Form submitted successfully, thank you.

Error submitting form, please try again.

Category Archives: Children

The Tates (Family Photography) @ Pajaro Dunes

It had been a couple years since I last got to work with the Tate families while they vacationed over Thanksgiving at their beachfront rental house in the Pajaro Dunes development near Watsonville. We had some beautiful weather this day, and the light was a little better than last time – plus I had an […]

View full post »

Multi-Generational Family (Family Photography) @ Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz

It’s always great to capture 3 generations in one photo shoot, especially at a fun location like Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz. It’s no easy task to coordinate four families and their schedules for one shoot, especially when they don’t all live in the area. Luckily the stars were in alignment, the weather was gorgeous, […]

View full post »

Tom + Kristin = Five Awesome Kids (Family Photography) @ Seascape Beach, Aptos

OK, so there’s a lot more photos in this post than is typical for a family portrait session, but Tom and Kristin have five photogenic, fun kids that made it really hard for me to narrow them down. They live near Seascape beach in Aptos, so it was a natural choice for their family photo […]

View full post »

Gisela, Bob and Clan (Family Photography) @ Private Residence, Santa Cruz

tktktk Looking for a family photographer in Santa Cruz? San Francisco / Bay Area Family Portrait Photographer Chris Schmauch makes sure your family looks great! Call (831) 216-6210 for serious inquiries only. If you haven’t already, feel free to review our portfolio site, browse past family portrait sessions, follow our business on Facebook (like us while you’re at it!), or […]

View full post »

Susan + Colin = Jackson > Odessa (Family Photography) @ Capitola Beach

Capitola Beach is one of my favorite locations for taking family photos – kids love the beach, and everything from the colorful beach-side houses to the wooden pier make for incredible backdrops for family portraits. I met this family of four under the pier for their session, getting some formal group shots of them before […]

View full post »

Michelle + Tom = Pearson > Collette (Family Photography) @ Capitola Beach

This is a fun, short family photography session taken at Capitola Beach. Michelle told me she really only wanted one photo, but of course you know this isn’t my style. Let’s have options, baby! These guys have tons of personality and I thoroughly enjoyed spending this evening with them. Here’s some of my favorite photos from […]

View full post »

Chandra + Jason = Ahnise > Sterling (Family Photography) @ Wilder Ranch, Santa Cruz

There are so many amazing locations in the Santa Cruz area to shoot, and Chandra and Jason found they really connect with Wilder Ranch, a collection of old houses, barns and fields comprising the farming property of the Wilder family. It’s now a historical preserve and part of the State Park system. Most people come […]

View full post »

Breanna (Newborn Photography) @ San Jose, California

Monica and Danny found me online, and although I don’t shoot a ton of newborn portraits every year, I consider each job I take on a blessing. If you work with a newborn that’s only a couple weeks old, they are really pose-able, and sleep through practically anything as long as their environment is really […]

View full post »

Alethea, Mike and Fam (Family Portrait Photography) @ Capitola Beach

Large families can be challenging to shoot – there’s that many more eyeballs and expressions that have to be open and happy at the exact same moment. Add to that the unpredictable wind, surf and lighting for an on-location outdoors shoot, and you have a lot to manage as a photographer! I’m always up for […]

View full post »

Amy + Greg = Isabelle > Aiden (Family Photography) @ Seascape Beach, Aptos

Can you say adorable strawberry blonde kids?!? I met Amy, Greg, and their cute kidlets Isabelle and Aiden for their family portrait session at Seascape Beach (this section also known as “beer can” or “beer bottle” beach to the college kids…). But today the beach was refuse-free and we took advantage, running around, being crazy, […]

View full post »

Bella, First Communion (Aptos Portrait Photography)

I had a portrait session with Bella last year at Natural Bridges, but both mom and grandma wanted a formal portrait of Bella in her dress that mimicked the photos they have of themselves from their first communions. Being nine and growing like a weed, we had to get the shot done quickly before she […]

View full post »

Christian + Catherine = Veronica (Family Photography) @ Capitola Beach

Oh. My. God. Little 2yo Veronica is simply adorable! She was a little shy at first, not sure what to think about me (see first photo below), but after a couple minutes she was all smiles. It doesn’t hurt that I’m not ashamed to dance for small children. Or anyone, really, but I digress. I […]

View full post »

Liz + Ben = Leah > Clara (Family Photography) @ Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz

Sisters Leah and Clara stole the show during their family portrait session at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz. We hit the sand near sunset and the girls had so much fun running around and playing together. I got a few posed shots, but lots of candids as well. Many beach family photo shoots end up […]

View full post »

Susan + Jesus = Bella (Family Photography) @ Hidden Beach, Aptos

There aren’t too many grassy parks right next to beaches, so it’s no wonder this place is named “Hidden Beach Playground.” It’s a good place to take little kids as it has a nice variety of locations to use, depending on the child’s mood. Bella and her uni-pony made some great photos for my camera […]

View full post »

The Ruizes (Family Photography) @ 4-Mile Beach, Santa Cruz

I’m good friends with Jennie, we love to meet up for tacos and margaritas at Olita’s on the wharf. When she suggested we do a big shoot with her siblings and their kids, I was happy to take on the big group and see what I could capture. All the kids were fantastic, took direction […]

View full post »

Shari + Cary = Gavin > Caden > Reesa (Family Photography, Aptos, California)

I had a wonderful family photography session with the Johnson family at Seacliff Beach / Rio Del Mar Beach in Aptos, California. There’s been so much driftwood along the coast since that whole Japanese Tsunami thing, so of course people have naturally created a myriad of structures out of it. We explored the structures as […]

View full post »

Grace and Ian (Family Photography, Santa Cruz)

Grace was visiting Santa Cruz from Southern California and wanted to get some professional photos of herself with her son, Ian. We met at Seabright Beach, which is always a great location (and within walking distance of my house!). I like Seabright in the morning as the sun is off to the left side of […]

View full post »

Ben + Juniper = Laila > Aurora (Family Photography)

I met Ben, Juniper and their little cuties Laila and Aurora at Lighthouse field, Santa Cruz for their family portrait session. After all this rain the grasses were so high, at times it felt like we were lions stalking prey in the African savannah… But the only guns were my Nikons, which managed to help […]

View full post »

Petrea + Shawn = Sasha > Cody (Family Photography, Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz)

The Brown family was a pleasure to shoot and hang out with at the ever popular Natural Bridges State Park Beach in Santa Cruz, California. The park has everything – green fields of grass (in the spring), huge trees, fallen dead wood, blossoming flowers, a marshy pond, monarch butterflies and of course the beach with […]

View full post »

Shawn + Joy = Summer > Pierce > Julia (Family Photography)

I’ve known Shawn and Joy for a long time – we met when they were just dating back in college at Cal Poly, SLO. We did a lot together back in the day, then went our separate ways, and only recently have rekindled our old friendships now that life has brought us back on the […]

View full post »