Best OC Photographer

Montage Laguna Beach Family Session | The Fliglia Family | Laura + Rob + Beckham + Sienna | Orange County Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

Montage Laguna Beach Family Session | The Fliglia Family | Lau + Rob + Beckham + Sienna | Orange County Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

There are some Laguna Beach locations that give you so much variety without ever feeling like you’re photographing in the same little stretch of beach the entire time, and Montage Laguna Beach is one of them.

For this family session, we were able to move through so many different looks in one evening. We started with bright, open light and those warm sun-filled images that feel so quintessentially Southern California. From there, we wandered toward the cliffs and rocks, incorporated the sand and water, and ended up with a gallery that feels incredibly diverse while still flowing together naturally.

One of my favorite parts about photographing families at Montage Laguna Beach is how much the landscape changes within such a small area. You have open beach, rocky coastline, dramatic cliffs, soft sand, ocean views and pockets of beautiful light all within walking distance. It gives kids room to move and explore instead of feeling like they have to stand in one place and smile at the camera.

Their son especially loved climbing around on the cliffs, which ended up creating some of my favorite photographs from the session. Those are always the moments I’m drawn to most. Letting kids interact with the environment, climb, explore, run near the water and actually be themselves gives the photographs so much more personality than trying to keep everyone perfectly posed.

We also had the prettiest warm sunlight coming through during part of their session, giving us those bright, glowing Laguna Beach family photos alongside the moodier rocky coastline. I love being able to give families both. Some images feel soft and sun-filled, others feel a little more dramatic with the cliffs and ocean behind them, and then there are the simple barefoot moments right on the sand.

That variety is one of the reasons I continue coming back to this part of Laguna Beach for family photography sessions. You can create an entire gallery that feels like several different locations without having to pack everyone into the car and move somewhere else halfway through.

For families looking for a Laguna Beach family photographer, Montage is especially beautiful if you want your photos to feel relaxed, coastal and natural while still having plenty of visual interest in the background. I photograph family sessions throughout Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Orange County, with a focus on candid interaction, movement and all of those little in-between moments that actually feel like your family.

And while the Laguna Beach coastline is obviously beautiful, the location is really just the backdrop. The best part is getting to photograph your family exactly as you are in this season: kids climbing rocks, sandy feet, windblown hair, someone running toward the water and all.

Those are usually the photographs that end up meaning the most.

CORI KLECKNER PHOTOGRAPHY IS AN ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER SPECIALIZING IN MATERNITY, NEWBORN, BABY, FAMILY, CHILDREN’S AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY

San Diego Newborn Photographer | In-Home Lifestyle Session with the Bandak Family | Welcoming Sweet Sutton | Their First Baby Girl | Cori Kleckner Photography

San Diego Newborn Photographer | In-Home Lifestyle Session with the Bandak Family | Welcoming Sweet Sutton| Their First Baby Girl | Cori Kleckner Photography

Sweet Sutton was just two weeks old when I photographed the Bandak family at home in San Diego, and she happens to be their first baby girl after three boys.

She may not have been part of the original plan, but somehow she already feels like the piece they never knew was missing. It’s hard to imagine this family without her now.

It was so sweet getting to see all three boys again. The last time I was in their home, I was photographing Ford as a newborn four years ago, and now I was back photographing him as a big brother to their first baby girl. Seeing all three boys with Sutton made the whole session feel a little full-circle.

We moved from the master bedroom to the living room and eventually out into the backyard, letting the session unfold naturally wherever everyone felt most comfortable. That is what I love so much about an in-home newborn session in San Diego. Nothing has to feel overly structured. Baby can eat when she needs to, the older kids can come and go, and we can simply follow the rhythm of the family.

Some of my favorite photographs are usually the quietest ones anyway. A baby curled against Mom. Dad holding her close. Brothers piling onto the bed to get a better look at their new sister. Tiny hands, sleepy stretches, and all the little things that start changing almost immediately.

There is something so meaningful about photographing a family exactly where life is happening.

First Baby Girl After Three Boys

There was something especially sweet about watching this family welcome a daughter after three sons.

The boys were curious, proud, affectionate, and already completely taken with her. Those early sibling dynamics are such a huge part of a newborn story, and they are some of my favorite things to photograph because they cannot really be recreated later.

