Beautiful Beach Portraits

Book excerpt: Portraits of families and children against the dunes or with a crashing waves in the background are beautiful—but they are also one of the more difficult genres of photography. Wind, shifting sand, unpredictable sun mixing with clouds, and sudden storms all add to the normal challenges of a portrait session when you transport it to a beach setting. In this book, Mary Fisk-Taylor and Jamie Hayes explain how they create beautiful images amidst these challenges (and have a few adventures along the way!). Exploring sixty of their favorite images, the team offers tips on posing; composition; using clouds and the sea as a background; photographing individual family members after photographing the entire group; where to position your main light, fill flash, and reflector; and how to make the session fun for the whole family. In a clear, concise, step-by-step style, Mary and Jamie reveal how beach portraits have broadened their marketing area, introduced their photography to new clientele, and increased their bottom line—and show how you can achieve the same great results.