San Diego Mini-Sessions with The Elms at Balboa Park

With the end of the year approaching, it is time for lots of San Diego mini-sessions. Mini Sessions for the holidays are something I enjoy doing year after year: meeting new families and couples and seeing old clients. I also enjoy going back to places I did many sessions and discovering locations brought by the clients.

Balboa Park is one of the most popular locations I use for San Diego Mini Sessions. The park is very vast, has easy access, and has a large variety of options to use for photography. Balboa Park is the most requested location when it comes to my mini-sessions.

Usually, I suggest starting San Diego mini sessions at Balboa Park in a grassy area close to The Prado Restaurant. There are some tall trees, aside from a large park-like area. It's a great first location that helps warm up the families. After that, I usually get into the center of the park, where we can explore many different interesting areas. My favorite areas for Balboa Park mini sessions are The Alcazar Garden, which has perfect backlit lighting towards sunset; The Zoro Garden, which has a rustic rock bench; columns and hallways with Spanish design, The Spanish Village Art Center, and The Rose Garden.

This day I had an exciting San Diego mini-session for me as I got to see a family I’ve photographed before, the Elms. It’s great to see old clients and witness the children grow up. Since they had chosen a beach session last year, they wanted park vibes this time. Balboa Park was at the top of the list.

We started the San Diego mini session at the grassy area for some park-looking photos. I took advantage of the large area and did some walking shots of the family. It could be tricky to take walking photos with two little kids, but the Elms did it very well. After that, we moved to The Spanish Village for a few fun photos with the mosaic floors.

The Spanish Villa was great for the kids to have some fun. The colored floors offered an easy activity for their toddler and baby, allowing us a window where they were actually enjoying the photo session. I got a few good photos of the kids individually, which could be challenging depending on the day.

It was an honor to photograph the Elms again! Please check the details of my San Diego Mini Sessions here. The spots are limited, and the Mini Sessions fill up quickly.