Discover the best places for an outdoor newborn photography session in San Diego.
It’s time to start planning for your little one to join your family, and equally importantly (at least in my opinion), it’s time to prepare for your newborn photography session! You may be considering a studio newborn photography session, or you might be an outdoor person, considering an outdoor newborn photography session. Both are awesome choices, and as your San Diego Newborn Photographer, I love both! However, if you’re considering heading outdoors, let’s take a quick look at the best places for an outdoor newborn photography session in San Diego!
Best places for an outdoor newborn photography session in San Diego
Before we dive into locations specifically below, let’s talk about what an outdoor photography session is all about. Prior to our outdoor newborn photography session in San Diego, we will chat about particular colors or props that you may want me to incorporate into our session. With that information, I head into the studio to prepare my green portable wagon. This wagon will hold all of the different setups we will need for our session. I typically like to plan for a few different setups. You can check out the most popular newborn photography poses in a prior blog post of mine. I always aim to incorporate most of these poses into our outdoor newborn photography session just as I would for a studio newborn photography session. It’s always so much fun to coordinate all of my props with just the right accessories, bonnets, headbands and textures for each outdoor newborn photography session. I typically aim to bring ahout 6 different props, using them in a few different ways each.
Things to keep in mind for an outdoor newborn photography session is that there are some elements outdoors that we need to prepare for. First and foremost, the sun! Newborn babies have very sensitive skin, and the sun is great at providing a good amount of vitamin D, but spending three hours under the sun is definitely not recommended. So how do we avoid getting too much sun? I always prepare a large golfing type of umbrella that we use at any time we are in direct sun. Not only is it useful to protect baby’s skin, but also, it provides us that perfect shaded light that works best for photographs. I usually have a parent hold the umbrella over baby and I as I carefully pose and photograph your little one.
Another concern you may have is the weather or temperature during certain times of the year. Don’t fret, the time of year is never an issue (I mean, unless it’s raining). For colder months, I always plan on providing several different footed, knit rompers with matching bonnets, keeping baby warm and comfy from head to toe. I also bring various wraps and swaddles to get a great variety of shots.
Ok, are we ready to check out what in my opinion are the best places for an outdoor newborn photography session in San Diego? Let’s do it!
Here’s a list, because some of you might be scrolling to get to the main info, but of course we will discuss each of these places in depth.
1. Balboa Park
2. Windansea Beach
3. Your own backyard
4. Your local park
5. San Elijo Lagoon
6. Mission Trails Regional Park
7. On a farm
You got the list, now let’s discuss the best places for an outdoor newborn photography session in San Diego.
1. Balboa Park
There is so much to see at San Diego’s most iconic park. There’s architecture, there are cactus gardens, there are museums, and beautiful rose gardens. Where do I like to photograph my newborns within the park? Well, for those posed newborn photography shots, I love starting the session at the Rose Garden. The roses are so beautiful and colorful, and they are so fragrant too! After a few shots among the roses, I like to take a brief, two minute walk right nextdoor to the cactus garden. The cactus garden offers a great variety and shades of green and brown. There are some cool bluish toned cactus plants and the more common green ones too. I love placing the various props among the different colors – don’t worry, your little baby will never be in contact with an actual cactus – ouch! I keep them properly and safely posed within a distance of the less friendly foliage.
2. Windansea Beach
A beach session for a newborn? Why not! In my opinion, Windansea Beach ranks high for me as one of the best places for an outdoor newborn photography session because there’s kind of a little bit of everything there. There’s a cute little wall of bouganvelia just up the staircase from the beach, where we will meet for our session. It’s a geat shaded spot that provides a great amout of color and light for those posed newborn shots. Next, I like to get a few shot in the greenery up above the beach, and finally, we head down to the sand and get some incredible shots with a magnificent backdrop. Let me say that Windansea Beach is great for a an outdoor newborn photography session at low tide. High tide doesn’t work well as the beach kinda dissappears leaving only the tall cliffs to explore. I love the cliffs, but they are not ideal for newborn sessions.
3. Your own backard
This is the most overlooked location and it’s right there, outside your sliding glass door. For outdoor newborn sessions, it doesn’t take much space to place a little bucket with a tiny human inside. One pretty rose bush, an orange tree, manicured landscaping – it’s all right there and will work perfectly for our session. As a bonus, it’s litereally your home, so travel is not much of an issue. You’d be surprised at how we can turn your back yard into a magical newborn photography location!
4. Your local park
Most local parks have manicured landscaping that is maintained year round. I have a favorite park that has California Poppies in the spring, as well as those pretty purple flower. In the winter and summer months, the park is maintained with foliage and greenery. I love the fall because there’s always pretty orange leaves on the ground – perfect for a photoshoot! Parks are also quite easy to access as many are stroller friendly, with paths around the park for ease of access.
5. San Elijo Lagoon
The hiking trails at San Elijo Lagoon rank among the best places for an outdoor newborn photography session in San Diego because of beautiful backdrops. The hiking trail has a few interesting plants and greenery, and as the sun begins to set, getting those sibling and family photos with the new baby with the coast in the background is great! This location is geat for my North County new parents!
6. Mission Trails Regional Park
I love holding sessions of all sorts here – from San Diego Maternity Photography to San Diego Family Portraits, Mission Trails is great! It’s the perfect place for a backdrop filled with mountains, greenery, and even an old stone dam! Mission Trails Regional Park is quite large, ranging from entrances to the park in Santee, Tierrasanta and La Mesa. For my outdoor newborn photography sssions here, I like to stay somewhat close to the entrances as those spots are easily accessible and still offer a fantastic background. As with all outdoor newborn photography sessions, if family and siblings wish to be included for those first family photos with the new baby, I keep those family shots for the end of the session when the sun begins to mellow out for sunset, providing that beautiful light for those scenic family shots.
7. On a farm
Say what? Yes, this has to be one of my favorite places to hold an outdoor newborn photography session. Not only is there a general rustic feel with nature foliage, but the animals are the best part! Little pigs, chickens, goats, horses…. the possibilities are endless and the images are one of a kind. Do you have a friend or family member that has a ranch or farm? Having those connections are great but there are so many farms and ranches around town that it never hurts to ask around and see who is happy to grant you access to their farm.
Well, there you have it! The best places for an outdoor newborn photography session in San Diego! Are you ready to book your outdoor newborn photography session? Send me a message below and let the magic begin!