Best Time To Take Beach Family Photos

You may think that every day, if the sun is out, is a great day for family beach pictures. But is it really? Personally – no. If you want fun family pictures with little kids – I would ONLY do it at the end of the summer, last two weeks of August and first couple weeks of September (that is only if you live in a place that has all four seasons). I am not talking about Florida or California or any other place that is warm all year round. We live in Indiana, Chicagoland area, so our only option for beach pictures is Lake Michigan.

Let me explain why the end of the summer is the best. Early spring, the weather may be nice, low 70s, but after the long winter, the water is super cold. You will not have any fun pictures of you running in the waves, splashing in the water with your kids. They may want to go in, but then, they will get cold, and freeze right away, and that will be the end of your dream beach photoshoot. (I learned that lesson).

Beaches in the summer are way too packed with people, impossible to find an empty spot for pictures, unless you like random people in bikinis to be in the background. Also, some days are very humid and hot, sweat, melting make up, frizzy hair, doesn’t look too good in pictures. When it comes to the kids – heat could be exhausting for them as well.

Here, in The United States, most of the kids go back to school in the middle of August. What does that mean? They are not at the beach with their parents. Good news! Weather is warm, water is also warm, and no people in the middle of the week. Plan your photoshoot during the week – more chances you will be alone, and since the sunset is around 8pm, you have plenty of time to come back from work and get to the beach for 6:30pm-7pm photoshoot. You really don’t need more than an hour with little kids, they don’t last long. Best light is always closer to the sunset, so if you come too early, kids may not be into your pictures anymore by the time the light is golden and perfect.

But what is perfect light? Sunshine is great, but during this photoshoot, clouds rolled in, and I loved it! Clients were able to keep their eyes open, sky was beyond gorgeous, even Lake Michigan turned turquoise blue (it almost never happens to me). You can never predict what kind of sunset you will get that day. So don’t cancel your pictures if you see clouds. I personally hope for a cloudy day at the beach 🙂 Get there no earlier than 2 hours before sunset, and you will have amazing pictures!

When you get to the beach, don’t go to the water right away, chances are – kids will go right in 🙂 I start with a few poses by the dunes, tall grass, just to make sure I have some “dry” pictures of everyone.

Now it is time to get closer to the water. And this part, depending on the age of your kids, is unpredictable 🙂 Its like a ticking bomb… In this specific photoshoot, take a closer look at the boy. Notice when he gets wet 🙂 Yes, he felt in the lake while running within the first couple of minutes 🙂

We didn’t go for boring pictures, we knew we going to get wet sooner or later. Here are the rest of the images from this photoshoot.