Parents often ask me how to prepare for their children’s beach portraits. As a photographer in the Hamptons for decades, I photographed hundreds of children in every age group. Over the years I’ve developed some tried-and-true ways to help parents know what to expect and I share them here. Follow these 8 simple tips and your beach photos session will not only result in wonderful photographs, but it will be fun, too!  

Here are the 8 ways you can prepare for your child’s beach portraits:

1. Let Them Know It’s Going to Be Fun
Let your children know that even though they are being photographed, they’ll actually be playing on the beach. This turns what could be trepidation, into something they’ll look forward to.

2. Choose the Best Time of Day
For newborns and babies up to 6 months, I like to choose the best time of day for the baby and hope it falls within the window of good light. I normally like to photograph at dawn or late afternoon. For toddlers and young children, an afternoon nap or some quiet time before the session is a good idea.

3. Clothes – What To Wear (and What Not To!)
No: Bold patterns, stripes, or logos
Yes: Light, solid colors; subtle patterns
If you have more than one child, everyone does not have to be identical: have the clothing similar in tonality. Make sure girls can sit comfortably as well as stand (so stay away from tight skirts and short dresses). Babies need bloomers and girls need plain underwear for white dresses. Boys in collared shirts are a nice look. It’s important that the clothing you choose fits your child properly. Bring an extra change of clothing for all children 12 and under.

4. Don’t let them Be Hungry!
Please feed your children before they come to the beach.

5. It’s OK to Snack During the Photo Session
Children are very active during the session and will probably get hungry and thirsty. Bring drinks and easy-to-eat, non-staining snacks like Cheerios, Teddy Grahams, pretzels, apple slices, and carrot sticks. Please do not bring candy – we need the children to focus and stay relatively calm.

6. What about Props?
We have some wonderful natural toys and props we bring to the session. You may want to bring along some of their favorite toys like buckets, shovels, trucks, and sports equipment like baseballs, footballs, Frisbees, boogie boards, and surfboards.

7. No Cheese, Please!
Please do not practice “Cheese” or “Smile” before the session. Those words tend to produce a false or fake smile and freeze any expression. I prefer to capture a more natural smile by encouraging children to play, to use their imaginations, and to have a good time.

8. The Parents’ Role:
Please think about songs and stories that your children know and enjoy and may even think are silly. These songs and stories can relax them and make them laugh. At times, you may be called upon to act ridiculous, all for the sake of fine photography. We promise not to tell your friends that you danced on the beach or jumped up and down or made funny noises. We want you to have fun too. {Don’t worry, if you can’t be ridiculous, we can.}

Follow these simple 8 tips and your child’s beach portraits will be awesome!