Worried about how your beach portraits will look on an overcast day? You’re not alone! Many families ask us if their photos will still turn out beautifully during June Gloom—those classic, misty mornings and soft grey skies we often see along the Orange County coast. The truth is, cloudy beach days can create some of the most flattering light for family photography, with soft shadows, creamy skin tones, and a dreamy, diffused glow. In this post, we’ll share why overcast conditions can be perfect for your Laguna Beach portrait session and how to embrace the magic of moody skies in your family photos.

Here are some great reason why you should book your family portrait or senior portrait session on an overcast day!

1. The cloudy sky acts like a giant softbox.  It really makes skin look soft and beautiful.  For the ladies that means, softening any fine lines.. Whoop whoop!
2. It is much easier to open your eyes without sunglasses on an overcast day.  So instead of squinty eyes, you get beautiful wide opened eyes.
3. The clouds keep the temperature nice and cool.  These are perfect days for a layered look or a soft warm sweater.
4. The beach will be much less crowded!   That means more spots to photograph your family.

I recently photographed the beautiful Natalie at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach.  Despite being chilly, the evening was beautiful.  The waves were phenomenal at Rock Pile so we decided to shoot on the cliff with the waves as the background.  Even though I have shot in Heisler Park numerous times, last night we discovered some new, amazing vantage points to really capture the beautiful views from Heisler Park.

Here are just a few of my favorite images from the Theilman’s session.  It has been such a privilege to document this beautiful family as their kids have grown up.  Congratulations to Natalie on her acceptance to San Diego State University.  I know she will have an amazing experience!