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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

  1. 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 Beach photography

  1. 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 photography

  1. 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.

in home photography

  1. 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.

Laguna Beach photography

  1. 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)

San Juan Capistrano photography

  1. 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.

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Adora Dolls Long Beach photography session

While I love all aspects of portrait photography and capturing real family relationships, I am most passionate about photographing kids.  I feel like in real life I am a little bit shy (those who know me well might find this hard to believe) and I feel a little awkward being silly… BUT with kids of all ages this completely goes away.  I love to talk to them, hear their point of view, be silly with them, play games with them, just let kids be kids.  

This kind of relationship with kids, has created a lot of wonderful opportunities for me.  One of my favorite is photographing the lifestyle images for Adora Dolls.  From working with Peggy and bj to come up with new ideas each year for the photography session storyboard, to helping select the wonderful models we use every year, this is definitely a passion project for me!  

This past year I was fortunate enough to work with an incredibly talented teen to help capture the photography experience through video.  Conner Brashier may look younger than his years, but he has a God given talent that is so impressive.  Also, the little girls absolutely LOVE him!  I won’t be surprised if he was receiving fan mail… seriously!  At the end of the session, one girl even asked him to take a selfie with her!

Here are just a few of my favorite images from the Adora session, along with the fantastic video Conner put together of the photography shoot experience.  

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Meet Conner!

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Behind the scenes Video of the Adora session:

 

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Downtown Laguna Beach: High School Senior Session

The challenge with photographing lots of families, year after year, is always producing a unique, inspired and storytelling group of images that represent “your” family at this stage in your life.  So many of the wonderful families we photograph at Blue Sky’s Studio want to document their lives each year (I do this too).   As we are getting ready to send our oldest out into the world, I absolutely cherish the albums we have put together from our family photography sessions each year of our kids lives.  

One of the best ways I know to produce unique images, is to choose a different location in Orange County, each year, to have your family photographed.

Recently, I went through  loads of sessions and put together an album of all of my favorite locations, so Blue Sky’s clients would have the opportunity to page through lots of sessions and get inspired.  You can check it out by clicking here.  Each year, I try to add additional locations to my repertoire, which gets more difficult as you can imagine!  The fact is, we are truly blessed to have a studio in Laguna Canyon.  Not only is the studio a spectacular place to have your portraits taken as the lighting is heavenly, but it is also surrounded but fields, urban areas and very close to the beach.  Seriously, in one session, you can have Urban, Coastal and studio images!  Pretty cool if you ask me!  

Here is a highlight of one of the areas in my own backyard (our family moved to downtown Laguna Beach this year and I can walk out my door and be in any of these spots within minutes).  This location features the beautiful Victoria Blakemore, who will be attending the prestigious Parson’s School of Design in New York!

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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.

Best Orange County Location, The Fun Zone1. 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!

Best Orange County Location: Blue Sky's Studio2.  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.

Location: Laguna Canyon3.  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.

Newport Pier photography location4. 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.

photo shoot location Upper Newport Back Bay5.  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.

SOCO photo shoot

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.

Mission San Juan Capistrano photo shoot

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.

Photo Shoot Location San Onofre Beach

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.

Orange County Photography Location Red Barn9.  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.

orange county photography location Table Rock Beach

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.

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Be a Model for a Day

Ever look at a friend’s stunning photo and think, gah, I want a nice headshot like that?

Life is busy, it can be hard to find time to treat yourself. But that’s what our Model for a Day promotion is all about–finding the time to spoil yourself, or your daughter, your mom, or even a friend.  Our goal is to bring out your natural beauty, with a little help from a stylist, a makeup artist, and me.

Here are just a few of the gorgeous shots we have taken during our Model for a Day promotion in the past:

Our Model for a Day promotion is back by popular demand. Check out the details below and book soon, as sessions fill fast:

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