I’ll admit: when the sky gets lively, I get a bit giddy. That evening had it all—puffy clouds, a colorful sunset, and a dazzling full rainbow arching over the waves. As if that wasn’t magical enough, the kids found a big, perfectly intact seashell on the shore during our shoot.
Every year, Diane Giles gathers her extended family for updated photos, capturing the grandkids as they grow and change faster than she can believe. I was so happy to be their photographer this year, as Diane’s family and mine share deep East County roots.
Of all the La Jolla beaches, Windansea is my favorite, so when Nalinie and Sanjit, visitors from Toronto, Canada, asked for a recommendation for their babymoon, I confidently recommended it. Windansea is great for shorter sessions, and the sunsets there are gorgeous.
When her parents flew in from Dallas, Kim surprised her mom with an entire weekend of 80th birthday celebrations, ending with the grand finale on the beach . . . a photo session for the whole family! Kim said that having these precious moments professionally captured was the perfect way to end their special time together.
Abigail and her family came to San Diego from Colorado to visit her best friend and the children’s godmother. They wanted a beach theme for their yearly photo session this time, squeezing it in between adventures to Legoland and Sea World. Even thought they were staying in North County, they agreed to my favorite location, the Hotel del Coronado.
Allyssa’s extended family gathered at the Hotel del Coronado while visiting from Kansas City. It had been years since their last family photos, and now with two sweet toddlers in the mix, the timing was perfect.
When Peter and Kristin planned their family trip to San Diego, they thought the beach would be the perfect spot for photos. Their kids, Genevieve (5) and Liam (3), were about to start preschool and kindergarten, and this felt like the right time to capture life as it is right now.
When Zoë’s family planned a summer trip to San Diego, she saw the perfect chance to take her senior photos.
“My mom and I found Amy’s work online and thought it was breathtaking,” Zoë said.
For Ellie and her husband, this year marked 50 years of marriage, a golden anniversary worth a big celebration. They planned a gathering of all their people. Family traveled from Amsterdam, Cleveland, and Birmingham to meet on Coronado for the whole week.
When Faith and Daniel set out to plan their wedding at Grove Church in Riverside, their vision centered on joy—celebrating the coming together of family and friends for a day filled with laughter, love, and unforgettable moments close to home.
Some families book beach portraits for the milestone. For Angela Bingaman, this summer’s trip to San Diego was both a long-held dream and a reset. After years juggling life as a single mother, running her own business, and raising three kids, Angela realized she’d never had professional photos taken with her family. Their California vacation became the perfect occasion to change that.
Every four years, the Karen’s extended family heads to Mission Beach for a long-running tradition that began in 1986. I photographed Karen and Tom and their three oldest children Kaitlyn, Brandon, and Blake, in 2021, and just a few weeks later they found out their bonus baby, Grayson, was on the way! Karen took the opportunity to get everybody in the shot this year and reserved early! We met up at Crystal Pier, one of my favorite spots for beach photos.
I’ll admit: when the sky gets lively, I get a bit giddy. That evening had it all—puffy clouds, a colorful sunset, and a dazzling full rainbow arching over the waves. As if that wasn’t magical enough, the kids found a big, perfectly intact seashell on the shore during our shoot.
Every year, Diane Giles gathers her extended family for updated photos, capturing the grandkids as they grow and change faster than she can believe. I was so happy to be their photographer this year, as Diane’s family and mine share deep East County roots.
Of all the La Jolla beaches, Windansea is my favorite, so when Nalinie and Sanjit, visitors from Toronto, Canada, asked for a recommendation for their babymoon, I confidently recommended it. Windansea is great for shorter sessions, and the sunsets there are gorgeous.
When her parents flew in from Dallas, Kim surprised her mom with an entire weekend of 80th birthday celebrations, ending with the grand finale on the beach . . . a photo session for the whole family! Kim said that having these precious moments professionally captured was the perfect way to end their special time together.
Abigail and her family came to San Diego from Colorado to visit her best friend and the children’s godmother. They wanted a beach theme for their yearly photo session this time, squeezing it in between adventures to Legoland and Sea World. Even thought they were staying in North County, they agreed to my favorite location, the Hotel del Coronado.
Allyssa’s extended family gathered at the Hotel del Coronado while visiting from Kansas City. It had been years since their last family photos, and now with two sweet toddlers in the mix, the timing was perfect.
When Peter and Kristin planned their family trip to San Diego, they thought the beach would be the perfect spot for photos. Their kids, Genevieve (5) and Liam (3), were about to start preschool and kindergarten, and this felt like the right time to capture life as it is right now.
When Zoë’s family planned a summer trip to San Diego, she saw the perfect chance to take her senior photos.
“My mom and I found Amy’s work online and thought it was breathtaking,” Zoë said.
For Ellie and her husband, this year marked 50 years of marriage, a golden anniversary worth a big celebration. They planned a gathering of all their people. Family traveled from Amsterdam, Cleveland, and Birmingham to meet on Coronado for the whole week.
When Faith and Daniel set out to plan their wedding at Grove Church in Riverside, their vision centered on joy—celebrating the coming together of family and friends for a day filled with laughter, love, and unforgettable moments close to home.
Some families book beach portraits for the milestone. For Angela Bingaman, this summer’s trip to San Diego was both a long-held dream and a reset. After years juggling life as a single mother, running her own business, and raising three kids, Angela realized she’d never had professional photos taken with her family. Their California vacation became the perfect occasion to change that.
Every four years, the Karen’s extended family heads to Mission Beach for a long-running tradition that began in 1986. I photographed Karen and Tom and their three oldest children Kaitlyn, Brandon, and Blake, in 2021, and just a few weeks later they found out their bonus baby, Grayson, was on the way! Karen took the opportunity to get everybody in the shot this year and reserved early! We met up at Crystal Pier, one of my favorite spots for beach photos.
