Simple Sophistication

Newport Beach, CA & Gilbert, AZ • Sessions by appointment only

Simple Sophistication

Carlsbad Village Family Photographer – Reunion Portrait

Reunion at the beach – Carlsbad Village Family Photographer

One of our favorite parts about being a Carlsbad Village Family Photographer is we get to meet families from all over the USA! This family was vacationing at the Ocean Palms Beach Resort in Carlsbad Village. This cute hotel is literally right across the street from the beach!

After surfing around on Instagram, they came across Gilmore Studios! They needed a photographer to document their “very large” family reunion. We let them know that large families were the norm for us. Our own family reunion has over 30 people (and yes, we shoot it every year) so we are used to kids and chaos! We found a spot on the beach that was perfect for their family portrait session. Carlsbad Village Family Photographer

Tips and tricks from a Carlsbad Village Family Photographer

  1. Have your group arrive early! There is always one who forgets something (or someone!)
  2. Parking: Carlsbad Village is always busy. We usually find parking off of Ocean St. and Grand Ave.
  3. Have little ones? We love kids but rewards always help us do our job. It’s amazing what a pack of Smarties candies can do. 🙂
  4. Time of day? We love to shoot one hour before sundown. You can use Time and Date to check out sunset times in Carlsbad.
  5. Congrats! You survived your family reunion session! Let’s celebrate! Here is a list of great restaurants within walking distance.

 About the photographer

Gilmore Studios is a family owned and operated photography studio specializing in maternity, newborn, children and family in Orange County, CA. Contact us for more info about booking your studio or on location session in the Southern California area. Our photographers specialize in natural light photography in Irvine, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and surrounding areas in OC, San Diego, and Los Angeles, CA. Call 949-698-3968 or email us to book your summer 2018 family photography reunion portrait sessions at the beach. Our team has been photographing southern California families since 2003. Gilmore Studios is a trusted Carlsbad Village Family Photographer.

by GilmorePosted in Families, PersonalTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, near ocean palms beach resort
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, San Diego, CA
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, family reunion portrait
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, family reunion
  • Photographers in Carlsbad Village Family portrait, family reunion photo
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, family reunion beach portraits
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, large family reunion portrait
  • beach photo Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, big family reunion portrait
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, family reunion portrait, kids grown up
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, LDS family reunion portrait
  • Carlsbad Village Family Photographer, sunset, beach, ocean, sand, vacation
    This was the final product delivered to the client to display in their home!

Meet the Gilmores:

Gilmore Studios serves Orange County, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. We specialize in wedding photography, family portraits, newborn and branding photography. Our studio has been in business since 2002.

Fun Facts:

PLace we call home:

Newport Beach & Queen Creek

Number of kids:

3 boys

Years in business:

Since 2002

As seen in:

Family photography

Featured On the blog

Read more
Simple Sophistication

We are on Instagram

Pick something you love and make that your career. Honestly, that’s kind of what happened.

I never imagined that setting up backdrops, planning themes, making silly noises to get a baby to smile, and celebrating first birthdays would become my job.

But here we are. 🥹

And after all these years, I still get excited watching a theme come together and seeing a little one’s personality shine once they step into the studio.

Because cake smash sessions aren’t really about the cake.

They’re about celebrating a milestone that only happens once.

And getting to be a small part of that never gets old. 🎂

What’s something you could talk about or do all day and never get tired of?

5 0
Open post by gilmorestudios with ID 17898074328465018
Pick something you love and make that your career. Honestly, that’s kind of what happened. I never imagined that setting up backdrops, planning themes, making silly noises to get a baby to smile, and celebrating first birthdays would become my job. But here we are. 🥹 And after all these years, I still get excited watching a theme come together and seeing a little one’s personality shine once they step into the studio. Because cake smash sessions aren’t really about the cake. They’re about celebrating a milestone that only happens once. And getting to be a small part of that never gets old. 🎂 What’s something you could talk about or do all day and never get tired of?

Pelican Hill Resort + a gorgeous sunset + incredible food = an evening I didn’t want to end. 🧡 Had the best time covering this event for ABOG (Dallas, TX). The boho vibes were unmatched and decor was beyond. This is what happens when a great group of people gathers in a beautiful place.

9 0
Open post by gilmorestudios with ID 17872516275617564
Pelican Hill Resort + a gorgeous sunset + incredible food = an evening I didn’t want to end. 🧡 Had the best time covering this event for ABOG (Dallas, TX). The boho vibes were unmatched and decor was beyond. This is what happens when a great group of people gathers in a beautiful place.

This is just me being sarcastic - but some might be a little true. 😂

Top 5 Horror Movies for a Photographer

• can you send the RAW files
• wind. just. wind
• wearing neon orange at sunset
• the tide is too high
• making videos while being a photographer

40 3
Open post by gilmorestudios with ID 17940025950249372
This is just me being sarcastic - but some might be a little true. 😂 Top 5 Horror Movies for a Photographer • can you send the RAW files • wind. just. wind • wearing neon orange at sunset • the tide is too high • making videos while being a photographer

The question that starts almost every cake smash conversation:

What themes can we do?
Honestly — almost anything.

But here is what I actually recommend.

Choose something they are into right now. Whatever phase they are in at this exact age. The dinosaurs. The rubber ducks. The princesses. The trucks. The thing they carry everywhere and sleep with and talk about constantly.

Because here is what nobody tells you about cake smash sessions: in ten years that photo is going to show you exactly who your child was at this age. Not just what they looked like. Who they were.
That is worth capturing.

We have a full theme library on our website — but if you do not see something that fits your child we will build it custom. No two sessions have to look the same because no two kids are the same.
For this session we planned everything together from the start. Rubber ducky theme. Portraits first. Then family photos. Then cake.
And before we ever talked about the set — we talked about what she wanted to do with the photos.
She chose an album.

Because digitals are beautiful. But an album is something her daughter will open when she is grown and understand immediately.
What theme are you thinking for your little one? Drop it in the comments — I want to see what phase you are in right now.
Newport Beach and Gilbert AZ. Link in bio. #cakesmash #cakesmashphotographer #cakesmashphotography

DM me BIRTHDAY and let’s start planning yours.

10 5
Open post by gilmorestudios with ID 18065998445409348
The question that starts almost every cake smash conversation: What themes can we do? Honestly — almost anything. But here is what I actually recommend. Choose something they are into right now. Whatever phase they are in at this exact age. The dinosaurs. The rubber ducks. The princesses. The trucks. The thing they carry everywhere and sleep with and talk about constantly. Because here is what nobody tells you about cake smash sessions: in ten years that photo is going to show you exactly who your child was at this age. Not just what they looked like. Who they were. That is worth capturing. We have a full theme library on our website — but if you do not see something that fits your child we will build it custom. No two sessions have to look the same because no two kids are the same. For this session we planned everything together from the start. Rubber ducky theme. Portraits first. Then family photos. Then cake. And before we ever talked about the set — we talked about what she wanted to do with the photos. She chose an album. Because digitals are beautiful. But an album is something her daughter will open when she is grown and understand immediately. What theme are you thinking for your little one? Drop it in the comments — I want to see what phase you are in right now. Newport Beach and Gilbert AZ. Link in bio. #cakesmash #cakesmashphotographer #cakesmashphotography DM me BIRTHDAY and let’s start planning yours.

Photography started as something I loved.

I never picked up a camera thinking it would become a business, support my family, introduce me to thousands of incredible people, or still be part of my life 20+ years later.

But somewhere along the way, a hobby became a career.

Then a business.

Then a huge part of my life. 🤍

I’ve photographed weddings, newborns, seniors, families, birthdays, and milestones for people I’ve known for decades.

And honestly?

The greatest part isn’t the photos.

It’s the people.

The families who come back year after year.
The babies who become seniors.
The clients who become friends.

That’s what keeps me showing up every day.

Do you have a hobby you secretly wish could become your full-time job?

Comment LEARN if you’d like to see how I turned photography into a 20+ year business.

20 5
Open post by gilmorestudios with ID 18123683860650152
Photography started as something I loved. I never picked up a camera thinking it would become a business, support my family, introduce me to thousands of incredible people, or still be part of my life 20+ years later. But somewhere along the way, a hobby became a career. Then a business. Then a huge part of my life. 🤍 I’ve photographed weddings, newborns, seniors, families, birthdays, and milestones for people I’ve known for decades. And honestly? The greatest part isn’t the photos. It’s the people. The families who come back year after year. The babies who become seniors. The clients who become friends. That’s what keeps me showing up every day. Do you have a hobby you secretly wish could become your full-time job? Comment LEARN if you’d like to see how I turned photography into a 20+ year business.

Newport Beach, CA & Gilbert, AZ

Session by appointment only

Secret Link