The Top Five Beach Locations for Family Portraits on the Central Coast

Your guide to some of the best beach photography locations on the Central Coast

Before highlighting my five favorite beach locations on the Central Coast for family portraits let’s take a deep dive into why the beaches in San Luis Obispo County offer some of the best photo locations.

• Breathtaking Scenery: The Central Coast is home to some of California’s most stunning landscapes. Whether you want dramatic coastal cliffs, rolling green hills, golden fields, or picturesque beaches, this region has it all. Locations like Shell Beach, Morro Bay, and the scenic bluffs of Montana de Oro provide unique and varied backdrops that make your family portraits stand out and provide lasting memories.
• Mild Year-Round Weather: Unlike other regions in California that experience extreme heat or cold, the Central Coast enjoys a temperate climate. Even in the winter, you can often enjoy mild temperatures, making outdoor family sessions comfortable and enjoyable throughout the year. Note, coastal fog is a reality of the Central Coast as well. It can creep in during the summer months and is somewhat unpredictable. If the weather is calling for fog or coastal clouds and your limited with your schedule most of my families make the best of it. I also have a way to edit the photos with a warm tone and bring out the details with my post processing of your photos.
• Variety of Locations: The Central Coast beaches have everything from sand dunes, wide open beaches to the rugged cliffs and beaches of Montan De Oro and depending on the time of year most are uncrowded unlike the packed beaches of Southern California. Most of the beaches north of Pismo beach are often more relaxed, peaceful and quite. The beaches in Morro Bay, Cayucos and beyond provide privacy, so your family can focus on having fun without large crowds in the background..
• Adventure and Memories: Family photo sessions aren’t just about “taking photos-it’s an experience! Many families turn their sessions into a fun outing, exploring tide pools at low tide, playing in the sand, or hiking to scenic overlooks. This makes for authentic, candid moments that truly capture your family’s love and energy.

Monarch Butterfly Grove | Pismo Beach

For something different than the wide open beach, the area just beyond the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo beach offers a creative variety of subtle sand dunes to wind sculpted cypress trees. I like this spot because of it’s easy accessibility and beautiful location. Here’s the scoop on how to get there: The actual directions guide you to the Butterfly Grove on Highway 1. Once you park along the road simply walk through the butterfly grove to an easy trail over a small creek and proceed along the path to the Cypress trees, see photo below. Once your there you can have your family portraits done in the midst of the cypress trees and then walk out towards to sand dunes below the tree line if desired.

Pismo Caves | Pismo Beach

The Pismo caves location can be found on the most northern beach area of Pismo Beach. The best way to access this magical location is by parking at the Sea Crest Hotel, proceed around the pool area and then walk down the public stairs to the beach. Note, not accessible to anyone unable to walk up and down somewhat steep stairs. A few practical tips: The beach and the caves are only accessible at low tide, the lower the better. If you can schedule your session about an hour prior to sunset you can enjoy the benefits of the warm golden hour light. Once your down at the beach take advantage of the variety of cliffs and caves. The white cliffs have the look and feel of Greece. See more images here.

Avila Cove | Avila Beach

Avila Cove has been one of my all time favorite beach locations for family portraits on the Central Coast for so many years now. The town of Avila alone is worth checking out with all it’s shops, restaurants, coffee shops along with it’s colorful and funky beach vibes. Some of my personal favorites are sitting out in the sunshine in front of Kraken Coffee, lunch at Mersea’s (located on the Port San Luis Pier) and of course Ice Cream at the Hula Hut.

To access the Cove simply park anywhere to the south of the pier and walk about a quarter of a mile south. Make sure to go during a low tide as the point that you need to walk around can be unaccessible at a higher tide. Even if the tide isn’t low enough your can still go as far as you can and have your portraits done with the cove in the backdrop. The golden hour light is a must if you are able since the cliffs turn a beautiful amber and golden color. Tip.Start your portrait session 30 minutes prior to the last hour of light since the sunset actually sets about 20 minutes earlier than what your app may tell you due to the sun descending behind the northern end of the beach prior to the actual sunset, if this make sense?

See more Avila Cove photos here.

Morro Bay | Morro Rock

Morro Bay, with it’s iconic Morro Rock, offers a offers a picturesque backdrop that perfectly frames family portraits. The large dirt parking lot is easy to find. Once your their it’s an short walk down to the beach. There are two locations that work well for family portraits. One is sand dunes and wheat grass that you will notice from the beach. If you have a smaller family and everyone is able to walk up to the sand dunes your really can’t go wrong with this location as your portraits are framed by both the san dunes and wheat grass along with the majestic Morro Rock in the background. The other location is simply right on the beach with the Rock in the background. Better for multigenerational, large group portraits. The beach itself is quite large, so even if the tide is high you will still find plenty of beach to work with. After or before your session, explore all the shops, restaurants and local charm of Morro Bay on the Embarcadero.

Cayucos Beach | Cayucos

Heading 10 miles north on Highway One is Cayucos Beach. Often when some of the other coastal locations to the south have coastal clouds, Cayucos has it’s own micro climate and can often be bright and sunny. The two primary locations that I photography my family sessions in Cayucos is the Pier area and the beach a tad south of the pier. The top photo is a great example of this and you can often have Morro Rock in the background as well. The beach south of the pier has several access points with stairs leading down to the beach. Low tide is idea, however, there is usually plenty of beach to work with if the tides not super high. Before or after your portrait session be sure to check out this wonderful laid back town. Some of my favorites are Duckies Chowder House in front of the pier and and Schooners, a local favorite. See one of my full family sessions here.