Possibly one of the worst weekends to do your family portrait session on the beach is 4th of July weekend. So when the Martin family contacted me to create their family portraits in front of the Hotel Del, I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge. Being on vacation and limited on the day and time that they could do it, we had to schedule a time where the sun was super bright and the beach was crowded.

My solutions to the brightness issue was bringing a very powerful battery operated flash.  I used it to balance out the harsh shadows that were being cast on them.  I had my assistant holding the 20 pound battery, the flash and the light stand with an softbox. The second challenge was a little harder to figure out.  There were people everywhere! I tried to shoot in directions that were less crowded but it was almost impossible. So their photos had to receive extra attention in the post production to remove all of the extra people that were distracting elements in the backgrounds.

In the end I was very happy with the photos that I created for the Martin Family and I think they were too.

Recognize this place?? This is where I had my very own wedding photos taken several years ago!! This is in Olivenhain, a small community just east of Encinitas in San Diego’s North County. You wouldn’t know that you’re surrounded on all sides by homes and roads…. feels as though its in the middle of the country!

Speaking of my wedding, Marjeri of Events By Design is also the one who coordinated my wedding. If you didn’t see the pictures (Click Here) and video (Click Here), then you didn’t know how AMAZING of a job that Marjeri did in putting the whole thing together. What an amazing amazing day

Marjeri and her husband Herbie have become friends of ours through the years, and what a gorgeous family they have! We had a blast during this Family Portrait session, and I love all of the casual shots, especially the ones walking through the trees.

Jimmy and his family are good people – Great family + Great location = great images eh? Jimmy can also get you an amazing home loan and his wife may be taking care of you if you go to the hospital. Meanwhile, their son can make you smile without even trying.
Shooting family portraits in San Diego is almost always easy but this time, I had it really good

It’s always great to see the brides and grooms we worked with years ago still in love and thriving, raising beautiful children and loving life! It’s getting together with them that tells us all this – and recently I got to see one of my favorite couples of 2006 and their two beautiful kids. I need to remember to request a hammock more often at family photo shoots

It’s not often that in San Diego, we find a new place for photography. But, I had been yearning to shoot at the Salk Institute for quite awhile and finally had the chance! That place is incredible. Aaron is graduating from High School this year and he wanted something a little different. He’s the quiet/serious type so the location and weather suited him pretty well

It seems like you never know when you will get a sunny day at the beach.  The coastal eddy can come at any time during the year, leaving the skies with little color.  It’s both a good and a bad.  On one hand you have the convenience of really soft light that allows us to photograph in any angle.  On the other hand we can’t get those really cool colors and contrast that we get from sunlight  and blue skies.

Since we never know when the coastal eddy will develop and roll in to the beach neighborhoods, it is hard to plan ahead for a beach shoot.  And when you have clients driving to San Diego from El Centro for a beach photo shoot, we have to make the most of it.  For this portrait session, I made the most of the weather conditions by using the coastal eddy to my advantage.  Since the light was even from every direction, I could shoot in any direction that I wanted.  I used this to find color in the water, the rocks and event the wooden steps that lead down to the water.  The soft light also allowed me to add a little off camera flash to make the environment a little more dramatic. With a little flash I was able to bring the different shades of blue and purple out of the sky.

To me the best part was that my clients never let the gloomy conditions ruin their mood.  They seemed happy to be there and seemed to trust me to create some fun beach portraits for the quinceañera invitation cards.

Alexia and David were married in San Diego in July of 2006. We shot their wedding at the Kona Kai Resort on Shelter Island, and it turned out great. Since then, they have moved to Chicago and had their first child. It was SO great when they called and let me know they’d be celebrating their 5 year Anniversary in San Diego, and they wanted to do a family portrait session.

Enjoy these images from a warm summer afternoon on the bay. I hadn’t shot around the Kona Kai in so long, and Shelter Island is simply gorgeous as the sun sets on San Diego and the downtown skyline.

Did some really fun family photos a couple months ago with the Barrett Family in lovely Mission Bay. They do a trip to San Diego every year and figured they would make the most of it by having us document it for them It was the perfect combination of factors with the family being fun to work with, the perfect location, and the best weather we could ask for!

The Pope family is from Orange County but they come to San Diego often for their vacations. We met outside the Hotel Del for a quick session and it was really fun to see the different family elements – two senior graduate boys, one from High School, the other from College. The eldest’s girlfriend joined in the fun as well so we did a mini engagement style session with the two of them .

When photographing kids on the beach you just have to keep on shooting. They can be a little unpredictable. A couple of weeks ago Bob and Merrylin, from Artistic Productions, had the grandchildren in town and wanted some family photos on the beach. We met in La Jolla at a time that fit with the kids nap times. When doing family photos that include kids, it’s best to just let them be the boss and set the schedule. There is no negotiating with a sleepy and grumpy kid.

Since we were photographing at a time that was a little bright outside, I decided to use a little off camera flash to make the photos pop with color.  I basically just chased the kids around with a camera and a flash in hand and just kept on shooting.  We got some pretty cool results.

Here are some of my favorites from the shoot!!