Viewing entries tagged
santa cruz family photographers

Christmas Card Photo Shoot in Santa Cruz Home

Christmas Card Photo Shoot in Santa Cruz Home

Sometimes a client just needs a couple formal Christmas Card photos taken in their living room. The challenge is the space needs to be clutter free without any elements that will distract from the portrait itself. Luckily my client’s kids are grown so the house was pretty clutter-free. We went outside to get a few photos from the back yard as well. Also, even though our goal was the xmas card photos, I always try to take individual photos for potential headshot or otherwise professional (or personal) use.

Forest and Beach Family Photos @ Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz, CA

Forest and Beach Family Photos @ Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz, CA

Natural Bridges is a great spot as you can start in the forest/field setting at the rear entrance, and end at the beach. The beach is often crowded, especially the money-shot angle that has the natural bridge in the background, so I always start with the more private forested region off Delaware Ave.

This family I swear could all be models, and I had such a fun time capturing how much they adore each other. They even pulled off some pretty well-matched outfits, which is always risky. I think they nailed in, and I’m pretty sure they think I did too!

Twin Lakes Beach Santa Cruz Newborn / Family Photography

Twin Lakes Beach Santa Cruz Newborn / Family Photography

Okay, so most newborn sessions happen at home, but lately I’ve been doing newborn(ish) family sessions on-location, in a redwood forest, or in this case, on the beach! Working with little kids means I don’t go into a session with a preset idea of exactly where it’s going to go. I may have some loose ideas, but it’s all about interacting with my subjects and deciding on the fly the best path to take at that moment. Maybe kids are in a “pay attention” mode and I’ll take advantage with some posed (directed), well-lit shots. Maybe that falls apart quickly and we transition to fun, candid playtime. Flexibility and a good attitude is essential to a successful portrait session with kids! The gallery below is the perfect example of the pace and random nature of a typical family session. For the baby, I made sure the parents brought along a blanket, and I was able to find a shaded spot behind a large piece of driftwood; dad held my light-source low so I could control the light for those shots (thanks dad!). Anyways, enough words, enjoy the pics:

Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz Family Photos

Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz Family Photos

Shooting multi-generational families can definitely be a challenge – the grandparents may have limited mobility, and the youngest grandkids, well they have limited attention spans! But you know what? I always embrace the challenge. If a few families come together to make this happen (and believe me, it can be stressful getting everyone going and keeping them clean), then it's my duty to kick ass on their behalf and get the shots they want and then some. Sue is the matriarch of this extended family, and we got some great shots of the whole clan, the individual families as well as lots of candids and other fun groupings. Enjoy my faves below :)

4-Mile Beach, Santa Cruz Family Portraits

4-Mile Beach, Santa Cruz Family Portraits

It's been a while since I've shot at Four Mile Beach in Santa Cruz. It's a total surfer's beach, I rarely see any casual beachgoers there, which honestly makes it a great location for family photos. Tons of privacy, easy access, and being relatively unknown makes it a great choice. This family has kids going off to college, so this was the last pre-empty-nest-opportunity to get some family pics. They were lovely to get to know, and we had some great light to work with at sunset! Here's some of my favorite photos from their portrait session:

Santa Cruz Natural Bridges State Park Family Portraits

Santa Cruz Natural Bridges State Park Family Portraits

Family portrait sessions with multiple generations of families can be super challenging – I mean, that's a lot of eyeballs to make sure are all paying attention to you! Add the fact there's usually a few toddlers and I really have my work cut out for me. Good thing I can dance around and be goofy to make those little ones smile. I'll admit I had a little help from an iPhone and Elmo during this shoot – I can't claim full credit for all the smiles :)

Lighthouse Field / Dog Beach Family Portraits

Lighthouse Field / Dog Beach Family Portraits

Here's a quick family session taken in Santa Cruz right after Christmas. We started at Lighthouse Field to get a few photos with some greenery, then headed our way to Dog Beach (aka Its Beach) to get a few shots there. It was amazingly beautiful out for late December, and we had fun playing around at the end. Enjoy a few of my favorites from this family's portrait session below:

Santa Cruz Family Photography @ UCSC Arboretum

Santa Cruz Family Photography @ UCSC Arboretum

It's been a couple years since I photographed this lovely family – they wanted to shoot at the same place we did before when their girls were littl(er) – the expansive arboretum at the UC Santa Cruz campus. These sisters are so adorable and full of personality, it really made my job easy. Check out some of my favorite shots from their family session below: 

Natural Bridges Santa Cruz Family Portraits

Natural Bridges Santa Cruz Family Portraits

It's been a few years since I shot with this adorable Santa Cruz family, this time there's 5 of them instead of 4! So great to see families grow over time and capture these moments forever. We had their family portrait session at Natural Bridges again, definitely a popular destination for locals as well as visitors having a destination photo shoot. Enjoy some of my favorites below!

Natural Bridges Santa Cruz Family Photography

Natural Bridges Santa Cruz Family Photography

Adorable little brothers and their parents run around at Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, California. We had an awesome first family portrait session together, I can't wait to shoot with these guys again in a couple years. Check out my favorite photos below!

Shaina, Sam and Kids (Family Photography) @ Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz, California

Shaina, Sam and Kids (Family Photography) @ Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz, California

I love repeat family portrait clients – it means I am continuing to serve my community well, and clients are excited about what I can produce for them. It's not easy having family photos taken (I know, I've got three kids myself), so I appreciate the effort made by small families like Sam and Shaina here to get dressed up, take time off from work, and meet me at the beach to take some photos, regardless of how crazy their day/week/year is going. I pride myself in being quick, efficient, and getting the best side of peoples' personalities without being forced or awkward. It's just a matter of patience and experience, I think. It was great having Shaina's parents and sibling's family out for this year's family portrait session – a greater challenge, for sure, but worth it!

Below are some of my favorite photos from the family photography session. Thanks for checking it out!