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Family Portraits At The Beach – Ah, summer time. School is out, the pools are open, and the days are long. Summer is also a great time of year to plan family photos. And if you are near the beach or planning a vacation near the beach, you have a great opportunity. So if you’re looking for the best beach family photo ideas, I’ve got you covered!
Not near the beach? Do not worry! This guide to the best summer family photo tips will make sure you capture those family photos, no beach required 🙂
Family Portraits At The Beach
A family vacation is a great opportunity to get great photos because of all the beautiful beaches you can visit. (Unless you live by the beach…if you do, good luck! You can take family beach photos any time of the year!) And while there are plenty of creative ideas for beach photography, you really can’t go wrong with the scenery. Sand, sky, ocean are great backgrounds!
Beach Family Photographs In Carlsbad, California
Very little editing is needed when it comes to family beach photos. The natural setting and lighting are super flattering on everyone, and beauty really is everywhere, so there’s no “bad angle” or “bad background!”
Another great advantage of family photos on the beach is that you can generally find enough space for a large group of family members. Even if it’s a very public beach, accommodating the whole family is usually easy.
A family photo session on the beach would also be a great gift idea for the grandparents during an extended family beach vacation. The perfect chance to take photos of relatives, multi-generational pictures, and get grandparents in the picture!
Speaking of the breeze, there’s another benefit: even though it’s likely to be a hot day if you’re shooting in the summer, you have the ocean breeze to cool you off! Plus, a literal ocean! The best part is that once you are done with your beach family photos, you can hang out on the beach!
Isle Of Palms Family Portrait Session
Another advantage is time. Summer rain showers are common on the beach, but they usually move very quickly and can easily be waited out rather than completely rained on.
(If you missed the summer months but still want to get great family photos outside, here’s my fall and winter guide!)
We’ve done summer family photos almost every year, and at least a few of them have been beach sessions! It’s so fun to make a whole day out of it. We also got married on the beach (at sunrise!), so beach photos have a special place in our hearts as well.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the best beach family photo ideas! We’ll cover locations, outfits, creative pose ideas and more!
Family Portraits On The Beach Ideas Guide
When choosing what to wear for family beach pictures, consider a light and airy color palette! Even though you’ll be on the beach, it’s still likely to be hot. Therefore, bright colors and fabrics are an excellent choice. But fear not: bold choices work too! Here are some photos for inspiration and ideas for beach pictures to get you started:
For little girls or women in the family, white dresses are also a great choice. For boys or men, white polo shirts and khaki pants or khaki shorts. So many image ideas include this color palette!
White shirts could also be worn by all members of the family, with different styles depending on the person.
To be honest, I’m not a fan of the white on white look for family photos. I like to mix it up and add colors and keep my family coordinated without looking too matchy-matchy. Light blue is also a good option for beach pictures, which can easily be paired with a nude color for an airy look and add a soft, inviting atmosphere to the photo shoot. I LOVE blue as a color palette for photos and there are so many beach family photo ideas that use blue!
Tips On What To Wear For A Family Beach Photoshoot In Grand Cayman
If you can time your sunset photos with a family photographer, you can get some beautiful effects! Going later in the day not only allows for a beautiful skyline, but also less crowds on the beach, and also causes a slightly cooler breeze.
I love the way our shades of blue came together for our beach family photos in July 2016. These are some of my favorite family pictures EVER!
White and blue are great for a beachy, nautical look! Here are some examples where the ladies wore white and the men wore blue:
Another color scheme that looks great on the beach is pastel blues and pinks, usually with some bright white glitter mixed in with those soft, pretty hues!
Simple Wardrobe Ideas That Work For Family Portraits
If you’re more into pop, bold colors like blues and yellows mixed with white or neutrals can add visual interest to your family beach pictures without being too busy.
I really liked the idea of getting dressed up for our beach family photos in July 2019. I searched high and low for the perfect outfit for our family and settled on a very neutral color palette. Soft pinks, yellows, whites and even dark gray brought it all together.
My kids LOVED the opportunity to dress up a little fancier than usual and the end results were something special and photos we will treasure forever!
A big tip when taking family photos is to always take the time to get individual photos of the kids and a few photos just for the couples. I like to have pictures of just my husband and I, and as always I try to get individual pictures of each of us with each child!
When Is The Best Time For A Beach Family Portrait Session?
Now that we’ve talked about some outfit beach family photo ideas, let’s talk poses! During a family photo session, you’ll probably go through a lot. But if you want some ideas or direction for specific photos, here’s some inspiration!
Of course, your photographer will also have suggestions and ideas. I recommend reviewing the concepts you like and making suggestions ahead of anything you really want to do during the session. Otherwise, let your photographer guide! They have experience and will help make your pictures special.
Lining everyone up in front of the ocean is a great way to get a full picture of a large group. I like this one, which places everything in height from the middle outwards:
This is a super cute concept for extended families too. Lining up all the relatives in order of height, or birth, is a great image to recreate over the years as they all grow up 🙂
Seal Beach Pier Family Photography — Lovisa Photo
And then, when you do the formal photo, you can all jump in! Kids love this one, and if you can get it right it looks really cool!
This is a great way to get those smiles and giggles going and have a less posed, more genuine end result that really brings out unique and individual personalities 🙂
I do NOT recommend having kids play in the sand or water at the beginning of a photo session… because once they start, it will be hard to get them to stop!
However, we used the fun environment as a great incentive for our kids to take family photos on the beach. If they throw out the ones we should get
Cape Cod Family Photographer
Let them run on the sand, splash in the waves! Come in and play with them! Your clothes can be washed later and letting loose and having fun gives a great opportunity for some really special candid photos of your family as a family! I think I treasure our family beach play photos the most. I love seeing my children with their natural, happy smiles and seeing them together.
Not everyone likes the feeling of sand in their toes. The sand can be hot! It can itch! It can be uncomfortable. We had a session where our little one simply refused to put his feet in the sand! Luckily, we were close to the boardwalk which provided the perfect location. Allowing us all to be comfortable and still showing off the beautiful ocean behind us.
Using a pier or beach access like the ones below as a framing device creates visual interest and helps draw the eye to your smiling faces!
The beach access boardwalk also adds texture and different colors to the images. It brings a more natural feel and a lot of depth!
Seas And Greetings! 2020 Family Christmas Photo Sessions At The Beach — Beach Photo
If the beach you are shooting on has rock formations, they can be a great place to sit and can be used as an interesting backdrop and add depth and variety to your family photo shoot.
If the sun is out (and it probably will!), work with it, not against it, to create some dreamy effects!
Have everyone look at the ocean as the waves roll in… and then look back at the camera! I love how cute they look and the view of the ocean is breathtaking!
For a fun bonus photo to add
Seabrook Beach Generational Family Portrait
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