Family Photos at Sunnylands

Stand at the edge of the reflecting basin at Sunnylands and it is easy to understand the impulse. The rows of citrus and olive, the modernist lines of the Annenberg estate, the pink desert light pooling across the gravel — it is the kind of place that makes you want to gather everyone you love and hold onto the moment. So every season a handful of families email me with the same hope: can we do our portraits there, in those gardens?

I want to give you the honest, complete answer here, because I think it will actually save you some heartache — and help you come away with the family pictures you are hoping for. The short version is this: Sunnylands is a glorious place to wander and take personal snapshots, but it is not a place where a professional portrait session is permitted. There is good news, though. Once you understand how the estate works and what the rules really are, you can make beautiful memories there yourself — and I can point you to nearby spots where a full, relaxed family session is not only allowed but wonderful.

Let me walk you through all of it.

What Sunnylands actually is

Sunnylands is the former winter retreat of Walter and Leonore Annenberg, set on roughly 200 acres in Rancho Mirage. For decades it hosted presidents, royalty, and world leaders. Today it lives two lives. There is the historic estate — the house, the private grounds, the golf course — which you can only see on a paid, ticketed tour. And there is the Sunnylands Center & Gardens, the nine-acre public garden and visitor center that anyone can enjoy, free of charge.

For most families, the Center & Gardens is what you mean when you say "Sunnylands." It is open seasonally, generally Wednesday through Sunday, and it closes during the hottest stretch of summer. The gardens are planted with thousands of arid-climate specimens — agave, ocotillo, palo verde, desert spoon — arranged in sweeping, painterly drifts inspired by the Annenbergs' Impressionist art collection. There is a long reflecting basin, shaded paths, and that low golden desert light that we are so lucky to have out here.

The honest part: professional sessions are not allowed

Here is the thing I would want a friend to tell me before booking a photographer or planning a big coordinated outfit reveal: Sunnylands does not permit professional or staged portrait sessions in the Center & Gardens. Their policy is clear and consistent. Personal photography — your phone, your own camera, snapshots of your family enjoying the space — is welcome and encouraged. But posed professional shoots, including family portraits, engagements, and weddings, are not allowed. Neither are tripods, monopods, lighting equipment, props, or drones.

I know that can be disappointing to hear, especially if you had your heart set on it. But I would much rather you know now than have a session interrupted or be turned away at the entrance. Sunnylands is a working foundation and a public garden, and they protect the experience for every visitor by keeping it free of formal shoots. I respect that, and as a local photographer I will not book a paid session there.

So if you have been searching for "family photos at Sunnylands" hoping to hire someone to meet you inside the gardens for a portrait session, this is the honest answer: that is not something Sunnylands allows. What follows is how to still get something lovely.

How to get beautiful personal photos at Sunnylands yourselves

Within the rules, you can absolutely come away with images you will treasure. Treat it as a family outing first and a photo opportunity second — that is exactly the spirit the gardens are meant for.

• Go early or late in the day. The gardens open in the morning when the light is soft and the heat is gentle, and the late afternoon brings that warm, raking desert glow. The overhead light in the middle of the day is far less kind to faces.
• Use your phone or a small handheld camera. No tripods or pro gear, so keep it simple. Modern phones do beautifully in this light.
• Let it be candid. The best personal pictures here are the unposed ones — kids leaning over the reflecting basin, grandparents resting on a bench in the shade, everyone walking a path together. Follow your family rather than arranging them.
• Find the shade and the texture. The walkways lined with palo verde and the clusters of tall cactus give you natural frames and soft, dappled light. The architecture of the visitor center is clean and graphic and photographs well as a backdrop.
• Be considerate of others. Step aside for fellow visitors, keep paths clear, and stay on the walkways and out of the planted beds. It keeps the welcome warm for everyone, including the next family.
• Check the season and hours before you drive over. The gardens close in the deep summer and have specific open days. A quick look at their schedule saves a wasted trip, especially if you are coming from out of town.

If your goal is simply a happy afternoon together with a few sweet pictures to remember it by, Sunnylands delivers that generously.

