Crystal Cove State Park

Newport Beach Family Photographer - Multigenerational Extended Family Photos at Crystal Cove State Beach - The Buckley Family | Cori Kleckner Photography |

Newport Beach Family Photographer - Multigenerational Extended Family Photos at Crystal Cove State Beach - The Buckley Family | Cori Kleckner Photography |

Newport Beach Extended Family Photographer | The Buckley Family at Crystal Cove

The Buckley family came together from across the country for a visit to Southern California, with family members traveling from New York, Massachusetts, and Utah to spend time with their relatives in San Clemente. With everyone living in different places, opportunities to have the entire family together are few and far between. They wanted to take advantage of having three generations in one place and document this time together with an extended family photography session in Newport Beach.

We photographed their multigenerational family session at Crystal Cove State Beach, one of my favorite locations along the Orange County coastline. With grandparents, their grown children, and four little ones, we spent the evening capturing a mix of full-family portraits, individual families, grandparents with their grandchildren, and plenty of moments in between.

We started where the warm afternoon sun gave us some beautiful sun-kissed frames. From there, we photographed everyone along the shoreline before exploring a few areas that allowed us to incorporate more of the surrounding cliff landscape. You also would never know that the beach was actually incredibly crowded on this day ;)

Some of my favorite images from their session were photographed from a distance, with the family framed against the expansive rock formations and coastline. I love incorporating these wider compositions into my galleries because they give a sense of scale and place while adding something different from traditional family portraits.

As the evening came to an end, the sky shifted into the prettiest pastel pinks and blues, giving us an entirely different look from the golden light we started with. Between the sun-kissed coastal portraits, intimate family moments, and soft cotton-candy skies at sunset, their final gallery had a beautiful variety of light, scenery, and perspective.

Extended Family Photography in Newport Beach & Orange County

For families traveling to Southern California, an extended family photography session is a great opportunity to document everyone together, especially when visits like these don’t happen often.

As an Orange County family photographer, I photograph multigenerational families throughout Newport Beach, Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, and the surrounding coastal communities. My extended family sessions include a combination of traditional family portraits, smaller family groupings, grandparents with grandchildren, siblings, cousins, and natural, candid moments throughout the session.

Whether you’re planning a family vacation in Newport Beach or gathering relatives from across the country, Crystal Cove offers a beautiful coastal setting for extended family photographs.

Orange County Family, Maternity & Newborn Photographer

Newport Beach | Laguna Beach | Southern California

Shot on the Canon R6 Mark III & 35mm lens


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


Crystal Cove Multi-Generational Session | Extended Family Photos in Newport Beach, CA | Cori Kleckner Photography | OC Family Photographer

The Pontius Family | Crystal Cove Multi-Generational Session | Extended Family Photos in Newport Beach, CA | Cori Kleckner Photography | OC Family Photographer| Newport Beach Family Vacation Photographer


Extended Family Photos at Crystal Cove State Beach

When families book extended family photos at Crystal Cove, my goal is always the same: to create a full gallery that feels complete, not rushed.

We capture the classic full-group portraits, but we also take the time to document all the smaller groupings that matter just as much. Because years from now, you won’t just want the photo where everyone is standing in a line.

You’ll want Grandma hugging the grandkids. Cousins running together on the sand. Adult siblings laughing like they’re kids again. And each individual family unit having their own portraits, without needing to book a separate session.

One of the biggest concerns families have when booking an extended family session is whether they’ll still get enough photos of their own family. And that concern makes total sense. When you’re coordinating schedules, travel, outfits, and the effort of getting everyone there, you want it to feel worth it.

That’s why I always break the session down intentionally, so nothing gets missed. We photograph the full group, each individual family unit, each set of grandparents with the grandkids, the grandparents together, adult siblings together both with and without their kids, couples together, cousin photos of just the kids, sibling photos, parent and child portraits, individual portraits of each child, and a mix of candid moments throughout.

And while I always do my best to get everyone looking for the more “classic” portraits, my favorite images almost always end up being the candid ones. The in-between moments are the ones that bring the most joy later. I love when clients get their photos back and realize those are the images they cannot stop looking at, because they feel the most like them.

You’re not just getting one big group shot. You’re getting a full story.

Because the truth is, these are the photos your kids and grandkids will keep forever. And I want you to have them beautifully, fully, and in a way that feels like you.



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


Crystal Cove Sunset Family Session | Newport Beach Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

The Ordway Family | Family Photos at Crystal Cove State Beach | Sunset Family Session | Newport Beach Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography


The Ordway family’s session took place along the coastline at Crystal Cove State Beach, one of the most beautiful spots in Orange County for natural, timeless family photos. With the cliffs, soft sand, and wide open views, Crystal Cove is the kind of location that instantly makes everything feel peaceful and cinematic. As a Newport Beach family photographer, I love photographing families in this area because it’s close to Newport, has so much variety in one spot. We captured a mix of sunset portraits and sweet, candid moments with their baby boy, and even had the moon sitting perfectly in the background for a few images. If you’re looking for Crystal Cove State Beach family photos or searching for a Newport Beach family photographer who specializes in natural, documentary-inspired family sessions, I would love to photograph your family here.



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


The McElwee Family | Orange County Family Beach Session | Newport Beach Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography |

The McElwee Family | Orange County Family Beach Session | Newport Beach Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography |

 

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


Wisniewski Family Session | Fall Family Photos | Newport Beach Family Photographer | Orange County Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

Wisniewski Family Session | Fall Family Photos | Newport Beach Family Photographer | Orange County Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

 

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


Crystal Cove Family Session | Orange County Family Photographer

Crystal Cove Family Session | Orange County Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

Crystal Cove Maternity Session | Baby Bumb Session | Orange County Maternity Photographer

Crystal Cove Maternity Session | Baby Bumb Session | Orange County Maternity Photographer

The McGuire Family | Crystal Cove State Park | Orange County Family Photographer

The McGuire Family | Crystal Cove State Park | Orange County Family Photographer

 

THE MCGUIRE FAMILY | CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK 

This sweet family came all the way from Salt Lake, Utah to visit sunny California! We decided to do our session at Crystal Cove State Park  to get those great rocky areas with a long open shore.   This location ended up being the best choice because the sunset was seriously breathtaking! The beach gave us all this incredible soft light with pastel tones in the sky like a watercolor painting. It was so dreamy ! These sweet boys were so excited to explore at the beach on their little vacation, and I loved capturing that excitement in their eyes. One of the greatest parts of my job is getting to witness children experience the beach for the first time. The sense of wonder in their eyes is always so neat to capture.  You can really feel the love between these brothers & their incredible brotherly bond. I absolutely loved this session!