Best family photo locations on the Northern Beaches: a Mona Vale photographer's guide

I weigh five things, in this order: your children's ages, how far everyone can comfortably walk, where the shade is at your session time, how the wind is forecast to blow, and only then the backdrop. A beautiful beach that tires out a two-year-old before we start is the wrong beach.

Here is what each of those means in practice.

• Ages. Under-twos need calm water, soft sand and a short walk from the car. School-aged kids can handle rock shelves, headlands and longer walks, and they usually want to.
• Walk from the car. Some of the prettiest beaches on this coast are at the bottom of long staircases. With a baby carrier that is fine. With a pram, a toddler and a grandparent, it is not.
• Shade. Late afternoon sun on the Northern Beaches comes from the west, over the land. Beaches backed by headlands or trees give us somewhere soft to start before the light drops.
• Wind. A northeasterly is the usual summer afternoon wind and most beaches cope with it. A strong southerly is the one that ruins a session, and a few beaches are sheltered from it. I check the forecast in the two days before and move you if I need to. The Bureau of Meteorology Sydney forecast is what I use.
• Light. The hour after sunrise or the last ninety minutes before sunset. That rule does not change by beach. If you want more on timing, I have written a full post on planning a beach session around wind, sand and sun.

Below are the places I use most, grouped from north to south. The table gives you the quick version. The detail follows.

Palm Beach is the one everyone recognises, and for good reason. Long open sand, Barrenjoey headland and the lighthouse behind you, and Pittwater on the other side if the ocean side is blown out. It suits extended family groups because there is room to spread out, and it suits school-aged children who want to run.

The car park at the northern end is large but fills on sunny weekends. The walk toward the headland is longer than it looks, so with young children we stay near the car park end and let the headland sit in the background.

For sunset sessions I usually start on the Pittwater side, near the ferry wharf. That shore faces west, so the last light comes across still water instead of from behind the dunes, and it is a two-minute walk from the Governor Phillip Park car park. We finish on the ocean side if the family wants the open beach and the headland behind them.

If you have a baby or a toddler, Clareville is often my first suggestion. It faces Pittwater rather than the ocean, so the water is calm and shallow, with no surf and no rips. There are trees right down to the sand, which means real shade, and the sand is soft enough for a crawler.

Parking is paid and limited, so weekend mornings are better than weekend afternoons. There are toilets and a kiosk.

The light here is softer than the ocean beaches because the headland blocks direct afternoon sun earlier. That is a good thing for small faces.

Avalon gives you a bit of everything: a wide beach, a rock pool at the southern end, and a headland with grass and shade. It works well for families with mixed ages because the older kids have rocks to climb while the little ones stay on the sand.

In summer it is busy. For a session with space in the frame, book an early morning. If you are local, our Avalon Beach family photographer page covers how sessions work in this pocket.

This is home. Our studio on Darley Street is a five-minute drive from the sand, which matters more than it sounds: if the weather turns, we move indoors without losing the session.

Mona Vale has two very different beaches joined by a headland. The main beach is long and open. The Basin, at the northern end, is a sheltered cove with two ocean rock pools, one shallow enough for toddlers. The rock shelf between them gives texture and a place for older children to explore at low tide.

Pay and display parking is on Surfview Road, and Apex Park opposite has toilets, change rooms and a playground, which is useful for a pre-session nappy change or a post-session run around. On weekend mornings the pools are busy with swimmers, so I prefer late afternoon here.

At the Basin I set up on the sand between the rock pools and the northern rocks, where the cove curves and blocks most of the wind. Because the Basin sits under high ground to the west, the direct sun drops behind the hill twenty to thirty minutes before actual sunset. The cove goes into soft, even shade while the main beach next door is still bright, which is the window I plan the family group frames around.

More on sessions in this area: Mona Vale family photographer and Newport.

Bungan is quiet because it is hard to get to. There is no road to the sand, only two steep walkways down the cliff. That keeps the crowds away and makes it one of the most private beaches on this coast.

