Santa Cruz Locations
Get Ready For Our Photo Session
Over the years of photographing I have noticed that some of my clients are unsure of what to do and what to expect. It’s very important to me that you are extremely satisfied with the results and for that we need to be prepared before and at the day of the shoot.
IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT HEAD TO THE LOCATION IF WE HAVEN’T TEXTED EACH OTHER THE NIGHT BEFORE OR THE DAY OF OUR SHOOT.
Phone Number: (650)278-9096
Most Important, bring your best happiest self. You cannot lie on how you feel in the camera. I will take the time to have a little chat to get to know each other and break the ice. The first few minutes of our shoot is going to be mostly testing so you are getting comfortable and warmed up.
Arrive 10-15 minutes earlier. This will give you time to find parking, use the restroom and to freshen up from the car ride. Our starting time is the time on the contract or the time we discussed prior to our shoot. Most of the time I have double bookings and I may need to head to the next client, so it is very important that we start and finish on time.
Arrive 10-15 minutes earlier. If you have kids arrive earlier to get them ready. Please don’t wait till our shooting time starts to do that because it decreases our shooting time.
Keep in mind the traffic. We live in the Bay Area and no matter how prepared we are we can get stuck in traffic or in an accident. Golden hour shoots are time sensitive since the lighting is limited.
Come hair and makeup ready. You are spending money and time to have this photo session so make sure you are going to love how you look in the photos. You don’t need any professional work done but if you prefer to have some help I can send you some suggestions.
Remove all objects from your pockets. Once our shoot starts please have all the objects removed from your pockets.
Bring a towel and water to remove the sand from your feet after our shoot.
Bring comfortable shoes/flip flops to get to our shooting spot and you can change once we arrive. Some locations require a little bit of a hike and the ground can be challenging.
If your outfits get wrinkled, please put them on once you arrive.
• If you are wearing sunglasses please bring makeup to cover the marks.
Please check out all the available locations.
Santa Cruz a magical photos for any type of session, either it’s your elopement, engagement, wedding, maternity or family pictures. You can either pick a location in the city of Santa Cruz or north. The city of Santa Cruz offers beautiful sceneries that are significant for the city. Easy access and more predictable weather.
If you decide to go north for the breath taking views there is another selection of amazing spots that offer views that will make your photos stand out.
Pros for choosing a location in the city of Santa Cruz. Distance and accessibility is short and easy. You park and you are there. Also the weather is nice all year around. You can expect some fog during the mornings between July-August (sometimes during Spring and Fall as well).
Cons: Crowds during the weekends.
Pros for choosing highway 1 locations. Definitely for its amazing backgrounds, no crowds, easy access (not in every location).
Cons: the weather is unpredictable, one day it can be beautiful and sunny and the other can be chilly, windy and foggy (summer time)-(Fall, Springs Winter: no fog, no often wind and decent temperature).
Is north of Santa Cruz a good location for engagement session? Yes, yes, yes….I always try to encourage my couples to choose one of the locations on highway 1. If you have a disability there are locations that may be challenging for you.
Is north of Santa Cruz a good location for maternity session? A Big Yes besides Panther beach and Shark Fin cove. Moms soon to be can choose that location but please keep in mind that there is an intense hike going down (rocks and slippery ground).
Is north of Santa Cruz a good location for family session with kids? I wouldn’t recommend it. If there is wind the kid may not like it or feel cold, also there are cliffs and rocks that can be inappropriate if the kid is unattended.
Kids Friendly
North of Santa Cruz has majestic views but the weather is inconsistent and getting in and out can be challenging. For family sessions I recommend these 3 locations. They both have easy access and fair weather. Natural Bridges allow only service animals and the West Side Lighthouse has the meadows and a DOG beach.
1.
North of Santa Cruz
Difficulty: 1-3
Rocky and sandy terrain
2.
North of Santa Cruz
Difficulty: 1-3 beach, 4-6 cliff
Cliff, rocks and beach option.
3.
North of Santa Cruz
Difficulty: 1-3 cliffs, 5-7 beach -intense hike down-
Cliff, rocks and beach option.
4.
North of Santa Cruz
Difficulty: 1-3 cliffs, 2-4 heading to the beach
Cliff, rocks (certain time of the year) and beach option.
5.
North of Santa Cruz
Difficulty: 1-2
Rocks and beach option.
6.
North of Santa Cruz
Difficulty: 3-6
Cliff, rocks and beach option.
7.
North of Santa Cruz
Difficulty: 1-2
Rocks (certain time of the year) and beach option.
It’s usually very windy.
8.
In Town - Kids friendly- Service pets only
Difficulty: 1-2
Cliff, rocks and beach option.
9.
In Town - Kids friendly- Pets allowed
Difficulty: 1-2
Meadow and beach option.
10.
In Town - Kids friendly
Difficulty: 1-2
Pier and beach option.
Outfit Ideas
Wear something picture cute. I LOVE LOVE LOVE flowy dresses and skirts….also the camera loves these 2 choices. We can be playful and super cute. If you are not a dress person show up with your own unique style.
Styling Webpage: https://styleandselect.com/ Visit their instagram page for free ideas: style_and_select
Webpages for clothing:
This company is pricey to buy dresses but you can rent. Their stuff are AMAZING:
wearereclamation.comOther options:
balticborn.com
freepeople.comOutfit color suggestions:
Off-white, Ivory and beige hues are always my top recommendation for photo sessions — they photograph beautifully, stay timeless, and flatter any setting or season.
For cliffs/rocks:
Green, burgundy, Ivory, off-white colors, white, dark brown, reddish brown, maroon, (pumpkin) orange, red are perfect.
Meadows :
Beige, ivory, off-white colors, light brown, brown/red, (pumpkin) orange, maroon, (pumpkin) orange, red are perfect.
For beach:
Beige, ivory, Off-white, red, brown, (pumpkin) orange, baby blue, baby pink, green.
If you like the warm look on the photos, wear warm colors. Blue outfits create bluish edits. Light/warm colors give the best editing results for my editing style.
Off-white colors are better choice than white.
Avoid: Black, dark blue, yellow.
Scroll at the End for Guy’s outfit ideas.
Web Photos:
