Beach sessions are some of my favorite sessions! Between the light being amazing and the fun of playing in the sand and in the water while meeting new families and photographing old friends, these sessions are hard to beat!
If you’ve been thinking about a beach session but have questions, this post is for you! Hopefully an FAQ on beach sessions will answer the questions you may have and calm some of the fears that are holding you back from booking!
What if it rains?
Rain…that’s one of my two biggest concerns when talking beach sessions. If it rains, especially if it’s a thunderstorm, then the session is off. There aren’t really covered areas to pop in and out of to stay dry but still make it happen. Even during seasons where my calendar is “booked solid” I save days for rain reschedules. There is a great chance, even if you are here on vacation, that we will be able to easily reschedule for a morning or evening that works for both of us!
The other aspect of rain in the area is that there are plenty of times, especially in the summer, when it’s POURING at 5 but by the 7:30/45 start time we are scheduled for the rain is gone and the sunset is perfect! I keep a very good eye on the radar when I have sessions and will be in touch if the weather looks like it might be problematic – weather decisions are made approximately 3 hours before the start of the session, except for sunrises which are made the night before.
What if there is an accident/situation and we can’t get to Tybee?
So this is actually MY number one concern when thinking about beach sessions. The first thing I do to try and prevent this from happening is to only schedule holiday weekend sessions if I’m able to stay on Tybee. For days/weekends that aren’t holidays I just make sure I leave the house earlier than I normally would and hope for the best. Typically it takes me 45 minutes to get from my house to Tybee but on a session date I usually leave my house about 2-2.5 hours before the start time to allow for traffic. In the worst case scenario, if we are both unable to get on the island we can discuss having the session in an alternate location.
What if my kid(s) won’t stop playing in the sand?
Well…then we take pictures of them playing in the sand! This is one of the most frequent things moms mention to me when booking and I think my automatic reply of “don’t worry about it” doesn’t always free the mind. For real though don’t worry about it! It’s the beach, it’s sandy, it’s messy, it’s wet, it’s kind of gross, and it’s FUN!! If your little ones aren’t wanting to stand up straight and look directly at the camera then we get some great photos of them playing and having a good time!
What should we wear?
This is the most important question about your beach session! What to wear! My personal recommendation for how to dress your family is to keep it simple but not that whole khaki shorts and white shirts simple, you know the look. I think that look is very clean and easy but I also think it’s very bland and you should want some color in your beach photos!
If you have a big group and are struggling with how to get everyone to coordinate I suggest picking either a specific color, say navy blue, and tell everyone to wear something navy blue. You could also do a shades of theme, like a shades of blue or a shades of pink. Then everyone can come together and coordinate but not be so matchy-matchy.
If you are dressing a smaller family find something fun you are comfortable in and coordinate your family around that, the same I advised in the How I Choose Family Session Outfits post.
Maxi dresses/skirts work really well for the beach, especially in the water! If you are wearing jeans (or any pants), make sure they are tight enough to get wet and not fall off with the water weight. And remember the golden rule of outfits, if you are not comfortable you will to look comfortable in your photos!
Interested in booking a Tybee family session?
I would love to send information to you for your next family beach session! Tybee Island sessions are shot at sunrise or sunset. You won’t regret booking one of these fun sessions with me! Just remember to bring extra clothes because we will get wet!
Family of eight vacay beach pictures
What beautiful Savannah Georgia beach photos! I really miss the place and thanks for sharing such wonderful pictures! Thanks to sites like https://www.visitsavannah.com/tybee-island-savannahs-beach and blogs like yours, I get to Savannah almost every day! Now all I need is to finalize my next vacation there!