A few months from now, Sutton will already look completely different. The way she fits into their arms will change. Her brothers will settle into having a little sister, and this brand-new chapter will start to feel normal.

That is exactly why these first weeks are worth documenting.

A Relaxed Lifestyle Newborn Session at Home

I never expect newborn sessions to be perfectly quiet or perfectly posed. Real life with a newborn rarely looks like that anyway.

If baby is awake, we photograph her awake. If someone needs a snack or a break, we take one. If the older kids need a minute to run around, that is completely fine too.

The goal is not perfection. It is connection.

That relaxed approach is what makes lifestyle newborn photography feel so personal. The images can still feel beautiful and intentional while also feeling like your family.

For the Bandaks, that meant photographing the way their home felt in those first few weeks with Sutton and letting each family member interact with her in their own way.

Thank you, Bandak family, for trusting me with another chapter of your story.

Welcome to the world, sweet Sutton. You are already so deeply loved.

Cori Kleckner Photography offers natural, in-home newborn photography throughout Orange County and select Southern California locations, including San Diego and Encinitas.

Newport Beach Family Photos | Candid Family Beach Session | The Ackerman Family | Cori Kleckner Photography

Newport Beach Family Photographer | Candid Family Beach Session | Cori Kleckner Photography

I think one of the reasons I loved this session so much is because it felt like real life.

2½-year-old twins and two older brothers, one toddler reaching up to be held while the other is already halfway out of the frame. Someone sticking their tongue out , one melting down, one running away. One brother trying to make everyone laugh, while another quietly waiting on Mom and Dad currently outnumbered by two toddler tornados.

And honestly, I love all of it.

I think sometimes we unintentionally expect happiness to be synchronized in family photos. We want every child to be equally content, equally cooperative, and equally ready to smile in the exact same moment. But that’s almost never how real life works. One child might be completely happy while another is overwhelmed. One is ready to play while another wants to be held. One is laughing while another is completely done.

And sometimes, there is actually more meaning in that.

I find more value in a photograph of an older brother instinctively comforting his crying toddler brother than I do in forcing that toddler to stop crying long enough for everyone to smile at me. That image tells me something about their relationship. It shows who notices, who reaches in, who comforts. Years from now, that feels so much more meaningful to me than whether everyone happened to be happy at the exact same second.

The same goes for all of those almost-perfect moments that get interrupted.

Maybe everything finally lines up, the light is beautiful, Mom and Dad are connected, one child is smiling, and then a sibling suddenly jumps into the frame, blocks the camera, runs past, or completely photobombs the moment.

That is also so normal.

Family life is full of interruptions. Siblings insert themselves into moments that were not technically “theirs.” Toddlers run through the frame. Someone gets too close. Someone decides that right now is the exact moment they need Mom. Sometimes the moment you thought you were photographing changes into something completely different.

And a lot of the time, I like that version better.

Especially this time of year, I know moms are usually hoping for that perfect holiday card photo where everyone is looking, smiling, and somehow cooperating at the exact same second. And of course I’m always going to try to get you that photo.

But nothing makes me laugh harder than getting a holiday card that’s a little out of the norm. Give me the one with both toddlers crying. Give me the kid making the ridiculous face. Give me the sibling who jumped into the frame at exactly the wrong time. Give me the photo where everyone clearly tried their best and it still went slightly off the rails, because my first thought is always, “Yep. That sounds about right.”

Those are the photographs that feel the most like family life to me.

My heart is usually in the moments that weren’t planned at all. The little hands reaching up for Mom or Dad. The toddler trying to escape. The older sibling patiently waiting while the younger ones require everyone’s attention at once. The brother who decides making everyone laugh is far more interesting than smiling perfectly for the camera. The sibling who wanders into what was supposed to be a quiet moment and somehow makes it better.

What feels like chaos happening right alongside all the sweetness.

That’s what I want my work to feel like.

Not perfectly posed. Not cookie cutter. Not a version of family life where everyone’s emotions and behavior have somehow been coordinated for the camera.

I want it to feel relatable.

I want you to look at an image and think, “That is so us.”

Because real family life is one child needing you while another is running away. It’s someone wandering off, someone wanting to be carried, someone being patient, someone being completely over it, and someone unexpectedly jumping right into the middle of the frame.

And I think that’s exactly why these photographs resonate.

