This family has been with me for years and years. I have documented them since their kids were in middle school and now they have all graduated not only high school, but college and beyond. Now, they have welcomed a grandchild and another is on the way. I am so thrilled to share their latest session with you and so thankful to get to be the one documenting their family in photos. I adore them. We had a blast a few months ago…I try to keep on top of my blogging but sometimes life gets in the way. This summer has been busy with our usual travel but also a much busier summer of photo sessions. I am so excited for the fall after spending the whole year documenting so many families and high school seniors. I am putting my final touches on my fall mini-sessions for 2025, but I already have so many families booked for fall, so don’t forget you can always book a full session which allows you not only the date of your choice, but also the location. I do not plan on offering mini-sessions at any of the Gulf beaches this year, but I do love the fall for beach sessions, so now is the time to book your family photos on the beach if you are looking for a traditional fall beach photo session. Fort Desoto, Sand Key, Coquina Beach, Upham Beach, Treasure Island, and Indian Rocks Beach are just a few of my favorite spots!

This sweet family came all the way from Green Bay for their vacation and for family vacation beach pictures on Indian Rocks Beach. Of course, being from Green Bay, I was thrilled to have someone from my old home town pick me to document their family while visiting the area! We ended up having some people we knew and even went to the same high school. Although, I was there years earlier! It was so fun to document their time together and I loved each of the girls’ personalities that come through so well in the photos and their connection with each other shines in these as well. The night was colder than normal but being Wisconsinites they took it in stride and the light was so perfect and glowy!

BeachFt DeSoto Beachcoupleswhat to wear beach photosvacation beach pictures

Mar 21

Written By Brooke Hamilton

I no longer do wedding photography, but I do love couples portraits. Especially if you add a sweet toddler to the mis. It is even more amazing, right? This vacation beach photo session on Fort DeSoto Beach was taken just after the beach fully reopened. Thankfully it is just as lovely as ever after two hurricanes ravaged this coast last year. This family took a vacation and brought their wedding dress along for fun vacation beach pictures that are wedding inspired and still centered around their sweet family. I loved the light and how sweet and happy they all were together. It was worth the travel to Fort DeSoto for sure for that sandy expanse, less people and gorgeous greenery to work with, too.

This lovely family came down at the perfect time. The weather was perfect, no rain, no cold, just right. They had a few days of sea fog, but the sunsets were hazy, cotton candy skies. Which worked perfectly with the soft neutral color pallet. Neutral does not mean everybody is in white or cream, you can do neturals with khakis, brown, light blues and pinks sprinkled in as well. They didn’t have any big prints so everything just melded together perfectly with softness perfect for the beach! If you are heading down to Indian Rocks Beach on a family vacation with grandparents, cousins, or siblings you just don’t get to see nearly often enough, a family beach photo session is a great way to remember the fun you had. I promise it will be fun and the only stress will be if you stress. I will be here to guide you every step of the way and then the night of the session, help keep you relaxed with mom-jokes and animal noises to keep everyone entertained for the hour or hour and a half we spend together at sunset! Contact me today if you are already booked for your vacation. I am mostly booked for March but have a few spots open, particularly weekdays and the same goes for April.

This family came to visit the area earlier this month and we had an amazing night for a fun, family photo session on Coquina Beach. I love when people set up vacation family photos while in the Tampa Bay area. I photograph families as far north as Honeymoon Island and as far south as Lido Key and everywhere in between. If you are heading to Anna Maria Island, Redington Beach, Indian Rocks Beach or somewhere close by, the odds are that I know the perfect beach for us to document your time here on our gorgeous Gulf of Mexico beaches. Usually it is somewhere close to where you are staying or where you are vacationing if you are right on the beach!

I love families who come here to vacation together and make time to get family photos done together. It really is so special to document your vacations on our gorgeous Florida beaches, but it is a whole different level when you take time to do a family photo session on the beach with your whole family. This family was staying on Treasure Island Beach. I don’t get to that specific area as much as Indian Rocks Beach and south in areas like Pass-a-Grille Beach or Anna Maria Island but man, Treasure Island was super pretty!

I adored meeting this family near the Don Cesar Hotel on Pass-a-Grille Beach for some family vacation pictures. They were in town together and the backdrop was a perfect beach spot for them and took them back to memories they had when they met in college nearby. The colorful spring wardrobe for this beach session was so vibrant, too. Just like their personalities. I had fun documenting their connections and personalities alike. When mom wanted to get a few of their daughter’s love of gymnastics I was happy to snap a few of just her, too.

EG Simmons Beach in Ruskin may not sounds like the perfect photo spot in Tampa Bay. When you think of Ruskin you may think tomatos. The beach and regional park on the bay though is a quiet little Tampa Bay photo gem. Check out this gorgoeus family and their sweet fall mini-session on the beach.

You know those places that are just magical, no matter the weather, no matter sunshine or clouds, these special locations just always seem to be bring out the best for photos? That is Davis Islands Beach for me.This family is also pretty magical and special too. They have trusted me for a few years now with the extra bonus of film at their mini-sessions. That means they get a little extra time and a whole roll of film to play with and keep the digitals of at the end as well. Davis Islands and film are also a perfect match like peanut butter and jelly!

I just love when a night works out with perfect weather, the perfect light, the perfect family and the perfect outfits. I work hard with clients to help guide them to be themselves in photos and still bring style that fits them and works well in camera. This family probably didn’t need much help in the style departement though at all. They layered the most perfect textures and variety of fabrics in all neutrals. Families, save these photos for a neutral palette guide for your family’s beach photos in neutrals. This is a great “what to wear” guide for neutral clothing options for your family photo session at the beach!

Picnic Island Beach and Park in Tampa was a great photo back drop for this fun family photo session. I loved their fall outfits that coordinated but didn’t match too perfectly. They brought their fun energy and a great attitude to result in more photos than they will ever need. Read more about tips for a more relaxing and rewarding Tampa family photo session on the blog today!

You guessed it, another vacation family photo session on Indian Shores Beach. I absolutely love that I get to meet so many new faces during their time vacationing in Florida. Especially while they are having fun at the beach! It really doesn’t get better for me while working! Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach both have been the “must visit beach” for many families this summer. The beach may be busy while we are together, but when you are vacationing you don’t really want all the beach goers in your photos. Thankfully I have a lot of experience with photographing families even on the busiest weeks on the beach, like the Fourth of July, or Memorial Day Weekend. Being able to pose you and direct you without you really feeling like I am telling you how to be together means I spend a lot less time editing people out of your photos as well.