After more than 25 years photographing families on California’s Central Coast, I’ve learned that the best location for family portraits isn’t always the most obvious one. In Paso Robles, a beautiful setting might be a vineyard at golden hour, a quiet grove of oak trees, a rustic ranch property, or simply the vacation home where several generations of a family have gathered for the weekend.
Paso Robles offers an incredible variety of settings for family photography, from rolling vineyards and oak-covered hills to beautiful private estates and vacation rentals. The right location depends not only on how it looks, but also on the size of your family, the ages of everyone involved, accessibility, privacy, and—perhaps most importantly—the light.
What Makes a Great Paso Robles Family Portrait Location?
When helping families choose a location, these are some of the things I consider:
Natural beauty and Paso Robles character. Vineyards, oak trees, rolling hills and rustic properties immediately give photographs a sense of place without overwhelming the people in them.
Accessibility. This becomes especially important with extended families that may include grandparents, very young children or anyone with limited mobility. A gorgeous location isn’t much help if getting everyone there is difficult.
Beautiful light. Early morning and the hour or so before sunset generally provide the softest and most flattering light. I often choose the exact area we’ll photograph based as much on the direction of the light as the scenery itself.
Privacy and room to move. A little space allows families to relax, particularly when we’re photographing a larger group and then breaking that group into smaller combinations—grandparents with grandchildren, individual families, couples, siblings and children.
Vineyards and Wine Country
It’s hard to think about Paso Robles without thinking about wine country. Vineyards, oak-covered hills and open countryside can provide a beautiful backdrop for family portraits, particularly during the softer light of early morning or evening.
One thing families don’t always realize is that photography policies vary from winery to winery. Some properties welcome professional photography while others restrict it, require permission or limit access to guests. Winery hours can also make a true golden-hour session difficult, particularly during the summer when sunset occurs well after many tasting rooms have closed.
For those reasons, I always recommend confirming access before planning a session at a particular winery.
Allegretto Vineyard Resort
For families staying at the Allegretto Vineyard Resort, the property offers a very different look from the surrounding countryside. Its European-inspired architecture, courtyards, gardens and vineyard areas provide a variety of backgrounds within a relatively small area.
Professional portrait photography on the property is generally intended for guests, so families considering the Allegretto should confirm the resort’s current photography policies when planning their session.
Vacation Rentals and Private Estates
Over the past several years, vacation rentals have become some of my favorite places to photograph families in Paso Robles—especially extended and multigenerational families.
Many families come to Paso Robles for a birthday, anniversary, wedding weekend or simply an opportunity to have several generations together in one place. Often they’ve rented a large home, vineyard estate or ranch property for the occasion. Instead of packing everyone into several cars and traveling to another location, we can frequently create the entire portrait session right where the family is staying.
And some of these properties are spectacular.
Vineyard views, oak trees, open fields, beautiful architecture, landscaped grounds and wonderful evening light can give us several completely different looks without ever leaving the property.
There is another advantage that I think is just as important: everyone is comfortable. Children have room to be themselves, grandparents don’t have to travel to another location, and the family isn’t surrounded by tourists or other photographers.
For extended-family sessions, I typically photograph much more than one large group portrait. We’ll make time for the entire family together, but also individual families, grandparents with grandchildren, couples, siblings and other smaller combinations. Having a private property with room to work makes that process relaxed and enjoyable.
One recent extended-family session at Beginnings Ranch & Vineyard is a great example of how well a Paso Robles vacation rental can work for family portraits.
You can also view my family portrait session options and pricing.
Oak Groves, Ranches and the Paso Robles Countryside
Some of my favorite portrait locations aren’t named destinations at all.
Paso Robles is filled with oak groves, ranch properties, rustic barns, open fields and rolling hills. Depending on the season, the landscape can range from lush green hills in winter and spring to the warm golden grasses that are so characteristic of the Central Coast later in the year.
These quieter locations can be especially beautiful for families who want their photographs to feel natural and timeless rather than tied to a particular tourist destination.
What About Downtown Paso Robles?
Downtown can work beautifully for a smaller family looking for something different from the traditional wine-country setting. Tree-lined streets, historic buildings and areas surrounding Downtown City Park can provide a more casual, architectural feel.
For larger extended families, however, I generally prefer locations with more room, fewer distractions and greater flexibility—one reason private estates and vacation rentals work so well.
Locations Just Outside Paso Robles
There are also beautiful portrait possibilities throughout North San Luis Obispo County. Templeton, Atascadero and San Miguel each offer their own mix of oak-covered countryside, ranches, vineyards and historic settings.
Mission San Miguel Arcángel, north of Paso Robles, can provide a distinctive backdrop with its historic Spanish architecture. As with any privately managed or historic property, access and professional-photography policies should always be confirmed before scheduling a session.
Oak & Vine in Templeton is one example of a vacation rental where the property itself became a beautiful setting for an extended-family session.
Choosing the Right Location for Your Family
Ultimately, I don’t believe there is one “best” family portrait location in Paso Robles.
The best location is the one that fits your family.
For a couple and their children, that might be a vineyard at sunset. For a multigenerational family of 15 or 20 people, the beautiful vacation home where everyone is already staying may be a much better choice.
When families contact me, I’m always happy to look at the property where they’re staying or talk through other location possibilities. Often a few photographs of a vacation rental are enough for me to determine whether it has the light, space and backgrounds we’ll need.
Paso Robles Family Photography
My approach to family photography is relaxed and natural. I’ll give direction when it’s helpful, but I also want families to have room to interact, laugh and simply be themselves.
My goal isn’t only to create a beautiful photograph of everyone looking at the camera. It’s to capture the smaller relationships within the family as well—the grandparents and grandchildren, siblings, couples and individual families that make the larger family what it is.
If you’re planning a family gathering in Paso Robles or elsewhere on California’s Central Coast, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
David Pascolla is a Paso Robles family portrait photographer with more than 25 years of experience photographing families on California’s Central Coast. He specializes in relaxed, natural family portraits, including extended and multigenerational families gathering at Paso Robles vacation rentals, vineyard estates and other beautiful Central Coast locations. Reach out to learn more or plan your family portrait session.
