At the Beach, At the Park, Family Photography, In a field, In home, Orange County Photography

The Best Orange County Locations for Photos (Part 2)

In my years as an Orange County photographer I have more than a handful of amazing locations up my sleeve. So here’s part two of my best Orange County Photography Locations. (The first 10 locations are here.)

Rancho Las Lomas

This resort and zoological garden is a little known Orange County setting for great photography. Located in Silvarado Canyon, it’s lush setting is perfect for family photos.

San Clemente State Beach

Traveling a little further down the coast San Clemente State Beach is a less crowded, more varied seaside backdrop for a stunning photography session.

Nellie Gail Trails

Nestled in south Orange County are the 26 miles of trails of the Nellie Gail Ranch. The native California greenery gives way to beautiful grasses and trees, making this an especially unique photography location.

Your Home

Sometimes you don’t need to travel at all to find the perfect setting for your family photos. Sometimes you need only stay at home. At home photo shoots can be especially fun as they not only show your family’s story, but your home as well, adding an especially unique element to look back on.

Downtown Laguna Beach

I’m lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful beach communities in Southern California and my studio, in Laguna Canyon is just minutes from one of the best “downtowns” in the county as well. This location is a treasure trove for a variety of shooting possibilities. (Read even more in this recent post about Laguna Beach Photography)

Los Rios Historic District

San Juan Capistrano boast several great photography locations, but one of the most fun is the Los Rios District, just across the train tracks from the Capistrano Depot. You can even stop for a bite to eat or tea time after your shoot.

In a field, Senior Photography, Studio photo session

Best Posing secrets for a slim face: Chin Out and down

I am constantly joking with clients about how often I tell them to put their chin’s down. I often demonstrate on myself by saying: “see when my chins up, my eyes look small, but as I lower my chin, my eyes open up and look big”. Since as they say “the eyes are the windows to the soul”, the most important part of an image for me is to get beautiful, light filled, sharp eyes on for my clients (unless of course the eyes are closed).

There is a common misconception that if you chin is up, you face will look slim. This has something to do with the dreaded double chin. That is the second part of the chin trick. My clients need to slightly push their chins forward to get rid of the double chin and create a strong jaw line. I promise, promise, promise this works every time!

Here is an example of the beautiful Rose with her chin up. It isn’t a terrible shot, but it could be so much better!

Now let’s see what happens when I ask her to put her chin down and out:

Her face looks slimmer, her jaw line looks gorgeous and her eyes are stunning! A few more of my favorite images of Rose! Enjoy!

At the Beach, At the Park, Family Photography, In a field, Kids Photography, Orange County Photography, Studio photo session

10 of the Best Orange County Photography Locations

The right photography location sets the tone for your photos. Here are just a few of the best Orange County locations I use.

Let’s start with these fun family photos at the Balboa Fun Zone in Newport Beach.

1. The Balboa Fun Zone

Since it’s opening in 1936 the FunZone has been a popular place to have some old fashioned fun. This is a great Orange County photography location for family photos because there are some many fun spots to take photos, plus you can entice the kids to cooperate with games, treats and rides! Win, Win, Win!

2. The Studio (Blue Sky’s, that is)

If the weather is rainy, or maybe too hot, or if you just want that polished look, Blue Sky’s Studio “studio” is a perfect location for a photoshoot. Clean white backgrounds, props and different furniture options can give your photos a clean, classic look. Plus it’s located in the heart of Laguna Canyon, our next photo shoot location.

3. Laguna Canyon

Just a hop, skip and a jump from our studio is the beatific countryside of Laguna Canyon. It’s hard to believe this photo location is in Orange County, but it’s the perfect little break from the hustle and bustle. And it makes for lovely natural photos.

4. The Newport Pier

This quintessential Orange County photography spot is perfect for family portraits with a casual, fun feel. The wooden pier reminds me an older time when surfers shot the curl and woodies dotted the coast. Check out this brother and sister photo at Newport Pier.

5. Upper Newport Back Bay

An oasis between the ocean and the wilds of Newport Beach, Irvine and Costa Mesa, this swath of nature is a great spot for outdoor photography. The smell of sagebrush welcomes you to this beautiful Orange County photography location.

6. SOCO

The South Coast Collection (& The OC Mix) is no just a great place to shop. It’s blend of clean industrial meets trendy water-friendly succulents and greenery makes this photography location the perfect ciy/nature mix.

