The Basics: Beach Sessions | Outdoor Photography

Many families opt to have their photos taken on the beach, especially during the summer months. If you’re considering booking a beach session, here are a few things that you should consider.

Time of Year

I book beach sessions from late spring to late summer/early fall. The end of beach season is the end of September. The beach gets surprisingly cold once October hits, which would make for an exceptionally unpleasant session and is unlikely to turn out good photos.

Time of Day

If you would like any posed photos at all (anything besides just candids), then your session will be booked in the evening, typically starting about an hour and a half before sunset. At the height of summer, this can be as late as 7:30 PM. At this time of day, the lighting is beautiful for photographs, and the beaches are typically pretty empty of other people. However, on the weekends the beaches tend to stay full later, so I only book beach sessions during the week. So, if you’re considering a beach session, you’re going to want to plan for a Monday-Thursday evening session.

Clothing

At your beach session, your clothing should be light and airy to fit with the setting. However, try to keep the colors from blending in too much with the backdrop; if your entire family is in white and khaki, you’re likely to end up looking like part of the beach itself.

Instead, shoot for light and airy fabrics in watercolor shades. Deep blues and turquoises pop against the beach setting, but wear whatever you feel comfortable in. However, don’t worry about your shoe choice, as I’ll ask you to take them off anyway.

Babies and Toddlers

If you have a baby or toddler who has never been to the beach before, try to take him/her at least one time before the session. This way, you’ll get a feel for whether or not your baby likes the sand and water, and we can adjust the session around those preferences. For example, if you find that your baby likes to eat the sand, we will concentrate on more interactive parent and child shots rather that shots where your baby is seated directly in the sand.

Beach sessions can produce breathtaking photos, so if you have any additional questions before booking your session, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!