They don’t require everyone to feel the same thing at the same time in order for the moment to still be beautiful. They don’t require perfection to be meaningful.

They just say, this is what it felt like to be us right then.

And to me, that’s the part worth keeping.

If you’re looking for a Newport Beach family photographer who focuses on natural, candid family photography with real connection and personality, I’d love to document your family exactly as you are. Newport Beach family sessions are some of my favorites because the beach gives kids room to move, play, laugh, run, and be themselves, creating photographs that feel relaxed, genuine, and full of life. Whether you’re planning family photos, holiday card pictures, or simply want to preserve this season with your children, my goal as an Orange County Family Photographer for over a decade, is to create family photos that feel honest, beautiful, and unmistakably like your family.

CORI KLECKNER PHOTOGRAPHY IS AN ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER SPECIALIZING IN MATERNITY, NEWBORN, BABY, FAMILY, CHILDREN’S AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Newport Beach In-Home Newborn Session | The Klein Family | Orange County Newborn Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

Newport Beach In-Home Lifestyle Newborn Session | The Klein Family | Orange County Newborn Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

The best newborn photos are usually the ones that bring you back to what those first weeks actually felt like at home. A toddler hovering nearby, the dog following everyone from room to room, a feeding in the nursery, or tiny feet dangling against your hip.

As an Orange County newborn photographer, those are the moments I’m always looking for during in home sessions throughout Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and surrounding areas.

For the Klein family, we moved naturally between the nursery, master bedroom, and backyard with their brand new baby boy, toddler daughter, and dog. The result was a gallery that felt layered and personal without feeling overly posed.

What I love most about in home newborn sessions are the little things that would otherwise be forgotten. A sibling brushing the baby’s hair. Mom nursing in the rocking chair while a curious toddler comes closer. Dad changing a diaper while big sister watches. The dog underfoot. Tiny newborn feet dangling against Mom’s hip.

Those moments may feel ordinary while you’re living them, but they’re often the ones that end up meaning the most.

Toddlers don’t need to sit perfectly for the entire session. We let them wander in and out, investigate the baby, climb onto the bed, help, observe, and take breaks.

That freedom is usually what creates the photographs that feel the most honest.

For families searching for a Newport Beach newborn photographer, Laguna Beach newborn photographer, or relaxed in home newborn photography in Orange County, my approach is centered around candid connection, natural light, and the details that make this season feel like yours.

Because the nursery changes. The baby grows. The toddler becomes the big kid.

And eventually, all of those tiny everyday moments become the part you wish you could step back into for just a minute.

CORI KLECKNER PHOTOGRAPHY IS AN ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER SPECIALIZING IN MATERNITY, NEWBORN, BABY, FAMILY, CHILDREN’S AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Newport Beach In-Home Lifestyle Newborn Session | Orange County Family Photographer | The Fligor Family| Cori Kleckner Photography |

Newport Beach In-Home Lifestyle Newborn Session | Orange County Family Photographer | The Fligor Family| Cori Kleckner Photography

The Fligor family welcomed their first baby girl, and we photographed their newborn session at home in Newport Beach with her two older brothers.

One of the biggest reasons I love in-home newborn sessions is how easy they are on families. Everything you need is already there. Snacks, diapers, extra clothes, bottles, blankets, the nursery, and a place for siblings to take a break. Kids can move in and out of the session, grab a snack, reset, and come back when they’re ready .

There’s also no pressure to pack everyone up and get out the door with a brand new baby. We can work around feedings, diaper changes, sibling breaks, and whatever the morning looks like. That flexibility usually makes the whole session feel much more relaxed.

For this session, mom and baby both wore one of my favorite Post-Partum brands, Nothing Fits But, which worked beautifully with the light, neutral feel of the home.

As an Orange County newborn photographer, I photograph in-home newborn sessions throughout Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente, and surrounding areas. Sessions include the full family, siblings, each parent with baby, individual portraits, and all of the little details we know change so quickly with little ones, the details we don’t want to forget.

If you’re looking for a Newport Beach newborn photographer and want a session that feels relaxed, flexible, and easy for your family, an in-home lifestyle newborn session is a really good fit.

CORI KLECKNER PHOTOGRAPHY IS AN ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHER SPECIALIZING IN MATERNITY, NEWBORN, BABY, FAMILY, CHILDREN’S AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY