Every August my inbox starts filling up with some version of the same question. “Is it too early to be thinking about fall photos?”

It’s not too early. August is just about the perfect time to start planning fall family photos on the Monterey Peninsula, and I want to walk you through why, because the reason has a lot less to do with my calendar and a lot more to do with what the light is doing out here between now and Thanksgiving.

Our best light of the year is in the fall

If you’ve lived on the Peninsula through even one summer you already know this in your bones, but it catches visiting families off guard every time. June and July are gray. The marine layer settles in overnight and hangs around most of the morning, and some days it never fully lifts. Then September shows up, the fog pulls back, and we get these warm, still afternoons that feel like the summer we were supposed to get.

September here is often sunnier and warmer than June. A lot of locals call it our real summer. What that means for your photos is low golden light and beaches that aren’t wall to wall with visitors. October holds onto most of it, with a little more color in the grasses and the cypress and almost no rain yet.

So the fall isn’t the consolation prize after summer books up. It’s the good stuff 🙂

The window closes faster than it feels like it should

This is the part that surprises people, so I want to be really concrete about it. Sunset moves quickly this time of year.

Right now, mid August, the sun sets around 7:58. By September 30 we’re down to 6:52. By Halloween it’s 6:12. And then on November 1 the clocks fall back and sunset drops to 5:11 in a single night. You can check any date yourself on the Monterey sunset table.

That last one matters more than anything else on this page. If you’ve got school-age kids, a 5:11 sunset means a weekday session after the first of November is pretty much off the table. Weekends still work and I do shoot them, but there are only so many November Saturdays, and by the middle of the month the good light is finished before some families have even made the drive down.

None of this means you can’t have November photos. It just means the flexible, easy, pick-a-Tuesday-that-works stretch is happening right now and running through about the third week of October.

If holiday cards are part of the plan, work backwards

Most families mail their cards during the first week or two of December. That’s the sweet spot, before everyone’s mailbox turns into a pile of catalogs.

To hit that without rushing, you want your cards ordered by around the third week of November. Which means you want your gallery in hand by mid November. Which means shooting no later than the last week of October.

So late October is really the deadline, not the target. If you’re aiming for cards, September and the first half of October is where you want to land, and that’s why I start nudging people in August.

Where to take fall family photos on the Monterey Peninsula

A few of my favorites for fall, and why:

• Carmel River Beach. Short walk from the car, soft sand, and the lagoon reflects the sky beautifully in the late afternoon. Parking is much easier in September than it was in July.
• The eucalyptus grove in Monterey. Filtered, dappled light that works even when the sun is still high, so it’s forgiving if we have to start earlier for nap schedules.
• Fort Ord Dunes. The grasses go gold in the fall and the wind usually settles down in the late afternoon. There’s a bit of a walk, so I’d skip it with a brand new baby.
• Pacific Grove and Lovers Point. Rocky, colorful, and close to everything. Good pick if you’ve got grandparents joining who don’t want a long walk.

If you’re not sure which one fits your crew, tell me their ages and I’ll just pick for you. That’s the easiest part of my job.

There are more where those came from. I wrote up a whole different set in my guide to family photo locations on the Peninsula, including Asilomar, Garrapata, and a couple of spots in Carmel.

Fall Minis or a full session?

Both are open for fall. Mini sessions are being held in Monterey on October 10th and 11th and are $285. You can get more information and grab your slot on my mini sessions page.

Those two days are the only fall mini dates on my calendar, and they usually fill fast, so if a mini is your plan I’d grab a slot now rather than circling back in October.

Full sessions are also available and start at $787. These sessions are more customizable and offer more time and more images.

Here’s how I’d choose between them. If you’re after a great card photo and a handful of images you love, and your kids are past the wobbly toddler stage, the minis are perfect and they’re the better value. If you have a baby under one, a kid who needs a warm-up period, or you want the kind of gallery you’ll print big and hang, book the full session. Little ones almost never hit their stride in fifteen minutes, and I’d rather you have the room.

For most families with kids under three, I’d book the full session. For everyone else just looking for holiday card images, grab a mini and don’t overthink it.

What to wear (the short version)

Fall on the coast is chilly once the sun drops, so layers do double duty here. They keep everyone comfortable and they add depth to the photos. Think soft neutrals with one deeper color, and bring a sweater or jacket for each person even if the forecast looks warm, because it will not feel warm at 6pm on the sand.

I have a whole post on what to wear to a beach family session with real examples if you want more than that.

Ready when you are

If you’re thinking about fall family photos, now’s the time to reach out. I’m booking September and October sessions currently, and those weekend spots in October tend to go first.

Send me a note through my contact page with your family’s ages, roughly when you’re hoping to shoot, and whether cards are part of it. I’ll come back with a location and a time window that actually works for your people.

You can also just text me at 831-328-3113 if that’s faster. Totally fine either way.

Warmly,

Brittany