Beach Portrait Scheduling

It’s beach portrait scheduling, which means it’s closer to the time of year when families will be vacationing down the Jersey Shore. February is one of those months where past and potential clients start calling and emailing me about my availability for family beach portraits. As a result, I’ll also be at the beach, capturing family heirlooms. 

Scheduling Your Family Beach Portrait Session

I understand that scheduling an extended family beach session can be complicated when trying to figure out when everyone will be together on the same day. Often with family beach portraits, some people arrive late, and others leave early, leaving a tiny window for family portraits. Furthermore, since the best time for family beach portrait sessions are at sunrise or one hour before sunset can complicate the scheduling part. 

However, most families make it work, and it turns out to be a fun evening. Most of our family portrait sessions on the beach are of extended families. Grandparents, children, grandchildren, in-laws are all in one portrait for the primary grouping. From there, I will photograph all the different breakdowns. 

Why so Early or so Late?

The reason why sunrise and an hour before sunset are the best time for beach portraits is lighting. At these times, the sun is softened and often referred to as the golden hours. It’s essentially the only time where you can get a portrait on the beach without everyone squinting.  

Even starting twenty minutes early during the sunrise portrait will be nearly impossible to get everyone to look into the camera. The good news is that the children, even the young ones, tend to get a second wind when they are on the beach, even during their bedtime. Once they are on the beach for the portrait session, they are distracted enough for me to get all the pictures taken. 

The Day of Your Family Portraits 

On the day of your family portraits, I’ll typically meet the families at their house or rental 20 minutes before the session. The reason for this is so I can get to know the families and get any small children comfortable with me. Often, if a two-year-old meet you at the beach right before the session, the child never gets comfortable and usually won’t react the same if I meet them at the house first. Before the portrait session, it’s good to develop a rapport with everyone, regardless of age. 

If you have any questions about the Beach Portrait Scheduling, call for a time, you can contact me at (732) 306-6550 email me at rob@rwilsonphotography.com or fill out the form below.