge for shade on bright days.
- Finish at the black front door for a classic home portrait.
A sample 2 hour flow
- Arrive, explore and snack in the salon.
- Full family group in the salon.
- Smaller groups and window portraits in the dining room.
- Couple and teen solos in the Studio Room.
- Play by the murals, then the front door to finish.
Tip: Ask before moving pieces. The collection is part of the room. Ask before moving anything and we will help you set up.
Good to know
- Street parking on Montana, with front door entry.
- A bathroom is available for changes and quick fixes.
- The Gallery does not cater; bring your own snacks and water.
- Bring your shot order grouped by room so the session flows.
Photographers booking several families can run sessions back to back in one booking, using the same three sets for each so the pace stays steady. Leave 10 to 15 minutes between families, and use the salon as a calm waiting spot while the next group gets ready.
On hot days, run the indoor list first and keep the yard part to 20 minutes or less, ideally in the last hour before sunset. On rainy days, skip the yard entirely; the salon, dining room and Studio Room give you three distinct looks without stepping outside. Either way, the session still happens on the day you planned.
For an extended family, plan the shot list in advance and assign one relative to gather each group. The house holds up to 40 people inside, so even a large reunion fits in the rooms for the big group photo.
How to book
Sessions book by the hour on the Peerspace shoots listing linked from the photo and video shoots page, and photographers can book for their clients. Planning a bigger day? Read the micro wedding guide. Want to see it first? Book a tour.