San Francisco Bay Area Family Photos in Winter

Today I’m featuring a beautiful family I photographed in December outdoors at sunset in the San Francisco peninsula. 

Tips for Styling Your Family for Winter Family Photos

Sometimes families ask me for “Fall colors” which is actually kind of a tricky thing to find in the Bay Area! Foliage colors are determined by rainfall earlier in the year. Because the Bay Area doesn't get much rain, we don't often get vibrant Fall colors in this region. It is difficult to predict where & when Bay Area parks might have a few leaves changing colors, but in general, the leaves start changing colors in late November and December.

In this gallery, we evoked the ambiance of Autumn with mama wearing a sienna dress, and I have done a little bit of extra Photoshop work on the leaves in the background to bring out some yellow hues. For families looking for Fall colors, I encourage them to dress in reds and oranges for an extra pop.

As you can see from the photo gallery the landscape is looking a little bit more brown and subdued, as these photos were photographed in Winter. On a Wintery landscape, it becomes extra important to stay away from dark, cool colors, like navy and black. We want to make sure the subject— your beautiful family— pops off nicely against the landscape!

I encourage families to start with a neutral color palette (colors like cream, khaki, tan, gray, white).  These are light, neutral colors that are universally flattering and make a great foundation. Next, I encourage families to incorporate a warm pop of color, often in mother or daughter’s dress, or as a pullover on a kid.

After colors, texture is another important thing to consider in photographs. Knits, lace, ruffles, and textured clothing all photograph very well. For example, the sienna colored dress has ruffles and lace design details, along with a flowing design along the bottom train. The movement in this dress photographs very artistically. This mama purchased some of her clothing from Joyfolie, one of my favorite clothing stores.

A blend of traditional and unposed moments

As you look through this gallery, you will notice that this gallery is another great example of my modern lifestyle photography. I take one or two “posed” photos in each gallery, and then I encourage my families to interact naturally by hugging on each other and looking at one another, rather than the camera. I try to mix up my groupings and family arrangements for more variety in the final gallery.  Because I'm photographing different angles and groupings, my sessions usually last about 45 minutes, sometimes up to an hour if everybody is enjoying themselves! 

Although 15-minute “mini” sessions are popular, I like to slow down and capture real moments as everyone relaxes and the true expressions and interactions come out. 

Tips for photographing babies and toddlers

As you can see, this family has a one year old little boy. When photographing kids at this age, it is important to take breaks and shoot in short bursts. Obviously babies don't realize I'm taking their picture, so I take my time when photographing them, which gives us the best chances of capturing sweet smiles. I encourage my parents to play, tickle, kiss, bounce, lift, and twirl their little ones to give us the best expressions. When photographing young kids I often overshoot my galleries more than usual to give us the best changes of documenting lots of sweet moments and memories.

Tech Specs

These San Francisco Bay Area Family Photos were photographed on a Canon 5D Mark IV with an 85mm and a 35mm. All photos were edited in LR and PS by hand.