tofino family photographer

There are so many beautiful places in this world, but perhaps the most beautiful spot near my own tiny corner of it is Tofino, particularly at dawn. Tofino is a remote town on the very end of a peninsula on the west coast of Vancouver Island, with some of the most glorious beaches and surfing to be found anywhere in Canada. I’d been dreaming of photographing a family in Tofino, so many many thanks to the two families who asked me to meet them there this past summer! x

I woke early, and when I arrived at our chosen beach, the sand was still quite cold on my feet… the line of sunlight slowly inching across it. Mist was rising everywhere above the surf, and only one or two lone people, dog walking or morning strolling, were anywhere to be seen on the whole expanse of this giant beach. It’s indescribable –even with the photographic proof!– how magical this place feels. This family I photographed made it even more memorable, leaning into dancing on the edge of the surf, twirling on the still cold sand, exploring tidal pools and playing games with giant seaweed.

My other session was just as fantastic, on a small secret beach further north– I’ll have to share that one soon, too.

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about the session: tofino beach lighting & tides

For sunrise sessions on sunny days, to achieve the dreamy beach light seen in the photos above, it’s crucial to start as early as possible. You might notice in the some of the later photos of this family, the slight difference as the light starts to become harsher. (In most locations, where I can use trees, greenery, buildings, cliffsides etc. to shield the sunlight, the timing isn’t quite as crucial, but in an open area like this beach in Tofino, there’s nowhere to hide!)

We would have chosen an evening session to make the timing easier (more time for both sleeping children and getting ready), but we also wanted to coordinate with low tide, which is a huge part of Tofino’s magic. It just so happened that on our potential photoshoot dates, hitting low tide was only possible in the morning.

Gear: Canon 5D Mark IV + 50mm 1.2

This was such a special session in Tofino– we wandered down a forest trail in late morning to meet at the tiny ‘secret’ cove of Tonquin beach, and walked barefoot in the sand and even splashed in the water a bit to capture these portraits. I’ve been photographing this family for years, and it was so special to meet them in a spot that they love to visit as a family. p.s. You can read on further below if you’re interested in the different lighting conditions for this shoot!

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about the session: beach lighting

You can likely tell that this session took place further from sunrise/sunset than I typically shoot– the light is brighter, and there is more contrast! We were restricted with our schedules to shoot at a specific time, and for that reason I chose Tonquin beach as our location– it’s much smaller, and has more shade than a wide open beach like the big Tofino beaches. We began in the open sun along the water’s edge, to get our scenic environmental portraits while the sun was at its lowest, and then did a lot of our close-up portraits in the shade, along the gorgeous backdrop of these West Coast rocks.

Gear: Canon 5D Mark IV + 50mm 1.2