Longboat Key Beach Portraits - McNulty Family

In celebration of their 25th anniversary, a friend of the McNulty family bought them a beach portrait session with us as a gift. We had a great time meeting the McNulty family and capturing this special occasion for them, despite the crummy weather. 

Here are a few of our favorites:

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Siesta Key Beach Portraits - Woessner Family

It was really dark, cloudy, and windy for the Woessner's beach portrait session, but their bright colored outfits and beautiful smiles made for some lovely photos. The Woessners didn't seem to care that the weather was less than perfect and we really enjoyed capturing the moment for them.

Here are a few of our favorites:

 

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Longboat Key Beach Portraits - Niersbach Family

We met the Niersbach Family on Longboat Key mid-week last week. Even though it was pretty overcast, the sky did get a little more colorful right towards the end of their session.

The Niersbachs were a LOT of fun - we had a lot of laughter during this session!

Here are a few of our favorites:

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Siesta Key Beach Portraits - DeGroot Family

We met the DeGroots on a hazy evening last Sunday night on Siesta Key. The beach was extremely busy with everyong visiting for Spring Break and the weekly Drum Circle gathering! (It took us over an hour to get out of the parking lot afterwards - sheesh! That is why we always recommend parking on the road!) 

The DeGroots were a lot of fun and we enjoyed capturing their family portraits.

Here are a few of our favorites:

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Frequently Asked Questions: What should we wear for our beach portrait session? (Updated edition!)

One of the questions we are asked most often by beach portrait customers is, "What should we wear?" Your personal decision about this can really impact how your photos come out! We offer some suggestions about this on our Beach Portrait FAQ but wanted to expand on that a bit here. Read on to find out more!

Coordinating what you wear, especially with a large group, can be a challenge. Everyone wants to wear what looks good on them but when you put everything together... well, it doesn't always work well together! As you look through the family photos on our website you’ll see some good examples of how to dress and some that are not so good. We also have some great ideas pinned on Pinterest!

1. Our Favorite: White and Khaki

Sometimes, when we suggest white and khaki (our personal favorite color combination for Siesta Key Beach Portraits), people resist because they feel it will be dull and boring in the photo. Please be assured that white looks absolutely AWESOME against our beautiful beaches here in SouthWest Florida! There's a reason why most of our sample photos and most beach portraits you see on other photographer's websites are in white and khaki - it just plain looks good! You want the focus of the photo to be on you, your family, and the beautiful surroundings, NOT on what you are wearing!

(Tip: Add a splash of color with hair accessories or chunky jewelry in bright colors such as pink or turquoise!)

 

 

2. White and denim or white and navy

Our second favorite is white and denim (be careful to coordinate the shade of denim though!) or white and navy.

 

 

3. Pastels

If you really want to use a color, stick with SOLIDS or large patterns - not tiny stripes, plaids or small patterns. Light blues or greens look nice because the colors compliment the grass and water at the beach. In general, pastels are good and brighter, primary colors are not as good.

Here are a few examples of pastels that worked well for past customers:

 

 

And, although we have offered a few different color options here, remember to coordinate so that everyone in your group selects the SAME color combination! In other words, don't put denim on some people and khaki on others! Too many colors can be very distracting in the photo!

Tips for women: Wear tops with sleeves, and no dresses or skirts that are too short (doesn't work well when sitting down in the sand or walking around in the wind!). White dresses, or long, white flowing beach skirts and tops, or white tops and khaki capris look fabulous. Shorts are ok too. Don't wear lotion - the powdery sand will stick to you! Jewelry is ok! Wind is often an issue with hair - it works much better if your hair is well secured or has enough "product" to keep it in place! Make it your mission to keep your (and your kids') hair out of your face during the photo shoot! We can photoshop out background distractions, blemishes, shiny faces, etc but stray hairs are VERY difficult to fix!

Tips for men: A white dress shirt or polo and nice jeans or ironed khakis will look great. Shorts and T-Shirts work ok too - it's all about how casual (or not) you want your photo to look.

Tips for kids: Watch out for sunburn! A little pink in the cheeks looks good in photos but beet red faces are not the greatest! (That goes for grown ups too!) Coordinate kids in similar outfits as the adults. For little girls, a solid white or denim sundress looks cute if everyone is wearing white and khaki or white and denim, respectively. Poofy, flower girl or communion type dresses are harder to work with on the beach and won't look as natural in the photos. Little boys look great in polo shirts and shorts.

 

About shoes:  We normally shoot beach portraits barefoot, however, during certain times of the year, there are always terrible sand spurs (little spiky seed pods) all over the beach near the dune grass! Ouch! It might be a good idea to coordinate a shoe color (i.e. brown or black sandals on everyone) just in case we decide it is better to keep everyone's shoes on their feet!

We hope this helps you decide on your outfits for your beach portrait session!

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Just for fun... Our friends' daughter at "The Blue Park"

Every so often we have some great personal photos that I want to share here on the blog, but never seem to get around to sharing... hopefully I can keep doing this more often in the coming months! Enjoy!

A great photo location fell into our laps the other day with the help of one of our favorite kids. We were babysitting our friends' daughter and took her to Blue Ridge Park in North Port to play on the playground (she calls it "the blue park," because every piece of playground equipment there is blue). A year or so ago, all the brush was cleared away down by a canal and a floating dock was added, which has given the park a whole new look and feel. 

We went down to the dock and she started picking spots and poses for photos. Turns out, she had some great ideas (maybe she can come work for us someday)! As we snapped some shots with the 5D mkiii and 70-200mm f/2.8 (obviously not planned since none of us were exactly dressed for photos), we realized that the floating dock was actually a great spot for photos, with the water and green spaces around it. We'll definitely be returning to this spot with proper lighting and clothing someday soon!

Here are a few of our favorites, including a couple of her playing on the playground:

 

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Siesta Key Beach Portraits - Lindsey and Kyle

We met Lindsey and Kyle on Siesta Key the other night for a beach portrait session. They were such a cute couple! The sky was overcast but we were treated to a beautiful sunset at the end of their session - a nice surprise! 

Here are a few of our favorites:

 

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