Do you remember the super warm and beautiful day we had three weeks back? It was our first day in the 80s and it almost felt like spring slipped into summer a little quick. It was the day that everyone headed to the beach…. and I was in the line of cars heading there too.

When H reached out to me, she asked that we try and do their family photos at Montara Beach. Her family was moving away from California in a few months, and they spent time at this beach so it meant a lot to them. I was happy to oblige. I’m almost a little surprised how few family portrait sessions I’ve done at the beach. Come to think of it, I think there have only been two. Granted, the beach is not all that close, but still — a far cry from an hour drive. I’m hoping that this might be the year that statistic turns around a bit more.

I left an hour early to arrive on time… because clearly half of the Bay Area was heading to the beach that day too. I was hoping that our evening session would leave the beach a bit more private, and even though many cars had been pulling away, private was far from our experience, but we still had fun.

It was too late to head home for dinner after our session, so I hit up tapas at La Costanera, a restaurant right at the Montara Beach parking lot. It was super yummy, and I got to watch the sun set over the water and fire-pits at their outdoor patio. Having dinner alone at places like this always feels a little awkward to me, but it’s also a nice way to reset before an evening of photo back-up and post-processing.

As I was walking to the car after dinner I reached in my back pocket for my car keys. Guess what I found? Literally an inch of sand in there. No amount of scooping was about to get those sand-grains out. Yet again, it goes to show me how all over the place I am when I shoot: I’m on my belly, I’m on my back, and clearly digging into the sand. Clearly the beach didn’t want to let me go without a souvenir 🙂

About Zemya Photography

Zemya Photography is a professional Bay Area photographer, based on the Peninsula, and specializes in couples, maternity, family, newborn, baby, and children's on-location, natural light, lifestyle portrait photography. Book your session today