You’re committed, wohoo!!
You want a great family portrait, a symbol of the American Family.
In this step we’ll address the question of , Which beach?
In the OC the beaches between Newport Beach & down south past Laguna are all gorgeous. The sand tends to have a tan color to it very warm and beautiful. Some beaches are now requiring a photography permit (specially the state park beach likes Crystal Cove.) I personally love Laguna! There’s just something about it that evokes the California Riviera feel.
The difference between one beach to the other would be location, convenience & privacy. Some of the beaches are flocked by tourists, others by locals and there are some really hidden private gems like Moss Point, or Shaw’s cove. I prefer my clients be completely comfortable in the environment they choose.
One of the most beautiful busy beaches I’ve photographed is Main beach at Laguna, which is pretty typical to find more than one photographer at once even among the tourist crowds. In-spite of this I still recommend it!
I’ve also photographed in the Newport Beach to Huntington Beach area, mostly where the two meet. I find the sand around this area is much clearer which reflects light back under the chin and neck areas, this is very pleasing for portraits when combined with my flash, umbrella and the reflectors that I use. So I highly recommend Huntington Beach as well.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, Santa Monica is the by far the most tourist flocked of all beach as is Venice. I wouldn’t recommend neither of these two because if you drive 5-10 minutes north from here you’ll find the Malibu area beaches which are so beautiful. If you’re closer to the LAX area, Manhattan beach is by far a gem of a beach and I also like Long Beach but you have to be selective here.
So speak with your photographer about this, discuss the look and feel that you’re looking for and head out for a great Family Beach Portrait. 
This family was photographed at Main Beach in Laguna, they are from Wisconsin vacationing in Orange County.
