Top Five Central Coast Beach Locations for Family Portraits

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

The beaches along California’s Central Coast offer an incredible variety of settings for family portraits. From the sand dunes and iconic Morro Rock in Morro Bay to the relaxed shoreline of Cayucos and the warm cliffs of Avila Beach, each location has its own personality.

One of the things I love about photographing families along the coast is the variety we can create during a single session. Depending on the location, we may use open beach, coastal dunes, beach grasses, cliffs, rock formations or a pier as part of the backdrop. The softer light later in the day can be especially beautiful and gives us plenty of opportunities for both traditional family portraits and the more relaxed, candid moments that happen in between.

Coastal weather can always be a little unpredictable, particularly during the summer months when fog and marine clouds can move in. But that’s part of photographing along the Central Coast. I keep an eye on the conditions leading up to every session and work with each family to make the most of the location and light we have.

Below are five of my favorite Central Coast beach locations for family portraits, including Morro Bay, Cayucos, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach and Moonstone Beach in Cambria, along with what makes each one unique.

Morro Bay | Morro Rock

Morro Bay has become one of my favorite Central Coast locations for family portraits. Of course, Morro Rock is the landmark everyone recognizes, but what I especially love for photographs are the beautiful sand dunes and beach grasses nearby. They create a softer, more natural setting while still allowing us to include Morro Rock in the background.

The dunes work especially well for families who are comfortable walking a short distance through the sand. For larger extended and multigenerational families—or anyone who would prefer easier access—the wide open beach is another great option. There is usually plenty of room to spread out, and we can create everything from the full family portrait to smaller family groupings, couples, grandparents and more relaxed photographs along the shoreline.

Another reason I love photographing families here is the variety we can create without having to change locations. Within one session we can use the dunes, beach grasses, open sand, ocean and Morro Rock, giving the finished gallery several distinctly different looks.

Want to see what a complete session here looks like? Take a look at this recent extended family portrait session in Morro Bay, photographed among the dunes and along the beach with Morro Rock in the background.

Cayucos Beach

Cayucos is another one of my favorite Central Coast locations for family portraits. It has a relaxed, small-town feel and a beautiful stretch of open beach that works especially well for both individual families and larger extended-family sessions.

One of the things I especially like about Cayucos is its simplicity. The shoreline, ocean, pier and surrounding coastal landscape give us plenty of variety without competing with the people in the photographs. We can create the more traditional portraits everyone wants, then spend time walking along the beach, letting the kids play and capturing some of the natural interactions that happen along the way.

Cayucos can also be a wonderful choice for families staying in Paso Robles or elsewhere in North County who would like to include the coast during their visit. It’s an easy way to create a completely different Central Coast experience while still being relatively close to wine country.

As with any beach session, the exact look of Cayucos can change with the tide, weather and marine layer, but when the conditions come together, it’s one of my favorite places for relaxed, natural family photographs.

Avila Beach Cove

Avila Beach Cove is one of my favorite choices for families who want a more intimate coastal setting. Tucked beneath the surrounding cliffs, the cove has a completely different feel from the wide open beaches of Morro Bay and Cayucos, with beautiful rock formations, a smaller stretch of sand and plenty of natural texture for photographs.

What I especially like about this location is how much variety we can create in a relatively small area. Depending on the tide, we can photograph along the shoreline, use the cliffs and rocks as a backdrop, and work our way through several different settings without asking a family to walk very far. That can be particularly helpful when young children or grandparents are part of the session.

The cliffs can also provide some protection from the wind, which is a nice advantage on certain days along the Central Coast. And as the sun gets lower, the softer light and warmer tones of the surrounding cliffs can create a beautiful setting for relaxed family portraits.

Because the amount of usable beach can change considerably with the tide, I always check the conditions before planning a session here. When the timing and tide are right, Avila Beach Cove is one of my favorite smaller beach locations for family photography.

Want to see what a complete session here looks like? Take a look at this Avila Beach family portrait session, photographed at the cove during beautiful golden-hour light.

Pismo Beach Caves

The Pismo Beach caves offer one of the most dramatic settings on the Central Coast for family portraits. With tall coastal cliffs, interesting rock formations, small coves and sea caves, this location has a completely different feel from the wide open beaches of Morro Bay and Cayucos.

What makes this area especially interesting for photographs is the combination of sand, cliffs and rock formations within a relatively small area. When conditions are right, the caves and surrounding rocks create beautiful natural frames and give the session a more adventurous feel while still allowing plenty of opportunities for relaxed family portraits along the beach.

This is one location where timing the tide is especially important. Some of the cave areas are only accessible during low tide, so I always check the tide schedule before planning a session here. The amount of usable beach and access to particular rock formations can change considerably as the tide moves in.

Because of the uneven terrain and tide-dependent access, this location may not be the best choice for every family. But for families who are comfortable walking on sand and around rocks, and when the tide and weather cooperate, the Pismo Beach caves can provide one of the most unique coastal settings for family photographs.

Moonstone Beach | Cambria

Moonstone Beach in Cambria rounds out my five favorite Central Coast locations for family portraits. It has a more rugged and natural feel than some of the beaches farther south, with rocky shoreline, coastal vegetation and beautiful ocean views that give photographs a distinctly Cambria look.

One of the things I especially like about Moonstone Beach is the variety of textures and backgrounds. Depending on the tide and conditions, we can work with stretches of beach, rocks and the surrounding coastal landscape to create a nice mix of traditional family portraits and more relaxed photographs near the water.

Moonstone Beach can be an especially nice choice for families staying in Cambria or visiting the northern end of San Luis Obispo County. It’s also close enough to Paso Robles and North County to make it a great coastal option for families who are spending part of their Central Coast vacation in wine country but would love their portraits at the beach.

Like most Central Coast beaches, conditions can vary with the tide, wind and marine layer, so I keep an eye on all three when planning a session. When everything comes together, Moonstone Beach offers a beautiful, slightly more rugged alternative to Morro Bay, Cayucos and Avila Beach.