7. Mission San Juan Capistrano

Step back in time to Old California. This unique photography location gives your photos a rustic charm of an original mission.

8. San Onofre State Beach

What could be more Orange County than a surf inspired family photo location. If your family loves the beach this photography location is a perfect vintage-inspired location.

9. The Red Horse Barn

This Orange County photography location is an unlikely dose of western culture right in Huntington Beach. This rustic, elegant setting has beautiful landscaping and as you can see is a great format for stunning family portraits or children’s portraits.

10. Table Rock Beach

This Laguna Beach location is a gem, unlike many beaches, it offers so much more than the typical sand and seascape. It has lovely rushes, a nice staircase and interesting sandstone cliffs. It’s a great place for a family photo session.

If you are looking to book a family portrait or a senior portrait session, we would love to work with you! Just click here to fill out your information and we will contact you as soon as possible: More Info Please

Blue Sky’s Studio is a family, high School senior and branding photography studio that specializes in magazine quality photography in Orange County, California. Kristin loves photographing Orange County families, high School seniors and Orange County businesses including corporate headshots. To schedule a session with Blue Sky’s Studio, in Laguna Beach or other Orange County surrounding areas, you can send an email to Kristin@blueskysstudio.com. We are now booking for the Fall Portrait session 2020. We are taking special precautions because of Covid-19 to ensure that you are safe and healthy.

Blue Sky’s Studio specializes in photographing on location in the following areas, Laguna Beach, Irvine, Newport Coast, Newport Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, Coto De Caza, Dana Point, The Ritz Carlton, The Montage Resort, the Surf and Sand resort and the Monarch Beach Resort.

At the Beach, At the Park, Creative sessions, In a field, In home, kids modeling, Kids Photography, Orange County Photography, Portrait Photography

Fun Valentine’s Day Photo Ideas

I’m having so much fun shooting Valentine’s Day themed photos this season. These kids (most of them are kids anyway) are just too adorable. It makes you realize how precious and pure the love of a child is. Below is some inspiration for your Valentine’s Day photos.

Check out these ideas (and photos) by yours truly. And get ready for cuteness overload. ;)

Kisses & Hugs

It’s so fun to get siblings to show some love, their character shows through in wonderful candid shots. These first two are my babies.

You’ve got my heart on a string…

The beautiful sisters above are a great segway to “hearts!” Hanging some glittering hearts all around in the studio gives Valentine’s photos a fun, whimsical feel.

Props

Props and accessories are so much fun for Valentine’s Day photos. Let’s start with some X’s and O’s!

Okay, we just can’t get enough of hearts–how about these different takes on the lovely shape?

How about some fun glasses, and maybe just the right book?

A family’s home decor can be a nice touch, especially with babies–this wall art provides the perfect scale for baby and carries the theme of love.

Let’s play…dress up!

These little cuties look so adorable, in these fun, candid photos because they were having fun playing while we shot.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas and photos. That’s all I have for now, but we’ll blow you one last kiss, goodbye!

In a field, Pregnancy portraits, Studio photo session

Maternity Session: Laguna Canyon

People often ask me, “what do you do”? My standard response is that I am a portrait photographer. That typically leads to what kind of photographer are you? Do you photograph weddings, or families or something along those lines. I tell them, while my passion is definitely kids and their families, I love photographing all people. Take the beautiful Brittany for example. We met many years ago when she hired me to shoot her wedding. The great thing about Andy and Brittany’s wedding, was that I had a lot of advance notice. We spent time planning out a fun engagement session (still one of my all time favorites) and then by the time the wedding rolled around, we were old friends.

You may think the actual wedding was the end of this story, but we continued to keep in touch. I told her if she ever got pregnant, I would love to gift her a maternity session. Soon I got the call that Brittany and Andy were expecting their first baby and Brittany wanted to incorporate vintage airplanes into a photography session. The best part was that she scouted the location, got the permits to me and got the session all set up.

That brings me to today. Brittany became a makeup artist and has been working with Blue Sky’s for over a year providing beautiful “Model for A Day” sessions, wedding makeup and makeup for my family clients. Her sweet, warm personality is a perfect addition to our Blue Sky’s staff family. And as many of you already know, she is expecting baby number two and I am so fortunate to get to photograph this beauty once again.

For this session we decided to create images of her alone that were more glamorous, but we didn’t forget to include the boys as well! Here is the sneak peak at the session. Enjoy!