Fall Family Photos in Palo Alto | San Francisco Bay Area Photographer

Palo Alto Family Photos

Sun-Drenched Sunset Family Photo Session

If you love golden hills and warm, sun-drenched light in your family photos, then Fall in California is the best time of year to capture that! This beautiful location in Palo Alto involves a short walk up to the top of the hill to see rolling grasses surrounding you on all sides. This is a beautiful location in the winter too when the grasses are green!

I immediately discovered that I had SO much in common with this sweet family. Mama here is a passionate yoga instructor, just like me! And hubby is in tech, just like my husband. And this little cutie was just the sweetest! I don’t have children of my own yet, but she is the same age of my precious niece. We had a great time learning about each other and discovering all we had it common.

This mama did a great job coordinating her outfits with a complimentary palette blues and grays, without being overly matchy. Picking clothing is honestly the hardest part about family photos and she nailed it!

Behind the Scenes

Want to know a secret about this session? When I showed up early, I was surprised to see that an entire chunk of this hill had been completely mowed down, leaving clods of dirt and cut dead grass everywhere. It was far from perfect and less than ideal! Fortunately, with some creative angling and artistic Photoshop enhancements, you are hardly able to tell that the background is a complete mess. And especially when we climbed up those hills as the sunset light softened on the horizon—then the location became truly beautiful and transcendent.

When I messaged this mama a sneak peak (first image, below) of her gallery, she sent me back an amazing response :
O M G

I LOVE IT!!!

followed by four heart-eyed emojis. I laughed and smiled to see her excited reaction. As a photographer and more importantly as an artist, I want nothing more than for my families to cherish the images I created for them. That’s truly the best part!

Photography Details

This session was photographed exclusively on a Canon 5D Mark IV and a 35mm lens. Edits were done using a combination of Lightroom, Photoshop, and Portraiture. I do not use any pre-made presets or actions. For more information about how I edit my photos, check out my blog post A Behind the Scenes Look at Editing!

Check out more family photo galleries at this same location!

Couple Photography Session with Sweet Puppy!

Family photos with four beautiful children in Palo Alto

Indoor/Outdoor family photo session