As your friendly family vacation photographer La Jolla, I can tell you: this city is begging to be documented. I’ve lived here for over 20 years—moved from Pennsylvania and never looked back—and San Diego still surprises me. One minute, it’s golden hour and pelicans are photobombing your sunset. The next? The tide rolls out and exposes neon green rocks and hidden little sea caves that feel like Narnia… but make it coastal.

Planning a family vacation to San Diego? Amazing. Just don’t do the thing where you come home with 437 blurry iPhone pics, half of them of your kids blinking and the other half of your husband’s thumb. If you’re making memories at the beach, let’s make sure you actually get to keep them.

Windansea Beach in La Jolla is my secret weapon. (Okay, it’s not exactly secret, but it sure photographs like it is.) In the winter, the low tide pulls back like a stage curtain, revealing dramatic rock formations and pools of water that reflect the sky like glass. In the summer? The beach fills and softens with warm sand, perfect for running barefoot, playing with your kids, and pretending you’re in a coastal lifestyle magazine.

The Maldonado family are what I like to call my “forever people.” They’ve come back year after year for their family portraits, and I love watching their crew grow (and somehow always show up in the best coordinated outfits—how??). Our latest shoot at Windansea was filled with real laughs, sandy toes, and that perfect La Jolla beach light that makes everyone look like they just stepped off a postcard.

Here’s the thing: 90% of my clients come back again and again. Not because I bribe them with snacks (although, honestly, that works too), but because their sessions feel easy, fun, and real. You don’t have to “perform.” You just have to show up, love on your people, and let me take care of the rest.

Looking for a Family Vacation Photographer La Jolla?

Coming to San Diego soon? Don’t leave your beach memories to chance. Book your La Jolla family beach photography session with someone who knows the tides, the light, and exactly where the good rocks are.

📍 I’m Lisa G of Elle G Photography—your go-to family photographer in San Diego, specializing in beach portraits that feel like a day at the beach… because they are. Whether it’s Windansea, La Jolla Shores, Coronado, Sunset Cliffs, or anywhere along the coast, let’s turn your vacation into the kind of gallery you actually want to print and frame. Your tan will fade. These photos won’t.

Lisa G (Elle G) is a San Diego beach photographer based in Pacific Beach, CA. Proudly serving San Diego’s coastal communities: La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas, Mission Beach, Mission Bay, Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach, Point Loma and Coronado. 858-344-1068. To chat about booking your own portrait session click HERE.