I use it for maternity sessions, couples and families with children old enough to manage the steps happily. I do not recommend it with a pram, a newborn or anyone who finds stairs difficult. There is nothing at the bottom but sand and rock, which is the point.

Newport is a good all-rounder: a wide, open beach with easy parking and room for a big family group. The trade-off is that it is open to a southerly, so on a windy day I would move you around the corner to somewhere more sheltered.

Turimetta sits between Warriewood and Narrabeen and is reached by steps at either end. There are no toilets, no kiosk and no lifeguards, so it stays empty. What it has is colour: layered sandstone, tidal pools and sea mist in the late light.

It is a maternity and older-children beach for me. The steps rule out prams, and there is nowhere to warm up a cold baby. Bring everything you need down with you.

When the surf beaches are blown out, the lagoon is the answer. It is calm water, grass, trees and wooden jetties, and the sealed path around it suits prams and scooters. Bilarong Reserve and Jamieson Park both have playgrounds, toilets and barbecue areas, which makes a session feel like a family afternoon rather than an appointment.

It is my preferred location for groups of eight or more, and for toddlers who need somewhere safe to wander between frames. Parking is paid and fills on weekends. In summer, bring repellent for the last half hour.

Local sessions here: Narrabeen family photographer.

Long Reef is for explorers. At low tide the reef platform stretches out and children can look for crabs and shells while I photograph them doing it. The headland above has a wide grass area and views back along the coast.

Two things to know. The rock is slippery, so closed shoes with grip, not thongs. And it only works at low tide, so I check the tide tables before suggesting it. Griffith Park has good parking and toilets.

Freshwater is a classic Sydney beach frame: curved sand, headlands at both ends, a rock pool at the southern end. It photographs well in almost any light and suits families of any age. The only caution is summer crowds, which make early morning the better choice. Nearby: Freshwater family photographer.

Shelly is tiny, sheltered and faces west, which makes it one of the few beaches on this coast where the afternoon light comes across the water. The water is calm and shallow, there are trees for shade, and toddlers can paddle without a wave knocking them over.

The car park holds only a handful of cars. I usually suggest parking in Manly and walking the path around the headland, which takes ten minutes with a pram and is pleasant in itself. More on this end of the coast: Manly family photographer.

Clareville, Shelly Beach, the Basin at Mona Vale or Narrabeen Lagoon. All four have calm water, soft ground, shade and a short walk from the car. For a newborn under about fourteen days, I recommend the studio instead. Classic curled newborn posing is not safe or achievable on a beach, and the studio is warm. Many families do both: a newborn session in the studio, then a beach session later in the year.

The hour after sunrise or the last ninety minutes before sunset. In summer, sunrise sessions are often better: the beaches are empty, the wind is down and small children are fresh. In winter, late afternoon is warmer and easier with a baby. Midday sun on white sand means squinting and hard shadows, and editing does not fix squinting.

Overcast is fine. Soft cloud is flattering light and I am happy to photograph in it. Rain and strong wind are not fine, and we reschedule at no cost to the next matching light window. Because the Mona Vale studio is five minutes from the beach, families who do not want to wait can move indoors on the day and keep their session.

Both have a place, and the honest answer depends on ages and weather.

• Travel is free across the Northern Beaches, Manly to Palm Beach, for outdoor sessions. Pricing is the same either way and starts from $590 + GST. You can see current packages on the investment page.

• Confirm the location with me two days out, once the wind forecast is clear.
• Arrive fifteen minutes before our start so nobody is running onto the sand.
• Towels and a full change of clothes for every child. Someone always gets wet.
• Sunscreen on twenty minutes before, and go easy on the shiny mineral kind on faces. The Cancer Council's sun safety guidance is worth a read for little ones.
• Snacks for the end of the session, not the start.
• Bare feet or simple sandals. For Long Reef, shoes with grip.
• Read the what to wear guide so outfits suit sand and wind.