To say that the weather this Summer has been unpredictable is an understatement. For most of my sessions this Summer, there has been a threat of thunderstorms at sunset. I was thrilled on the evening of this family session to finally have an evening with the sun shining and no clouds in sight. Although I love the moodiness and dimension a gloomy sky can bring to a session, it was nice to mix things up and have that abundance of golden sun on the evening of this beach session.

I have photographed this family before when they were a family of five. Since then, they have added another baby to the mix and are now a family of six. Mom contacted me because she wanted to update her family photos and I was thrilled to see them again.

Mom went with a soft palette of pinks and blues with the wardrobe, which is a classic combo that always works well for beach photos. The seersucker outfits added the perfect amount of texture to the images and really created a beachy look for their photos.

These kids are not only adorable, but super sweet. The older sisters are best friends and their love for one another always shines through. The brothers, who are ages 3 and 1, are the cutest little boys and have the most gorgeous blue eyes. These kids were superstars during the session.

With larger families, it is important to know ahead of time what the client’s goals are for the session. If there are posed images requested, knowing them at the start of the session allows you to structure your time better. Most of the time, I try to get those done at the top of the session when kids tend to be most focused, but it really depends on the child. You have to pivot and be flexible enough to know when to give the kids breaks as needed. More importantly, the kids need to be allowed to have a little fun during the session. Those silly moments are always my favorite images.

Here are a few of my favorites from this recent session.