This beachy maternity session at Leo Carrillo State Beach was so special to me because not that long ago these two tied the knot and I was lucky enough to capture both life changing events for them. I was so excited when Lauren reached out to see if I would capture her maternity photos in Malibu. Fun fact, both Lauren and I are “Lauren Michelle’s” and we both share a birthday in March (shoutout to all my fellow Pisces!). Nonetheless, capturing these moments of Lauren and Corey shortly before baby boy arrives was a true honor. I am so excited for these cuties as they start this journey of parenthood together. We were able to capture so many gorgeous spots at Leo Carrillo State Beach and it turned out to be an amazing session.

We started out amongst the greenery, it’s not always this green here at Leo Carrillo so I definitely wanted to take advantage of it. It’s always fun to see what nature decides to bring us upon each session. It was the perfect backdrop to her creamy toned dress she so perfectly picked out for her photos (check out the cutest baby announcement here that was shot at Leo Carrillo State Beach as well).

It was also not the sunniest of days, but I still have this deep love for a gloomy beach day. I think it truly makes pictures just as beautiful as a bright sunny day. We headed towards the beach for the last part of the session. The amazing thing about Leo Carrillo State Beach is the multiple backdrops- you have so many options on ways to shoot at this beach. From trees, greenery, ocean and various rock formations it truly has it all.

Doesn’t get any better than a gorgeous ocean shot with the green mountains behind, not a lot of places in the world where you can have it all at your fingertips like you can in Southern CA.

There is a gorgeous rock tunnel tucked in between two beach areas at Leo Carrillo State Beach and it’s such a unique setup. I loved that we walked over and spent some time capturing portraits here!

I always recommend wearing a good neutral toned outfit and Lauren did such a good job with choosing something that was so timeless and it just so happened to go perfectly with the beige toned rocks and good old California sand.

Sometimes I capture some out of focus images too and I am so happy I did because it was the perfect scenery to focus in on and have Lauren and Corey just slightly out of focus kissing below- to me it feels romantic and adds a bit of depth and character to the gallery.

Lauren looked so fabulous, just like she did on her wedding day but with one minor change (hehe). She is going to make such a wonderful mama.

The seagulls were totally showing off at our session and I was not mad about it at all. I was so excited I captured a perfect shot of them together kissing with the birds flying over just at the most perfect time.

Lauren and Corey’s session was not only beautiful but also so fun. Carefree, easy, fun and inspiring are definite words to describe this session! I am beyond happy for these two and cannot wait to see them become parents!

To inquire for your maternity session, reach out below! If you’d like to see when to take your maternity photos and other details that are important in preparing for your maternity session, check out my blog here!