McNears Beach in San Rafael faces east, which means golden hour hits early when you’re tucked into the lower part of that hill. The light was soft and directional (exactly what you need when you’re photographing a family with a newborn, a toddler, and an older sibling all moving at different speeds). Mom in her yellow floral dress became the anchor, holding everyone together while the kids wandered in and out of the frame, barefoot and curious about the water’s edge.

A mother holds her infant close while an older child reaches toward the baby's face in a tender moment of sibling connection

A mother tenderly holds her infant wrapped in white cloth, gazing downward with gentle affection in soft natural light

A mother and young daughter walk barefoot on a mountain road, the girl's arm extended joyfully as sunlight filters through towering forest

Three barefoot children stand at the water's edge, their legs and feet wet from wading in the foamy surf

Two young children in patterned clothing sit closely together on floral fabric, their heads bent in gentle connection and focused attention

Barefoot toddler in white shirt crouches on sandy beach, dark hair obscuring face as small hands explore the grainy shore

A woman guides her toddler through shallow water, both absorbed in the moment as backlit waves lap at their feet

A mother in a yellow floral dress lifts her smiling toddler toward the sky in dappled sunlight, their joy radiating as palm fronds frame the moment

Mother lifts her laughing toddler toward dappled sunlight filtering through oak tree branches, his arms stretched wide in pure joy

What struck me most was how unselfconscious they were. Dad lifting the toddler overhead while everyone laughed. The older sister touching her baby brother’s face with such gentleness. The infant swaddled in white, content and drowsy in the filtered light coming through the oak trees. These weren’t posed moments. They were real pauses between running and splashing, the kind that happen when families stop trying so hard and just exist together in a place they love.

A father lifts his young son high in the air, both smiling with joy as dappled sunlight filters through the green canopy above them

A father holds his toddler son while his older daughter smiles up at them on a sunlit stone pathway, creating a warm moment of family connection

An older sister beams at her toddler brother while their father holds him on a sunlit cobblestone path lined with weathered stone walls

A toddler in a blue checkered shirt gazes curiously while an older sister hugs from behind, both held by their mother in a yellow floral dress against weathered wooden steps

A young girl in denim gently touches a toddler's face as he sits on gravel, both wearing matching blue shirts

A woman and girl raise their clasped hands in joy along a tree-lined path, backlit by golden afternoon sunlight filtering through autumn foliage

A joyful family laughs together on a gravel path, with the father lifting their toddler overhead while the mother and older daughter beam in the golden afternoon light

A father lifts his toddler overhead while his wife and older daughter lean in close, laughing together on a sun-dappled dirt road

Father holds toddler overhead while parents kiss on a tree-lined forest path, capturing genuine joy and connection

A joyful family of four laughs together against weathered wooden siding, with dappled sunlight casting shadows across their faces and the ground

The trees at McNears Beach in San Rafael gave us natural framing all afternoon. By the time we moved to the stone pathways and gravel roads, that early sunset had painted everything warm. If you’ve got a family and you’re thinking about capturing who you actually are together, I’d love to be there.

A young girl in a denim jacket and leopard-print dress throws her arm up joyfully against dark wooden shiplap, beaming with uninhibited happiness

A woman in a floral dress holds her young child steady among wildflowers, both gazing directly at the camera with serene expressions

A mother in a floral print dress cradles her infant in her arms, gazing downward with tender affection against a soft, textured background

A mother in a floral dress holds her infant while gazing thoughtfully away, their profiles silhouetted against soft natural light in a wooded setting

A parent's hands gently guide a young child's fingers as they sit together on sandy ground, captured in soft black and white

A toddler in profile gazes toward an adult while small hands grasp gently, dappled sunlight filtering through overhead foliage

A family of four sits closely together on sandy ground, dressed in coordinating blue and yellow tones, smiling warmly at the camera with natural hillside backdrop

A family of three smiles warmly on a sunlit path lined with trees, the father in blue shirt and mother in yellow floral dress holding their infant son

A family of four stands beneath sprawling oak trees, father holding toddler aloft while mother and daughter gaze upward together in warm dappled sunlight

Family Session at McNears Beach in San Rafael — Marin County · May 25, 2021