My New Favorite San Francisco Beach Location For Maternity Portraits

Marshall’s Beach – My New Favorite San Francisco Beach Location For Maternity Portraits

One of the first things to consider, when scheduling maternity portraits, is the location. If you are looking to shoot at a specific location, you will want to run this by your Photographer. Because some locations photograph differently at certain times of the day. In the case of scheduling your session at the beach, it is best to schedule the session in the EARLY morning or just before sunset. At these times of the day, the lighting will be soft and flattering. Prior to this session, I had never heard of Marshall’s Beach and it was recommended to me by the client. I am glad for their recommendation because Marshall’s Beach is my new favorite San Francisco Beach Location for maternity portraits! Here are three things I love about Marshall’s Beach

It Is More Secluded Than Some Other San Francisco Beaches

The first reason why Marshall’s Beach is my new favorite San Francisco beach location for maternity portraits is that it is not too busy. In my experience, people feel the most comfortable when there are less people around. Perhaps the reason for the beach being a lot less busier than some of the other beaches is that you have to hike down about half a mile worth of stairs (and back up when you are done). There are wooden stairs and it is not a rough terrain to navigate; however, it takes about 10 minutes to walk down to the beach. If you are willing to do this, you will be rewarded with some really nice images!

It Gives The Perfect View of The Golden Gate Bridge

Perhaps the number one reason people schedule beach sessions in San Francisco is to get a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge. There are a few beaches in San Francisco that have decent views of the Golden Gate Bridge – but in my opinion, Marshall’s Beach is the best.

It Photographs Really Well Around Sunset

Last but not least, Marshall’s Beach is my new favorite San Francisco beach location for maternity portraits because it photographs well around sunset. By far, the best time to take outdoor portraits is going to be in the hour or so before the sun sets. At this time of the day, the light is soft and flattering and the color of the sunlight is bright and vibrant. In my experience, this is the most popular lighting scenario among my clients. If you are flexible with the timing of your session, I highly recommend scheduling the session an hour before the sun sets. A great way to check the time the sun sets is to use a sunset calendar.

Hopefully the images and these three reasons why Marshall’s Beach is my new favorite San Francisco beach location for maternity portraits have been helpful 🙂 Thanks!