Tips for planning a family beach photoshoot in Clearwater, FL

Thinking about updating your family portraits during your Clearwater Beach vacation? Here are some tips from a Clearwater Beach Family Photographer to help you make the best of your photoshoot.

What to wear

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is “what should we wear?”.

Many families automatically go for the classic white and khaki look. But I would highly recommend adding some pops of color.

You may not realize it but there are many different shades of white and they can all reflect light differently.

We have a wardrobe guide with color scheme ideas and recommendations to help you plan what to wear.

What to wear to a beach photoshoot in Winter

Even though Clearwater has a very moderate climate, it can get a little chilly in Winter.

While some days may remain in the 70’s-80’s, it’s a good idea to plan on layers – just in case! Having warm

layers on hand that coordinate will really help, just in case the weather dips into cooler temps.

What to wear to a beach photoshoot in Summer

Clearwater Beach can get pretty hot in July and August, so keep it nice and breezy! Sun dresses, shorts and short sleeve shirts are all great.

Dress comfortably and pick pieces that you feel confident in. The UV index gets higher in the summer so be careful to avoid sunburn before your photoshoot.

If you tend to sweat a lot, try to pick clothes that don’t show sweat stains as much.

Best time of day for family beach photos

We recommend scheduling Clearwater family beach photos around sunrise or sunset for the best lighting.

Sunset and sunrise will have softer lighting to reduce squinting and harsh shadows on your face. In the summer, there is also the added benefit of being a few degrees cooler as well.

Best location for Clearwater beach photos

Any beach in Clearwater is beautiful, especially at sunset.

We have a preferred location but we can also come right to your condo, resort or vacation rental.

The best spots in Clearwater tend to be less crowded and offer a variety of backgrounds.

When to schedule your beach photoshoot

We recommend scheduling your Clearwater beach photography session at least 4-6 weeks in advance.

This will help ensure we have plenty of availability and it gives you time to find your outfits.

We always recommend having a back up day in mind, just in case the weather interferes.

In the summer, it can get pretty rainy in the afternoon – so it’s a good idea to have a back up day.

Tips for Clearwater family photoshoot with extended family

We capture a lot of large group family portraits with multiple families. It can be rare to gather everyone together in a beautiful destination like Clearwater – great opportunity for a family portrait session!

We have a list of poses and groupings that we do with all large groups to make sure we capture a wide variety of poses and groupings.

• Everyone together
• Grandparents with grand kids
• Cousins all together
• Individual families
• Siblings
• Grandparents with their adult children
• Couples

We’ll do a mix of posed and candid portraits but we always like to get posed done first. Some additional groupings we may do, if you you’d like include:

• Generational portrait
• All Guys/All Girls
• Moms and daughters
• Dads and sons
• Moms and sons
• Dads and Daughters
• Individuals of each child

With larger groups, it’s important to keep clothing simple. Pick 1-2 colors and pair them with neutrals to complement each other.

Wearing all white might seem like a good idea but it’s very difficult for everyone to find the same shade of white.

All of the reflective colors on the beach can make different shades of white really stand out. You can totally make it work but if it bothers you, I would add pops of color to break it up.

It’s very important to have a back up date in mind, especially with multiple families. This will make it easy to reschedule if it rains.