La Jolla Scripps Beach Family Photos | H + J
As a La Jolla family photographer, there is nothing I love more than photographing families at low tide during sunset at the beach! This is more evident at beaches that have reefs and cliffs. Along the La Jolla coastline and Sunset Cliffs for example. Beaches like Coronado or Mission beach are beaches that have long stretches of sand, so low tide doesn’t affect it as much. The upside to the latter is that you are not dependent on the tides to be able to photograph at.
When scheduling your family portrait session, discuss with your photographer which dates would optimize low tide at sunset. It doesn’t always have to be exactly at low tide, but somewhere within the range. Sometimes the high tides aren’t that high, it depends on the time of the year. So it’s a good idea to also check the high tide. If the high tide is not as high, then technically the high tide can be like the low tide. Especially in the winter season.
When photographing on a super sunny day, I always look forward to the blue hour lighting. This is when the sun has gone down, and you have about 10-15 minutes left of light. The sky becomes like a Rothko painting with layers of orange and blue light. Make sure to have your subjects face the light for optimal photos. This is when having a prime lens come in handy. Depending on how many people I am photographing in a frame, I go down to 1.8 or 1.6. This allows me to keep my ISO low. It helps avoid grain in your photos when editing them.
Make sure to keep your hands steady to avoid blurry and shaky photos. This is when the funny positions photographers make come to life. Anything we can do to keep balance or lean against a bush or rock helps us stay still!
