One of the best things about photographing families in San Francisco is how many completely different backdrops we have within a few miles of each other. You can have the Golden Gate Bridge, the beach, classic architecture, gardens, or quintessential San Francisco streets—all without leaving the city.
But the prettiest location isn't necessarily the best location for your family.
When I'm helping families choose where to take portraits, I think about the ages of the kids, time of day, weather, how much walking everyone is comfortable with, and—most importantly—where your family will actually be able to relax and have fun.
Here are a few of my favorite places to start.
1. Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts is hard to beat if you want family photographs that feel classic and elegant.
The architecture gives us beautiful columns, pathways, greenery, and water all within a relatively compact area, so we can create a lot of variety without asking young kids to walk all over San Francisco.
It's also a great choice for visiting families who want photographs that feel distinctly San Francisco without making the Golden Gate Bridge the focus of every image.
Best for: Classic portraits, extended families, visiting families, and anyone who wants an elegant backdrop.
2. Crissy Field
If the Golden Gate Bridge is on your wish list, Crissy Field is one of my favorite places to start.
You get wide-open space, the waterfront, beach, greenery, and those unmistakable bridge views. More importantly for families with kids, there's room to move.
Rather than expecting little ones to stand perfectly still and smile at the camera, we can walk, play, cuddle, race, explore—and make portraits along the way.
That usually results in photographs that feel much more like your family.
Best for: Golden Gate Bridge views, energetic kids, casual sessions, and quintessential San Francisco photographs.
3. The Presidio
The Presidio is wonderful because it doesn't give us just one look.
Depending on where we go, we can find eucalyptus trees, open fields, historic architecture, coastal views, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
For families who want something unmistakably San Francisco but a little less obvious than standing directly in front of the bridge, this is one of my favorite options.
Best for: Natural settings, variety, and families who want an understated San Francisco feel.
4. Golden Gate Park
If you want your family to be the focus rather than a recognizable landmark, Golden Gate Park gives us countless possibilities.
Trees, gardens, pathways, fields, and beautiful pockets of light make it especially good for portraits that feel natural and relaxed.
It's also a great option for families who live in San Francisco and don't necessarily need their photographs to announce, We were in San Francisco!
Best for: Local families, greenery, younger children, and a softer natural backdrop..
5. Your Own Neighborhood
This one might actually be my favorite.
Your family photographs don't have to happen at a landmark.
Sometimes the most meaningful location is the neighborhood where you're raising your children—the front steps everyone piles onto, the street you walk every morning, your favorite corner, or simply your own home.
San Francisco neighborhoods have so much personality that we can create photographs that feel unmistakably connected to this chapter of your family's life without ever seeing a landmark.
And years from now, those details may mean more to you than the Golden Gate Bridge ever could.
Questions & Answers
01.
What Time of Day Is Best for Family Photos in San Francisco?
Beautiful light matters, but with families, happy children matter more.
If your toddler is usually falling apart by sunset, I'm not going to insist on scheduling your entire session around the theoretically perfect light.
We'll choose a time that balances good light with naps, meals, bedtime, and your family's normal rhythm.
San Francisco's fog and changing weather also mean we don't always need the traditional golden-hour formula that works in sunnier locations.
02.
What Should We Wear?
Start with coordinating rather than matching.
I generally recommend choosing colors and textures that work well together without putting everyone in identical outfits. Neutral and muted colors photograph beautifully in many San Francisco locations, but that doesn't mean you have to avoid color altogether.
Most importantly, you should still look like yourselves.
And bring layers.
It's San Francisco.
03.
What If My Kids Don't Cooperate?
They probably won't.
At least not the entire time.
And that's completely fine.
Family sessions aren't about getting children to perform perfectly for the camera. We'll give them room to move, take breaks when we need to, play games, explore, and work with whatever mood they bring that day.
Some of my favorite photographs happen after we've stopped trying to make the “perfect family photo.”
We'll still get the photograph of everyone looking at the camera for the grandparents.
But we'll make plenty of other photographs, too.
04.
Family Photography That Becomes a Tradition
One of my favorite parts of being a photographer is getting to watch families grow.
Many of the couples I first photographed for engagements and weddings eventually invited me back for pregnancy announcements, babies, holiday cards, and annual family portraits. Some I've now photographed for more than a decade.
The location may change. The kids certainly do.
But making the photographs becomes part of the family's tradition.
Planning Family Photos in
San Francisco?
I'm a San Francisco-based wedding and family photographer with nearly two decades of experience photographing people in New York, California, and destinations around the world.
If you're planning a family session—whether you live here or you're visiting San Francisco—I'll help you choose a location and time that works for your family rather than simply picking the most popular spot on Instagram.
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