Inspired

Dawn at Rodeo Beach

Grainy film image with parents, arms around each other, looking out to the ocean as their kids turn to run away from the waves.
  • Grainy film image with parents, arms around each other, looking out to the ocean as their kids turn to run away from the waves.

Dawn at Rodeo is big, open, and alive.

The beach is nearly empty. The Pacific shifts from cold silver to liquid copper. The headlands and gnarled cypress provide dark contrast.

There’s room to run, wander, and stretch into the morning.

This is a pick-you-path session set in one of the most versatile coastal landscapes in Marin.

📆 Often Available: year round!

The Basics

  • North Rodeo Beach
  • Duration: 90 minutes
  • Effort: Medium
  • Medium: 35mm film photo
  • Focus: Environmental, movement, connection
  • Best For: Everyone (except newborns)
  • Cost: $1175
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The Session

We meet shortly after sunrise, when the beach is ours, and the contrast between light and shadow is deep.

Rodeo is uniquely flexible. Within a short walking radius, we can move between the forest, the bluffs, and the beach.

This session is active and unforced. Kids can run. Parents can exhale. Couples can wander without feeling watched.

The Gallery

  • 90 minute session
  • 30+ high resolution film scans
  • Professional, shareable gallery
  • 20% off prints

The final gallery feels expansive and alive. Wide coastal frames balanced with grounded, intimate moments. Movement, texture, wind, and light woven together into something that feels like the morning itself.

Field Notes

🌅 Ancestral home of the Coast Miwok

🦆 The estuary is full of cormorants, egrets, and herons

🏳️‍🌈 Look closely at the dark “sand.” Find a vast rainbow of tiny round stones

🦮 Dogs are allowed off leash on the beach!

Your photographer

DAVID ENLOE (HE, HIM)

Easygoing, grounded.

David crafts experiences rooted in presence and quality time with your people.

More about David

Timeline

One of the best things about Rodeo is the variety. We’ll inevitably modify this plan to suit your crew.

00:00 – 00:30

The Forest

A quiet start as we walk up the short hill to a small cypress forest beautifully arching over the paved path.

00:30 – 01:00

The Bluffs

Wide open skies, vast panoramas, the wind in our hair. There are some drop-offs up here, so be careful with the kiddos!

01:00 – 01:30

The Beach

Splash in the estuary, search for jade stones at the water’s edge, let the dog run free. I’ve yet to meet a kid that doesn’t love Rodeo Beach!

Location Specifics

Best light

This session is timed for morning light, so arrive on time.

Terrain

It can vary widely. Typically a short walk uphill, a short trail, then soft sand on the beach.

Weather

Exposed to the Pacific but slightly sheltered, making it a good choice for early mornings.

Restrooms

At the Rodeo coastal trailhead parking area.

Dog friendly?

Yes! Off leash on the beach.

Parking

Free & easy!

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Questions. Answered

Yes, as long as they are ok with the early morning! Caution areas include the bluffs and the water’s edge, but we can avoid both of these and have an incredible time. Kids love Rodeo.

These experiences are built around real conditions — tides, light, flower blooms, coastal weather. A little fog or wind is often part of what makes them feel alive. Unless your experience includes Sunshine Insurance, we’re going to lean into what Mother Earth sends our way.


If conditions look truly unworkable or unsafe – often rain forecasts greater than 30% or any sort of weather warning – we’ll cancel, and I’ll issue a full refund right away so that you can book an alternate session.


In some cases, depending on my availability and the realities of that particular Inspiration Experience, a reschedule may be offered at my discretion.

If illness or something unexpected comes up on your end, reach out. I’ll always aim to handle things fairly and thoughtfully.

We usually begin this session bundled up and finish it shedding layers to chase kids or dogs across the sand. Dress in layers you can easily remove.

Texture photographs beautifully at Rodeo. Knits, linen, denim, and flowing accessories like scarves or shawls add movement and depth. Keep distractions minimal. A single patterned dress works well. For men, jeans or chinos, boots, and a neutral shirt are an easy win.

Rodeo is forgiving with color, but you’ll need either light tones or strong, intentional color to stand out against the dark sand. Soft whites make a great base. Dark pants ground the look. Blue and teal tend to photograph especially well here.

Footwear deserves a note: many families end up barefoot. Kids get wet. Bring towels, extra socks, sandals for afterward, and a change of clothes waiting in the car.

Inspiration Sessions thoughtfully pair the location with the medium, so check the top of the page to find out whether this session is captured on film or digital.

Film is slower and more intentional, and the end result is less about technical perfection and more about feeling. I take fewer frames and commit to the moment. The photographs tend to have a softer, more timeless look, often with natural grain and texture. You may see a few frames that are slightly soft or imperfect in a way that feels human. That character is part of what people love about film.

Digital photography gives me the freedom to take a lot of images. That means I can work quickly with moving kids, handle low light, and deliver sharp photos in a wide range of conditions. It also gives me the luxury of selecting the “best” split-second moments during editing.

If you want the cleanest, sharpest, most technically consistent images, digital is the better fit. If you want something more tactile, nostalgic, and emotionally textured, film is magic.

Easy as can be.

Photos for most sessions are delivered within 4 weeks. If you purchase Rush Delivery, they are delivered within 7 days (sometimes less, ask for current availability).

Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery of videos and analog film photos.

Make it a day

Turn this session into the start or end of a memorable outing with these nearby suggestions.

✓

Grab coffee at Firehouse Coffee & Tea (15 min) and head toward the waterfront while the harbor is still quiet. If it’s a weekday, settle in for breakfast at Fred’s Place (diner vibes).

✓

The Bay Area Discovery Museum (10 min) is perfectly calibrated for post-beach momentum.

✓

Or simply linger. Walk the Sausalito boardwalk. Let the morning stretch.

Let’s pick a date!

Battery to Beach sessions are offered on select evenings and timed carefully around sunset light.

After choosing your date, you’ll receive a booking file (agreement + invoice) by email. Your reservation is confirmed once the 50% retainer is paid.

Selected dates are held for 24 hours pending completion.

Show Available Dates 📆