Where to go when you want a real family portrait session

When what you actually want is a proper, relaxed family session — coordinated outfits, the whole group, an experienced photographer guiding the little ones, prints you will hang on the wall — there is no shortage of settings near Rancho Mirage that welcome it. Most of my own work happens in the two places where families are most themselves: in their homes and in our local parks and gardens. Here is where I would point you:

• In your own home, patio, or vacation rental. This is where the best of my work happens. A living room full of afternoon window light, a familiar backyard, the patio of the house you are renting for the season — these are the settings where kids forget the camera and everyone relaxes. There is no drive, no parking, no packing up the little ones, and the pictures feel unmistakably like your family rather than a backdrop you borrowed for an hour.
• A neighborhood park or garden. The grassy parks of Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage, the shaded community gardens, the tree-lined corners with the mountains rising behind them — these welcome a session warmly, and the golden hour just before sunset gives us soft, flattering light without any of the heat or the rules. This is my go-to when a family wants to be outside.
• The Living Desert in Palm Desert. A public botanical garden with desert plantings and that clean Coachella Valley look. It is family-friendly to its core, the kids love wandering it, and the late-day light through the gardens is lovely.
• The open desert, if you want the dramatic look. For families set on the wide, otherworldly scenery — the dunes and washes of the valley floor, or Joshua Tree a little farther afield — those locations can be stunning at sunset. They take more planning, and they are the exception rather than the rule for me, but if that vista is the picture in your head, we can make it happen.

The truth is that the things people love about Sunnylands — that warm light, that easy desert feel — do not depend on the gardens at all. We just point the camera somewhere we are actually allowed to slow down and direct, and more often than not that turns out to be right where you are already comfortable.

If you are weighing your options, you might also enjoy my guides to the best places for family photos in Palm Springs and planning a desert golden hour session, which go deeper into light, timing, and what to wear.

Best time of year for desert family photos

Since so many families ask about Sunnylands while visiting, it is worth talking about season, because the desert really does have one.

November through April — our snowbird season — is the sweet spot. The temperatures are kind, the light is soft and long, and the whole valley feels alive. This is when the gardens are open and when most of my family sessions happen. If you are out here for the holidays or a winter escape, this is the window.

Late spring can still be lovely in the early morning before the heat builds. By June through September, the deep summer arrives, daytime temperatures soar past 110, and Sunnylands closes its gardens entirely for the season. For outdoor portraits in summer I move us to the very edges of the day — right at sunrise or in the final golden minutes before dark — and we keep things short and shaded. It can be done beautifully, it just takes planning.

If you are visiting and have flexibility, aim for the cooler months. Your family will be more comfortable, and comfortable people make the best pictures.

A few common questions

Can I bring a professional photographer into Sunnylands for an hour?No. Professional and staged sessions are not permitted in the Center & Gardens, regardless of how brief. Personal snapshots are fine.

What about engagement or maternity photos?Same answer — those count as professional sessions and are not allowed. But the nearby desert settings I mentioned are perfect for them.

Are tripods or selfie equipment okay?Tripods, monopods, drones, and other professional or staging equipment are not permitted. Handheld personal cameras and phones are welcome.

Is there a fee to visit the gardens?General admission to the Center & Gardens is free. The historic estate house tour is separate and ticketed. Always check current hours and the seasonal calendar before you go.

We are only in town a few days — can you still help?Absolutely. So much of my work is with families visiting the Coachella Valley for a short window. We find the light, pick a setting that welcomes us, and make it easy. Some of my favorite sessions have come together on a few days' notice.

My honest take

Sunnylands is a treasure, and I send people there all the time — to walk, to breathe, to take in the gardens, and yes, to capture a few personal photos of a happy day. Go enjoy it on its own terms. But when you want true family portraits — the kind that hold the way your children looked this year, the way your parents laughed, the way the light fell across all of you — the answer is rarely a famous garden with a rule against it. More often it is your own living room, or a quiet park ten minutes away, where we have all the time in the world.

What I am really after in any session is the one unguarded look that makes your family unmistakably yours. That can happen on a sofa as easily as under an open sky, and that is the part I love most about this work.

So tell me about your family and where you are staying, and we will figure out the setting together. You can reach me through my contact page — I read every message myself.