The 12 Best Family Photographers in San Francisco

The best family photographers in San Francisco have the ability to capture authentic moments you want to cherish always. Have you ever heard a parent gripe that they wish they had fewer photos from when their kids were younger? Didn’t think so. We live in a time where, for many of us, our moments are constantly documented and shared. And perhaps you’ve already got thousands of pictures of your family on your phone. However, it’s even better when you throw an experienced professional into the mix. After all, they bring a set of tools to the table that most of us don’t even think about, from a constant awareness of lighting conditions to know just how to direct families to produce sincere moments instead of awkward poses.

Peerspace has curated this list of the best family photographers in San Francisco. As the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals, including sensational photoshoot settings, we know amazing creatives when we see them. And this list is absolutely bursting with incredible talent! Check them out.

Emily Payne is a particularly prolific pregnancy and newborn photographer, but she’s also an accomplished general family photographer. She’s a mother herself, so she’s good at wrangling kids. And, if that weren’t enough, she’s also the San Francisco Ambassador for the National Association of Professional Child Photographers. Her involvement with the organization means she’s got a sharp mind for how she approaches working with children and sets sky-high standards for herself.

It shows in her style, which is clean and sweet. We also adore how Emily characterizes her work. “Each and every family I photograph is gorgeous, unique and one-of-a-kind. I welcome all families, and many of my clients have truly become friends in the over 10 years I’ve been photographing them!”

Shefali Parekh adores beautiful golden light, so if you’re into that style of outdoor photography, give her a call. An experienced lifestyle photographer, Parekh keeps an eye out for fleeting moments, allowing her subjects to just be themselves while she captures the emotions that arise organically. She puts it this way, “I want to photograph you as you are. Raw. Kiss your spouse. Play with your kids. This moment is short-lived.”

Unsurprisingly, Shefali has many client testimonials that speak to her abilities as a shutterbug and wonderful person. Like this one: “I instantly fell in love with Shefali’s photography style and knew I had to have her do our newborn photos. I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out, we will cherish them forever! on top of that, she is super sweet, gives great direction since we had no idea what we were doing, and was very patient with our fussy baby and was even able to calm him down better than we were! 😂 highly recommend her for family photos!”

Cathy of Breslow Imaging seems to split her time between weddings and families, and her family sessions show a bit of influence from popular wedding styles. Her shots exhibit a touch of drama, a flair for the striking. She’s a great photographer to stick with for years, from birth to the first day of school, graduation, and beyond. Just check out her client reviews on her website. Many families do exactly that!

Old photos fascinate Ashley Kaplan, who says she “loves to live in nostalgic ‘remember-when’ moments.” Each time she takes a photo, she’s thinking about how you’re going to feel looking at it decades later, as well as how the style of the image itself is going to age. It’s no surprise that her work has a timeless, natural feel, as she specializes in natural light portraiture.

As one of her happy clients puts it, “We LOVE Ashley Kaplan Photography. We’ve hired several different photographers for newborn and family portraits over the past few years. Ashley is by far the best. She has a knack for capturing true, unfiltered moments of love and connection. Our oldest son is an active little guy — I find it very difficult to photograph him, but somehow Ashley manages to both engage him and/or disappear from his awareness during our fun playtime photo sessions, resulting in perfect joyful portraits that look exactly like him. No easy task!”