A Family at McLaren Park | Family Photography in San Francisco

Looking at these images, I see the beautiful light and the awesome location and the relaxed family and while so much of the magic happened in their interactions, a lot of the goodness came from thorough planning.

The exact spot we shot at was scoped ahead of time by a very dedicated mama (thank you for being such a collaborator, A!). The magic hour light was used very intentionally and we made sure to shoot during a clear and sunny day. The family knowing what to expect and what to wear came from lots of communication ahead of time between me and the family. 

For whatever reason, this shoot got me thinking back to the days when I was just starting out with my client work. When I didn’t yet have good systems in place for communicating with families and I wasn’t diligent and boundaried about where and when I would shoot outdoors. I distinctly remember showing up to my first full client shoot at 1030am on a sunny day at Crissy Field. It was full blazing sun and the beach was super crowded. I cringe just thinking about that! This is NOT a good situation in shoot in - unflattering light, squinting, loads of people in the background. 

Needless to say I learned so much that day! Over the years I’ve continued to learn what kinds of locations work best for family photography, what strict times of day I’ll shoot outdoors in, and  how to make the best of a sunny vs an overcast or foggy day.

I share all of this to say that having that magical family session doesn’t just happen accidentally. When you schedule a session with me, you might sigh that I insist that we meet earlier than you want to (ha!) or you might wish I’d meet you in front of the Painted Ladies on a sunny afternoon. But trust me when I say that I’ll make sure we have the best shoot we can possibly have. We’ll make some magic! :)