Best Photography Locations in SF Bay Area Peninsula
Best Photography Locations in SF Bay Area Peninsula
Beautiful & convenient family photo locations
Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, & San Jose
1. Cuesta Park
Cuesta Park is one of the larger open green spaces in the Silicon Valley area. It boasts meandering, well paved paths, two open dog park areas, an awesome playground, and a picnic area with BBQ grills and a volleyball court. From a photographer’s perspective, it’s a wide open space with easy parking and a variety of photoshoot options, including blossoming trees, benches, grasses, and Redwoods!
2. Shoreline Park
Shoreline Park is a beautiful destination for a long stroll or especially a bike ride. I love this location for family photography because of the close parking, beautiful water and looming mountains in the background. Shoreline Park also has a lot of variety and different settings for photos. There are also bathrooms accessible at the Shoreline Boathouse, and a cute garden historic house/venue adjacent to the main parking lot.
This spot is a hidden gem at Shoreline Park, only available in the late Spring and early Summer months. I love wild, free photo locations, where you can’t even tell you’re close to a city!
3. Arizona Cactus Garden at Stanford
Arizona Cactus Garden is a botanical garden specializing in cactuses and succulents. It is a popular spot with photographers in the SF Peninsula. If you ever visit during peak times like weekends or evenings, especially in the Fall, you will often see several photographers there photographing families and couples. Technically speaking, only current students or alumni are allowed to take photos there.
4. Vasona Park
Vasona Park is a large park located in Los Gatos. It is a popular place for a Saturday afternoon especially for those with kids, and is definitely worth a visit with your family if you’ve never been! There is a large lake surrounded by meandering paths, a boardwalk, and a photogenic red bridge. This spot is popular with many photographers in the region, but I prefer locations that are a bit more free-spirited (and slightly less crowded).
Vasona Park has paid parking on site and also charges a photography permit fee ($250).
5. Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve
Rancho San Antonio is another beautiful choice for family or maternity photos. This is a popular spot with joggers and hikers during the weekend mornings, but usually by dusk there is plenty of parking available. There are three main parking areas. One advantage of this location is the ample shade and tree coverage, which makes this location more usable outside of “Golden Hour”. There’s also a fun little petting zoo nestled here, which is a fun adventure! This is an easily accessible spot.
6. San Jose Municipal Rose Garden
The San Jose Rose Garden is stunning and beautiful! It was literally voted "America's Best Rose Garden"! This Spring-inspired location especially a good choice for engagement sessions and maternity sessions. Located in San Jose, this location understandably tends to be a little more crowded with families because it is so conveniently located. It is a beautiful spot for couples and families who prefer a more manicured, polished garden look in their photographs. They charge a $100 photography permit fee to shoot in this location.
7. Bedwell Bayfront Park
Bedwell Bayfront Park is a beautiful open space with grassy hills and a few sparse trees nestled near Facebook’s campus. There are beautiful views if you climb to the top of the hills. There is a moderate amount of walking to reach the pretty photo spots. This location tends to be quiet, parking is rarely an issue, and is especially pretty when the hills are green during the Winter. Sometimes in the Spring there’s even a lot of wildflowers blooming, which is always a delightful sight to see! This dog-friendly park is actually bigger than it looks. For families with young children, it’s worth mentioning that there are also bathrooms on site.
Beautiful summer family photos at Bayfront Bedwell! This park is bigger than you might think!
8. Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve
Pichetti Ranch is another great location for adventurous families or couples who are open to exploring a bit. The walk up to the hill surrounded by these intense trees creates a distinct and memorable photo session.
Pichetti Ranch and Winery has plenty of parking and a unique landscape to work with, including these trees on top of a hill!
9. Gamble Garden
Gamble Garden in Palo Alto is a popular place for photos in the SF Peninsula. It’s advantageous because it’s wide, flat, and easily accessible area, which is good for families who don’t want to hike a mile to the photo spot. Depending on the time of year, different types of flowers may be blooming. It does tend to be very crowded here on weekends!
10: Right in your very own home!
Of course I can’t finish a list without including the advantages of a photo session right within your own home! This is the easiest, most relaxed way to capture your unique and authentic family. In-home lifestyle documentary sessions are a memorable way to photograph your family exactly as you are! It is especially popular for families with newborns, but of course I’ve done many lifestyle sessions for families with children of all ages! Documentary sessions are a great way to capture your family’s daily life right in your own special space.