Family Reunion Traditions Continue at Pacific Beach

Every four years, 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.

Just days before the shoot, Karen’s cousin Elizabeth, who currently lives in Nigeria but was in town for the reunion, decided to join us with her mom Joann and sons Sam and Ben. She managed to coordinate matching outfits on short notice, and I went back and forth between the families to make sure we got all the poses we needed.

As the sun dropped, the beach took on its usual energy. Brandon and Blake broke into an impromptu water fight, and Grayson explored a giant hole someone had dug in the sand—a lucky find that also made for some of the session’s best photos.

Karen and Elizabeth, who grew up together in Phoenix, Arizona, filled the rest of their families’ week with fun beach days and trips to Belmont Park. The Kioski extended family spent plenty of time together and enjoyed the traditional Kioski Olympics, which I would love to photograph someday! Sounds like a blast.

Looking forward to 2029’s session already!

Family of six including parents and children standing together on the beach
Extended family group positioned differently on sand with ocean behind them
Young child standing alone on the beach smiling in a beige shirt
Woman with two boys in white shirts standing together on the beach
Child in white shirt and khaki shorts standing on the beach smiling
Two boys holding hands standing on sand facing camera with ocean behind
Child in white shirt standing on the beach with arms wrapped
Woman in blue with two young boys standing together on the sand
Toddler playing in the sand with a blue shovel at the beach
Young family group of four sitting closely together on the beach sand
Extended family group huddled together laughing on the beach
Family group posing on sand with man kissing woman's cheek
Teen girl with wind-blown hair smiling at camera on the beach
Teen girl in floral dress standing in shallow water at the beach
Teen boy in pink polo shirt standing on beach with arms crossed
Teen boy holding toddler, both smiling at camera on the beach
Child in teal button-up shirt standing on beach smiling at camera
Child in blue shirt running through shallow water at the beach
Extended family group holding hands wading in shallow water together
Man in blue polo and woman in cream dress embracing in shallow water
Man in blue polo standing on the beach with hands in pockets
Woman in cream dress with arms crossed smiling on the beach
Family of six holding hands in line walking through shallow water
Woman holding multiple children playing together in shallow water
Man and woman holding hands walking together through the water
Couple embracing and walking together in shallow water at beach
Woman holding toddler, both smiling at camera on the beach
Close-up of woman and child facing each other, both smiling on beach
Child leaping over water with man reaching up to catch at beach
Woman in blue dress holding hands with two children in water
Child in white shirt running and jumping through waves at beach
Two teen girls hugging each other in shallow water at the beach
Woman holding child in teal shirt, both smiling in the water
Teen boy in pink polo and woman in cream dress standing in water
Man in blue polo and teen boy in pink polo embracing on beach
Man in blue polo with arm around child in teal shirt on beach
Man in blue polo and woman in floral dress posing at the beach
Couple spinning and dancing together in shallow water at the beach
Two women hugging each other in shallow water at the beach
Two children from behind standing in shallow water gazing at ocean

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