A woman in a sunflower straw hat wraps both arms around an old oak and gives me a sideways smile. It's the most natural thing to do with a tree that size, and it's not something you can do on a beach.


I love the beach. I shoot there all the time. But Orange County has a lot of photos of people standing in front of the ocean at sunset, and every so often it's nice to be surrounded by something else.


That something else, for me, is the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach. Everyone just calls it the ENC.


A Change of Scenery

The ENC is a green, shady pocket of the city, with native plants, a pollinator garden and trails that wander through the trees. A family walks down one of those trails, dad in his cap and sunglasses, a little girl holding his hand, and it feels like they're miles from anywhere. Kids run ahead on the wood chips and turn around to see who's following.

Group of children walking along a wooded dirt trail with a wooden border, led by a smiling boy in a blue shirt holding a water bottle.
Three children seen from behind walk along a sunlit wooded path, one in a yellow sundress with a braid holding another child's hand.
A man in a cap and sunglasses holds hands with a young girl pointing ahead as they walk along a shaded forest trail.
A family of four walks together along a wooded forest trail surrounded by green ferns, with a smiling girl holding an adult's hand.
Group of children running along a wood chip trail lined with brick edging through shady, leafy green woods on a sunny day.
Group of excited children in colorful t-shirts running along a shaded wooded trail lined with trees on a sunny day.
Group of children in colorful t-shirts and shorts running along a shaded wooded dirt trail lined with green trees and shrubs.
A wild cottontail rabbit sits alert on the forest floor among dry fallen leaves and twigs beneath a green evergreen branch.
Three children in summer clothes walk together along a sunlit dirt path through leafy green woods, seen from behind.
Group of children in colorful clothes running down a wood-chip nature trail lined with green trees and bushes in warm sunlight.

Nobody Stands Still Out Here

There's a lot going on at the ENC. Families wander the trails, kids run ahead, someone stops to look at something in the brush. It's a beautiful place to be, and people relax in it without anyone telling them to.


The light comes through the leaves in patches and the background falls away to soft green. And when the Fall Faire fills it up, the whole place comes alive: three girls in white tees laughing through a dance under the canopy, a boy grinning while two white ducks go at his cup, a little girl with a bow in her hair gasping with delight, a checkered flag in her hand.

Smiling young boy in a gray shirt holds an orange cup while feeding two white ducks at a petting farm, with an adult and children nearby.
Three young women in white t-shirts and orange wristbands practice sign language together under a canopy at a sunny outdoor event.
Smiling toddler girl in a teal tank top and hair bow looks up beside a table of orange pumpkins at an outdoor autumn pumpkin patch.
Young boy crouching on wood chips holding a small cup of food to feed two white ducks at a petting farm.
Child in a red cap and gray t-shirt plays with an orange hoop outdoors near an orange traffic cone while a stroller sits in the background.
A boy in a red Angels cap and gray t-shirt stands in a crowd of children and adults outdoors while a curly-haired girl in pink looks on.
Smiling toddler girl with a white hair bow wears a blue mermaid-print dress and holds a wooden stick outdoors near a pumpkin patch.
Toddler with curly blonde hair holds a red sunflower while standing among orange pumpkins in a sunny autumn pumpkin patch.
A smiling toddler with blonde hair and blue eyes sits on a wooden edge in a striped shirt and green romper, with a sunflower behind her.
Young girl in a denim overalls romper sits on a saddled pony at an outdoor event while a man in a straw hat stands beside her.
Toddler in a green linen romper and striped shirt reaches toward a large orange flower beside a yellow sunflower in a sunny garden.
Smiling young boy in a striped shirt sits on a saddled pony at an outdoor event while a child and other people stand nearby.

Why I Keep Coming Back

I've photographed the ENC's Fall Faire, its Marketplace, its Wine Walk and its Summer Soirée, and I still find corners I want to go back to. Ellyn, who brought her family for a session, wrote on Google: "One of the things we loved most was his access to the Environmental Nature Center (ENC) in Newport, which provided a beautiful setting for our session."


Being out there among the trees does something to me as well. I slow down. I think that shows up in the photos, and I think it does something to the people in them.


One honest note: this is a daytime place. It's open until 5 on weekdays and 3 on weekends, so for a sunset I'd still take you to the sand.

Man in a straw hat and glasses plays the fiddle into a microphone at an outdoor performance with a long-haired musician beside him.
Families and children browse rows of orange pumpkins on wooden tables at an outdoor pumpkin patch shaded by tall autumn trees.
Two women in trucker caps browse items together at an outdoor market stall, one wearing an orange knit cardigan.
Crowd of adults and children gathered around a wooden outdoor table in a shaded wooded area, with a young girl standing in the foreground.
Children and adults gather at an outdoor pumpkin patch festival, with orange pumpkins on burlap and a young boy walking past a crowd.
Smiling man in a red hat and patterned tie plays a blue drum kit with cymbals outdoors, holding drumsticks near a railing.
Shoppers and children gather around a striped table of fresh produce and baskets at a busy outdoor farmers market under green canopy tents.
Children and adults gather around a long wooden table with woven baskets at an outdoor activity under shady trees.
Three outdoor musicians in hats and sunglasses play an acoustic guitar and a fiddle near microphones and sheet music among trees.
Adult holding a child in a pink cap browsing the Hanna Bow market stall with a decorated cake display, treats and a potted plant.
Two smiling women browse colorful hanging decorations and ornaments at a festive market stall in warm, glowing light.
Shoppers browse vendor booths at a sunny outdoor market while a parent carries a child past a display of framed art prints.

If you're ready for something other than the ocean behind you, tell me what you have in mind. I do family, couples and branding sessions here.


Mariano Alvarez Photography covers events, personal branding, couples and family sessions across Orange County, including Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente, Huntington Beach and Irvine. I'm a preferred photographer at the ENC, and it's one of my favorite places to work. More about me here.


Want a session surrounded by trees instead of sand? Let's talk about it.