There’s something so special about family photos at the beach in Newport Beach—especially when you let the kids be themselves.
For this Newport Beach family photography session, we headed to the beach for a beautiful evening of family portraits, ocean waves, golden sunset light, and plenty of fun. The kids brought their boogie boards along, and what started as a family photo session quickly turned into an evening of playing in the water together.
A Newport Beach family photography session that feels like your family
When families book me for beach portraits in Orange County, I don’t want the experience to feel like spending an hour trying to make everyone stand perfectly still and smile at the camera.
I want your photos to feel like you.
That might mean cuddling your kids in the sand, running toward the waves, throwing someone over your shoulder, chasing each other down the beach—or, in this case, grabbing a boogie board and heading straight into the ocean.
The goal is to create beautiful photographs while giving your family space to actually enjoy being together.
Newport Beach is one of my favorite places for family photography in Orange County because there are so many ways to create variety during one session. We can start with classic family portraits on the sand, move closer to the water, and finish the evening playing in the waves as the sun drops toward the horizon.
And those last few minutes of sunlight?
They’re often some of my favorites.
Let the kids play
One of the best parts of this session was watching the kids get to do what kids do best: play.
They brought their boogie boards, ran into the ocean, and had an absolute blast.
Instead of worrying about keeping everyone’s clothes perfectly clean or making sure the kids stayed out of the water, we embraced it.
This is exactly why I love photographing families at the beach.
Your children don’t have to sit still for the entire session.
In fact, I’d rather photograph the moment they forget I’m there.
The laughter.
The running.
The splashing.
The little moments between siblings.
The way a child grabs Mom or Dad’s hand before running into the waves.
Those are the photographs that bring you right back to that stage of life years later.
Sunset family photos in Newport Beach
As the evening went on, the light became softer and warmer, creating that beautiful glow that makes sunset family photography at the beach so magical.
There’s something about having the ocean behind you, the kids playing in the waves, and the California sunset lighting everything from behind that creates photographs that feel both beautiful and completely natural.
For families looking for Newport Beach family photos, sunset is one of my favorite times to photograph.
The light is soft and flattering, the beach often takes on a beautiful golden glow, and the entire session can feel more like an evening adventure than a traditional photo shoot.
Family beach photography in Orange County
As an Orange County family photographer, I photograph families throughout Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Irvine, and surrounding Orange County communities.
Beach sessions are especially fun for families with young children because there is so much room to move and explore. Instead of asking little ones to cooperate for posed photos for an extended period of time, we can follow their energy and incorporate what they naturally love to do.
Sometimes that means collecting shells.
Sometimes it means running through the sand.
And sometimes it means getting completely soaked with a boogie board in hand.
And honestly?
Those imperfect, messy, joyful moments are often the ones that become your favorite photographs.
Your family doesn’t have to pose perfectly
If you’re nervous about having your family photographed because your kids don’t sit still, don’t worry.
They don’t need to.
I’ll guide you through the portions of the session where we want beautiful portraits, but I also leave plenty of room for movement and genuine interaction.
My goal is to create photographs that show not only what your family looked like at this moment in time, but what it felt like to be together.
Years from now, you may not remember exactly what everyone wore or whether your toddler cooperated for every photograph.
But you’ll remember the way your kids laughed.
You’ll remember their little personalities.
You’ll remember holding them close.
And hopefully, when you look at these photographs, you’ll be able to feel a little bit of that evening all over again.
Looking for a Newport Beach family photographer?
If you’re looking for Newport Beach family photography or beach family photos in Orange County, I’d love to create a session that feels relaxed, playful, and genuinely like your family.
Whether you’re visiting Newport Beach, live nearby in Corona del Mar or Irvine, or simply want beautiful photographs of your family enjoying the California coast, the beach is the perfect setting for creating memories together.
And yes, bring the boogie boards.
I’ll bring my camera.
