For years, Julie has wanted to have a set of family portraits taken by a professional photographer. This fall, while Joe was home between the end of the summer term and the beginning of the fall semester, we finally made it happen.

We drove up to windy Davenport Beach on a Sunday afternoon in late August for a very casual session with Jenny Shih, who was a fellow parent at Discovery preschool during William’s time there. The experience was free-form and relaxed, which suited us just fine. We had a brief moment of concern when Julia revealed the depth of her distaste for beaches and sand just as we pulled up for a 90-minute session on a quintessential stretch of the Northern California coast, but Jenny quickly put everyone at ease and got some great shots.

This was a long time coming, and the kids had a blast doing it. If we ever can get everyone in the same place at the same time, maybe we’ll even do it again someday.

Gallery: Family Portraits 2025