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Seven tips for what to do when the forecast for your outdoor beach portrait day is supposed to be rainy with thunderstorms, gusty wind and your client has only one day they can schedule.

1. Pray for a break in the rain. Cross your fingers AND your toes!

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2. Have a client who is at least flexible in terms of the start time. Look for a break between the showers.

3. Don’t panic if it starts to rain, it may be a small shower and blow over.

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4. If the wind picks up look for a location with protection from wind.

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5. Professional cameras are watertight, a little rain is OK. Keep shooting.

Tips on Photographing Families On Cloudy Rainy Days6. Stay positive. Keep smiling. If you have a good time, your clients will too.

Tips on Photographing Families On Cloudy Rainy Days7. Work with what you have. Think outside the box. Take a chance, try something new!
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Making family portraits is my passion. I am thrilled to work with families that return year after year for family portrait sessions since I get to  photograph the children as they grow. I started photographing this family when they were pregnant with their first child in 2005. Since then, they have a second child and Applejack, the family bulldog has aged considerably. The beach is a place they frequent and enjoy so many of the sessions have been at different ocean and bay beaches. I choose playful and fun activities that the family can participate in. This series of photographs was made in the summer of 2013 and represent pages from their family storybook album.

Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums
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Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums

Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums

Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums

Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums

Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums

Each year this family chooses a new family activity to include in their album. Over the years, we have photographed Dad arriving at the train station, the town ice cream parlor, and pumpkin picking at Pumpkin-town. This year their older son had an interest in surfing. In the end, everyone participated.

Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums

Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums

Family Portrait Sessions, Making Storybook Albums

 Dad was a great sport opting for the final page with a giant splash!
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I just finished teaching a Family Beach Photography photo session for The Palm Beach Photographic Center FotoFusion 2014. It was a wonderful opportunity to share with my students much of the information I have gleaned from thousands of hours photographing families at the beach.

Family Beach Photography

I thought about titling this blog: All Dressed Up With No Place To Go,  What Can Go Wrong, Will or Three Strikes And You Are Out.. At the location secured three weeks before the class, we had permission to photograph but had to pay for parking. It turned out the day of, we received free parking passes but were not allowed to photograph. My two families with their young children were incredibly patient as we moved to a second location. Since we were not going to be able to photograph at the beach, I figured we could create the same type of portraits, with similar lighting techniques and students could learn from the experience.

Family Beach Photography

After going through two very useful lighting setups, again we were asked to leave the location. The gate was going to be locked and we needed to be on the other side of it. No worries, next to that site was a place I thought I could finish up with more candid family photographs and give the students the final part of the workshop. Mom and Dad are in position, the background is good, the light is perfect. About to shoot, once again we are asked to leave. No worries. I resorted to begging. It worked with the promise of being quiet.

Family Beach Photography

The students appreciated the experience. Lesson learned, you can make plans but when reality takes over, go with the flow and do the best you can!!