FALL SESSIONS 2023

Hi everyone, it is that time of the year again! I’ve added a few new locations to my list. Please take a look and let me know what location you choose.

* Note * we don’t use some of the locations on weekends because they get really busy. Others work best only at sunset. You will find this information in the description, once you pick your favorite location, please check to see if it will work with the day you have scheduled.

Some of these locations work really well in the morning. If you have an infant and/or toddler, or if the family wakes up early, that may work best for you. Usually we meet between 7:30 and 8am depending on the location.

SAN CLEMENT CANYON

Good for sessions in the morning and sunset/ week days and weekends

This is a very popular location and very central, located between Clairemont and La Jolla UTC. It has very easy access and we can start photographing right out of the parking lot. It works in the morning and at sunset hours. On weekends we will run into other families and photographers but it is manageable. It is a great spot for families with young kids and for extended families.

TIERRASANTA CANYON

Good for sessions in the morning and sunset/ week days and weekends

Tierrasanta is a quiet and hidden neighborhood, the Island in the hills. This is one of many little canyons we have here. What I like about this location is that the light is so beautiful and filtered by some of the trees, which allow us to meet a little earlier for the golden hour. Another advantage of this location is that no other photographers or families will be there. Only a person or two walking their dogs and that’s it.

MISSION TRAILS – SANTEE

Good for sessions at sunset/ week days and weekends

What a beautiful location this is. I’ve done many sessions at this location already and I love it how the pictures turned out. It is the perfect location for some bold colors. We use this location at sunset only. For this plan on walking about 0.25 miles, but we do a few stops on the way for different backgrounds.

SAN DIEGUITO PARK

Good for sessions in the morning and sunset/ week days and weekends

I love San Dieguito Park. This one is located in Solana Beach and it is an easy option for who lives north. There are different areas for this park and if everyone is up for a bit of walking that can cover all the areas in one session, or we can just concentrate on a couple of them. This park is great for morning and sunset hours as well. On November and early December weekends, it can get crowded with families and photographers, but still manageable. Weekdays are the best, when we have the park mostly to ourselves.

EUCALIPTUS GROVE

Good for sessions in the morning and sunset/weekends only

This is a woodsy location right in the middle of the city. The warm tones of this location go very well with the fall colors wardrobe. Another great thing about this location is that we can use it in the morning and sunset hours. This location can only be used on weekends because it is at UCSD and parking is very difficult. On weekends we have plenty of parking available. This location is at UTC area.

PRESIDIO PARK

Good for sessions in the morning and sunset/ week days and weekends

A very centrally located park, with easy access and beautiful areas for photos. This park has beautiful lighting during the morning and sunset hours. It has an area with the museum that works great for photos and the beautiful green hills. With older kids, we can often go throughout all the areas, but with young kids we may keep it easy and use one of the areas only. Very popular park among photographers, it can get very busy towards November and beginning of December, but still manageable. Best on weekdays, but it works on weekends too.

BALBOA PARK

Good for sessions in the morning and sunset/ for sunset week days only

I like to divide Balboa Park into a few different areas, especially if you have young children. We are so lucky to have so many beautiful places and Balboa Park is one of my favorites. The downside is the Park can get really crowed and busy, for that reason I only shoot there on weekdays. If you choose morning time for photos, we can meet on a weekend, otherwise is better to meet on a weekday or to choose another location.

– Organ Pavilion – We start the session at Organ Pavilion, stop by the big root tree and usually we finish at the Art Museum. A good walk with lots of variety on the way. This can be done in the morning or sunset hours as well.

– Spanish Village – Another beautiful spot at Balboa Park where many residents have never been. We can start at Spanish Village, and walk towards the Cactus Garden. We do a few stops on the way and get all the beauty of the Balboa Park. For this park I recommend sunset hours, that’s when we can take full advantage of all the beautiful colors and textures of this part of the park. The ideal for this portion of the park is to meet on weekdays only.

Did you know there are two cactus garden at Balboa Park?

OLD CACTUS GARDEN

Good for sessions at sunset or morning on week days and morning only on weekends.

This one bellow is great for morning pictures. It is a small area and we basically have the whole session there. It is perfect for small kids because we don’t have to walk very far and look how great it looks with these bold colors. It works great in the morning but it is also beautiful at sunset. For morning we can meet any day, but for sunset we would meet on the weekends only.

