During our session you can expect a relaxed and fun atmosphere. I want you to feel at ease and enjoy yourself during our time together. I like to get to know my clients and capture their true personalities. With families and children you can expect both posed shots and candid's.
With small children it is a good idea to bring their favorite snack, juice and/or toy(s). Sometimes the best shots are of your child being natural and playing with mom, dad or siblings. They also come in handy if your toddler has a meltdown and just needs a break to play and let the mood pass.
I will bring a selection of shells and buckets that will look good in the photos. This can be a great way to help relax small children.
I will do my best to let you know if it may be a bit windier then usual. We are on the beach and we do have a breeze most evenings. You may want to be prepared to bring things to secure your hair just to be on the safe side.
Families and Children
-accessories, such as headbands, scarves, jewelry, jackets and hats can really add to your look
-Avoid clothing with logos and busy patterns that will distract
-Color! Splashes of color really make your photos pop!
-denim
-dress up shirts
-cowboy boots
-striped or patterned stockings/tights
-fun, flirty dress
-tutus
-props if you have fun props, such as antique family items or items with special meaning you'd like included, please feel free to bring them
-something to pull your hair back with in case it's on the windy side
-a towel or two to help keep the sand off legs, faces, etc.
-if you are prone to a shiny face please bring a hand towel or washcloth to blot your face when needed.
-Try to not wear lotion this can really make the sand stick to your legs more.
-baby powder it's great for a fast removal of too much sand, don't forget you are at the beach so it's nearly impossible not to have
some flecks of sand.
-T-shirts or Jerseys of your favorite sports teams. I find this is a great fun way to end your session.
** To help the session flow I have a system I try to stick to. Now there is always the exception to the rule and if the need arises I will deviate accordingly. Here is a bit of an itinerary I try to follow during our session. My first round will begin closer to the sand dunes and sea oats. I find getting posed shots out of the way first helps the little one's. If they get too close to the water too soon they won't last long! LOL
~Individuals of children beginning with youngest first
~Siblings together
~Family together
~Grandparents with grandchildren when applicable
~Grands with their children when applicable
~Large group when applicable
Next we will head closer to the water. I'll try to get a few more posed shots in the same order as above but then I like to get a more candid style. Just playing on the beach or your child just collecting seashells, I'll bring a bucket just for this purpose that will look great in the pictures!
Above all I like to make our session fun and not have anyone too stressed out. Modern technology makes this much easier. We can do many things in editing to get those perfect family shots. All my sessions include some free major edits. Things like head swaps can be done to get a great image of a large group with everyone looking. So, when you think I am taking way too many group shots this is so I know we have each person looking good in at least one in the series of same poses. A photo session at the beach shouldn't be a chore but a memorable moment for your family!
Large Groups and Family Reunions
Many of the large groups and family reunions I photograph are large families and many times this can include babies, toddlers and smaller children. Each child is different so please if you have any children that may be shy in a group, have special needs or may take a little longer to warm up please let me know. If you are the person making the session arrangements please pass this along to all the parents as well. In these kind of situations I sometimes find it better to let the part of the group with the smaller children arrive 20-30 minutes ahead so we are able to get individual shots of the children. It can sometimes be very overwhelming for a child to have 20 people behind me trying to make them smile, some thrive and love it while others have a meltdown. You know you child best so please let me know about any of these types of situations so we may plan accordingly.
If you have Seniors or someone with disabilities that have issues standing for periods of time you may want to bring a folding chair so they can sit when not in the current pose. I normally do the group shot as late as I can to let the sun go down a bit more so it might even help to let the one's with small children come first and others arrive 30 minutes after the scheduled time.
Bringing your own cameras: I know many of you like to bring your own cameras and camera phones. to get a few shots as I am photographing. I don't mind this, but if it becomes a problem to where it's causing people to be looking in all different directions and causing me to loose focus I would prefer you wait until our time is finished. You have hired me to get the best possible shots of your loved ones and sometimes it can be very distracting if I am doing everything possible to get eyes open and smiles but then it be facing another camera.
I don't mind at all your standing by me acting goofy and trying to get kids to smile. I am pretty good at it but again you know your child better and much of the time I find families have some little inside jokes which bring out the perfect smile.
