We kept this beach session simple. Every session starts the same way, a few minutes of everyone together, everyone looking, so you have that one frame for the wall.
Then the kids went straight for the water. And here’s the part most families don’t expect: once play takes over, they come back to their parents on their own. They want you to hold them, they want to show you what they found, they want to be close. So you end up with the together photos anyway, and they’re better, because nobody arranged them.
Why Shaw’s Cove for Family Photos
This lovely client reached out to me asking for recommendations on what beach would work for her family. I sent her examples of some of my past work and she chose this beach specifically because it’s so iconic. Palm trees lining the cliffs in the background feel like a beautiful pin to mark a coastal Southern California look. I especially like this beach because as Fall approaches in Orange County, the sun begins to filter through the trees and dips closer to the ocean which lights up the sand and the water in beautiful pink and orange tones.
How We Made the Teenager Feel Included
What really worked with this family and their three highly active and excited to play in the water kids was staying curious right along with them. I can’t create this type of playfulness with kids unless the parents participate. They also had a teenager that I wanted to make sure didn’t feel left out of the photos and the kids playing, but he’s also at an age where he just wanted to hang back, so I gave him the “job” of interacting and holding the baby so that the parents could come forward with the little ones. Turns out he loved holding the baby and the baby loved him.
What to Do With Your Family Session Photos
Family photos like this go beyond your annual holiday cards. If you’re an Orange County family looking for candid beach photography that feels more like an experience than a photoshoot, lifestyle family photos are exactly what you need. These are the images that work for a family memory book for the kids or grandparents, or an album grid like the one I’ve built below. They’re more than individual photos, they’re meant to tell the story of “remember when we visited here when the kids were this age”.
This was booked as a 60-minute Storyteller session, and we ended up staying 90 minutes because the kids were having so much fun. My client commented that her kids had never lasted this long for a session, and that made me happy because I know it felt more like an experience to them then a family photoshoot.
Your family deserves photos that tell your real story. Book your candid family beach session today: check my availability. Wondering what your family should wear? Here’s my full guide to what to wear for family photos in Orange County.