SWEET WATER BRIDGE AND TRAILS

Good for sessions at sunset on week days only

This is another beautiful location at sunset hours. The bridge leads to a beautiful hike giving the session a good variety. I went there in the beginning of September and the vegetation was tall, with some little flowers, so beautiful at sunset. The bridge also had all these beautiful green leaves, making it a perfect location for family photos. Due to its popularity I only offer sessions there on weekdays. It gets too busy with other photographers and also parking is very limited. If you are having your session on a weekday, you should considerate this beautiful location.

OLD POWAY PARK

Good for sessions in the morning and sunset. For sunset weekdays only.

Old Poway Park can get really busy on the fall with all the photographers. Sometimes families line up for their turn in certain spots. This is not ideal, especially if you have young kids. For that reason we meet at Old Poway Park either early in the morning on week days.

SUNSET BEACH SESSIONS

Sessions at the beach can be done any day. The ideal is when the tide is low. On week days there will be less people around. Beach sessions are only for Sunset hours.

Since we live in San Diego, a beach session is a must at certain point, but beach sessions can be a little tricky and bellow you can read the tips about how to get ready for your session and the considerations before to decide if a session at the beach will be ideal, or maybe something for the coming years. For beach sessions my favorite spot is WindNSea. It is a gorgeous beach surrounded by sea rocks that allow me to “hide” everyone around and give us the impression we have the beach to ourselves, which we mostly have during the weekdays, sharing the beach only with a few locals. Parking is fairly easy too, making it a great spot for photos. There two different sides I like to use based on the tide, how many people are at the beach, etc. We will be meeting in the middle and I will decide once we are there. For the perfect beach session the best time is about 40 minutes before sunset. Once we set the day for the session I will let you know the exact time we will be meeting.

If you have an infant or a young toddler, make sure they are comfortable at the beach. Sometimes they don’t like the feel of the sand on their feet and they won’t be happy. Also, many times babies are not comfortable with all the wind, so maybe if you have an infant, the best option would be a park or a trail.
Sometimes the tide is very high giving us very little or no space to shoot. When this happens I usually recommend having the session at

Chrystal Pier in PB. The pier give is a nice point of interest and more room for the kids to run free.

If you have a beach that you usually go, easy parking, beautiful rocks, let me know. I do like one near Torrey Pines but that one involves a 15 minutes hike down the hill. That may not work for some people, but if you don’t mind a little sweat on the way back, you can consider this location.

BELMONT PARK/MISSION BEACH

Good for sessions at sunset on weekdays only

This is a fun spot for family photos. Lots of colors and textures for this location and often we finish the session with some ice cream! Note that for this location you will have some people in the backgrounds for some images, but it feels right at home with the amusement park vibe. Because this is a very touristic place and it can get really busy, we only go there on weekdays.

SAN ELIJO LAGOON – CADIFF

Good for sessions at sunset only. It is better on week days, but manageable on weekends.

This is a beautiful and easy location perfect if you live in Carlsbad, Encinitas, Carmel Valley, Del Mar, etc. We meet here 45 minutes before the sunset. This location looks best at sunset.

POINT LOMA

Good for sessions at sunset on weekdays and weekends

A beautiful and quiet trail in Point Loma area, that is great if you live nearby or if you have small kids and want photos near the water but are not ready for the beach yet. This is a great location and we meet here around 45 minutes before sunset.

FELICITA PARK IN ESCONDIDO

Good for sessions at sunset on weekdays and weekends

I added this park to my list thinking of the clients who live around Escondido, Vista, San Marcos and even Carlsbad area. It is a beautiful city park. On weekends it can get a little busy but since the park is so spread out, there are lots of locations for family photos.

LITTLE ITALY

Good for sessions at sunset on weekdays only

I recommend this location to families with older children. Little Italy can be a little challenging when it comes to parking, so keep that in mind. We meet on weekdays because on weekends it is really busy. If you want something different this year we can walk together and find cute buildings and different backgrounds for the pictures.

YOUR OWN HOME

Having a beautiful Christmas Tree this year? Baking cookies with the kiddos? Maybe photos in your pajamas, some milk and cookies? That is an easy and fun way to get some photos as well. Let me know what you have in mind!