Family Portrait on the Beach
Christina on July 23, 2009 in Children, Family, Outdoor, Sessions | No Comments »I’ve been away for over a week, on vacation with my family at Myrtle Beach. Laying on the beach, listening to the waves, basking in the sun – my favorite way to relax by far! It’s so nice to get away from the daily grind, but I think most Moms would agree that family vacations can be full of a different type of stress though, if you’re not careful. I decided to tempt fate by planning to shoot our family portrait out on the beach during this trip – and my goal was not just one great session, but two!
Now let me be clear that most portrait sessions are not really stressful – but there is something different (harder) about photographing your own family, especially when you are also trying to be in the image – I always end up looking like I just pushed a button, ran around the camera, plopped down in whatever position I could find, and smiled just as the shutter clicked – which is of course exactly what I *have* just done! Even still, I was determined to make this work.
A few lessons learned:
1. Heavy Winds + Beach = Unhappy child with sand in his eyes.
2. Family portraits look better when no one is crying in them.
3. A beautiful family portrait can make the above lessons worth learning!
I am thankful to my patient and understanding family for being willing to endure the blown sand on Day 1, changing into their “portrait clothes” on 5 minutes notice on day 2, and being bribable with ice cream and chocolate on Day 3. I am grateful for the beautiful portraits that emerged from the chaos and that no one has yet to accuse me of taking to many photographs of them! I can’t wait to get these on my wall! Here’s a preview of a few of my favorites so far… notice I’m not in any of these!
