Big Sur Family Photographer

Big Sur is the stretch of coast people cross the country to stand in front of. Mountains dropping straight into the Pacific, bluffs full of wildflowers and sage, and water so blue it looks edited before I've touched it. It's also closer than most visitors expect. The north end of Big Sur starts about fifteen minutes south of Carmel.

I'm Britt, a Big Sur family photographer based on the Monterey Peninsula. Sessions here are a little more of an adventure than a walk through town, and that's the fun of it. We head out onto the bluffs, the kids find a trail to run down, and the scenery does most of the heavy lifting.

Where we'll shoot

Big Sur runs for about ninety miles, but you don't need to drive all of it to get the photos you're picturing. Most of my Big Sur sessions happen at Garrapata State Park, right at the northern edge, where you get the whole Big Sur look without the long drive. (If you're comparing spots around the Peninsula, I keep a guide to the best places for family photos, and there's a companion page for Carmel.)

Garrapata Beach at Gate 19

My go-to. A short walk out across the bluff, then a set of stairs down to a long stretch of sand with the mountains rising right behind it. Up top we get wildflowers and sweeping coastline, down below we get waves and bare feet. It's also the only part of Garrapata where leashed dogs are allowed, so if your family has four legs in it, this is where we'll be.

Soberanes Point

The dramatic one. Rocky headlands and cliffs that drop straight into the water, with the whole coastline stretching south behind you. For longer sessions I like to start here while the sun is still up, then drive a few minutes south to Gate 19 for sunset on the beach. Two completely different looks in one evening.

Proposals and couples

Garrapata is also where I send couples planning something big. There's a sunset proposal on these bluffs in my journal if you want to see what the evening light does out here. If you're planning one, I also have a page all about proposals on the Monterey coast.

The light, and when to come

This part of the coast faces west, so sunset is the hour. The sun drops right into the Pacific, the bluffs glow, and everything turns gold. In Pacific Grove and Carmel I usually nudge families toward mornings, but in Big Sur I'll almost always recommend evening. Garrapata is a day-use park, open 8am to sunset, so we plan to wrap up right as the sun goes down.

Fog is part of summer here, May through August, and it rolls in and out on its own schedule. Sometimes it burns off an hour before sunset, sometimes it sits on the water and gives us the softest, moodiest light you've ever seen. Either way, we shoot. September and October are the clearest months, and my favorite time of year down here.

Getting there, and Highway 1

Garrapata sits right on Highway 1, about 6.7 miles south of Rio Road in Carmel. There's no parking lot, just pullouts along the highway next to numbered gates, so I'll send you the exact gate and pullout to meet at. Pull fully off the road and watch for traffic when you get out. Cars move fast along here.

Highway 1 through Big Sur has had its share of slide and fire closures over the years, mostly further south. Garrapata is at the north end, so it's usually still reachable when other parts of the coast aren't, and it's the spot I lean on when the road is unpredictable. I'll check conditions before your session and let you know if anything changes.

Cell service out here can be spotty, so screenshot the meeting spot before you leave town.

What a session looks like

We start with a conversation about your family. How old the kids are, how far everyone is happy to walk, and what you're hoping to hang on your walls. Big Sur is more rugged than the towns, so it helps to know if we're chasing toddlers or hiking with teenagers.

Then we meet at the pullout and walk out together. I'll set up a few moments and let the rest happen. You'll get direction when you need it and room when you don't. Longer sessions can start at Soberanes Point and finish at Gate 19, and shorter ones stay at Gate 19 so nobody has to get back in the car.

Afterward you'll receive a private online gallery of edited images, yours to download, print and share. Sessions start at $387, with the full breakdown on the session details page.

What to wear out here

Take your palette from the hillsides: sage, sand, warm cream, dusty blue, and the soft rust of dry grass in the fall. Big Sur is big and wild, so simple colors and fabrics that move look beautiful against it, and busy patterns get lost.

Shoes matter more here than anywhere else I shoot. There's a dirt trail and a set of stairs down to the beach at Gate 19, so wear something you can walk in and switch to dressier shoes (or bare feet) once we're on the sand. Stick to the trail, too. There's poison oak along the edges, and the park's name means "tick" in Spanish for a reason.

And bring a layer. The bluffs are almost always windier and cooler than town was twenty minutes earlier. My full styling guide goes out once you've booked.