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As a San Diego lifestyle family photographer, I’ve visited and used dozens for locations for sessions, some very popular and others a little more hidden.

Choosing the right location for your precious family photographs is an essential ingredient of their final look & feel, so I’d love to use my expertise to help you decide.

In that spirit, here’s Part 7 (?) in my blog series, “Everything you Need to Know about Having Your Photo Session at [fill in location here].

To read about other Southern California photo locations I recommend, just click on “Locations” in the category list. On desktop, it’s on the right side of this page 👉🏻; on mobile, scroll to the bottom 👇🏻.

I do hope you find it helpful!
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The Location: La Jolla’s Windansea Beach

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1) Look and Feel

Windansea Beach is an iconic La Jolla surfing spot, famed for its intense waves, dramatic rock formations, and gorgeous sunsets. It’s right for you if you’re looking for a beachy shoot, but with some extra drama created by the rocks.

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2) What to Wear for Photos at Windansea Beach

If it’s spring or summer, I recommend an iconic beach-y look (think flowy sundresses and summery colors). If it’s fall or winter, create some drama with deeper shades (like this family did here). Moms, whatever you choose, take advantage of those sea breezes with something long and flowy.

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3) Windansea Beach: What’s Good

• The gorgeous sunsets: assuming it’s sunny (not a given on SoCal beaches, with that marine layer that often rolls in), the sunsets here are 2nd to none. The sand and rocks glow pink and gold with all that warm light.
• Those awesome rocks: look at these photos and tell me they don’t create some incredible drama and interest in the photos! Windansea Beach definitely has a distinctive look.

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4) Windansea Beach: What’s Not so Good

• The parking situation: it’s all street parking, and it can get really busy. So if you have a session there, arriving early enough to find parking and walk to the beach is a must.
• The bathroom situation: nope. No restrooms.
• Crowds: especially on warm summer evenings, Windansea is really busy. I have to navigate around other people quite a bit when I shoot here, and during post-processing, there’s a lot of Photoshop happening to remove people from the background. Since the beach is quite narrow, there isn’t the spreading out possible like at Coronado (a favorite beach site!).
• Timing: since the beach is so narrow, tides need to be checked before scheduling your photoshoot, since high tide really leaves very little beach left to use. That might work for the “stand still and smile at the camera” type photos, but not for my “run around and play” type photos.
• Traffic: getting into La Jolla can be a real pain with the narrow streets and congestion, so again, giving yourself plenty of time is key.
• Caution with small children: the waves are intense and powerful, as they crash right on the beach, so extra caution needs to be used.

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5) The Best Time of Year for Photos at Windansea Beach

Year round! This is San Diego, after all. However, if you’d like the best shot at a gorgeous sunset, I would avoid those May gray and June gloom months.

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Finally…

If you’re considering choosing Windansea Beach for your family or maternity photo session, but still have questions, feel free to email me at michelle@lovemichellephotography.com. And if you’re loving the warmth & connection coming through my images and would like to know more about booking one of my fun and easy going sessions, inquire here.