makena

Santa Cruz Senior Portrait Session | Nisene Marks & Blacks Beach

Makena’s senior portrait session was such a beautiful blend of forest and coastline, moving from the quiet stillness of Nisene Marks Redwoods to the dramatic cliffs and open ocean views at Blacks Beach. It felt like the perfect way to document this in-between season—celebrating everything she’s stepping out of while also honoring what’s ahead. We started in Nisene Marks, where the redwoods create this soft, filtered light that instantly slows everything down. The atmosphere in the forest is calm and grounding, which made it a really natural space to begin the session. Makena moved through the trees with ease, and we focused on keeping things relaxed, letting her personality come through in a really natural way instead of anything overly posed. After the redwoods, we headed out to Blacks Beach to shift the energy completely. The contrast between the deep greens of the forest and the wide, open blues of the ocean made the session feel really dynamic. The cliffs, wind, and golden light gave everything a more expansive, cinematic feel. It’s one of those locations where you can really feel the scale of the landscape, which adds something special to senior portraits. What I loved most about this session was how it reflected two sides of the same story—quiet reflection in the redwoods and bold, open energy by the ocean. Senior year carries both of those feelings at once, and having two very different locations helped tell that story in a really full way. Makena brought such a calm, grounded presence to both parts of the session, which made it easy to create a mix of candid and timeless portraits that feel true to who she is right now, right before stepping into graduation and everything that comes after. If you’re looking for a Santa Cruz senior portrait photographer for your graduation session, I’d love to create something that feels personal, natural, and connected to this season of your life.