The Pros and Cons of Choosing a Beach Location for Family Pictures

Aug 3

My Name is Lindsey, and I love the beach.

(Hi Lindsey!) I admit it, I love it. In fact, I’m squeezing in some writing time early this morning because my husband is taking the day off and we are headed up to Lake Michigan in a couple hours. Many of you love the beach, too, and you ask me to take pictures there. (Getting paid to go to my favorite place is something I never take for granted.) However, there are some things to keep in mind if you want to take your next family photos at the beach. Let’s talk about it!

beach alternative for family pictures in Michiana

Pros

There are so many pros to scheduling family pictures at any of Lake Michigan’s beautiful beaches. We are so lucky to live less than an hour from New Buffalo, Union Pier, Bridgman, St. Joseph and their amazing city and state parks. (What’s your favorite? Always curious!) The pros to taking pictures here are plentiful and include the following:

Breathtaking beauty
- Walking over the crest of the sand dunes at Tiscornia always, always, always, makes my breath catch in my throat. The grassy dunes at New Buffalo are a little wonderland for my eyes to explore. The way the light hits so pretty and pastel in the morning at Union Pier makes my heart pitter patter. I sigh. I grin like an idiot. It’s gorgeous.
Flattering
- The color palette of tan, blue and green is such an easy one to work with when planning outfits. Plus, the natural reflector of the beach is great for lighting up your faces. (Your face in the woods looks so shadowed and moody. Out on the beach, it’s like you’re lit by professional, expensive lights!)
Fun
- Shooting at the beach is just a lot of fun. People naturally want to play and explore. There are great dinner places and ice cream shops close by. You can take a dip afterward. You can watch the sunset. You can stay and build sand castles for a while. Dive in the water with your clothes on? Why not! What a fun memory to make.

Cons

There are two sides to every story, and if I’m going to serve you best, I had better tell you the cons to shooting at the beach. There are quite a few, making it a tricky place for a lot of folks.

Distracting
- For those of you with little kids, the beach may be sensory overload. A lot of little kids immediately want to run for the water and can’t settle down for photos. (I love documentary sessions, but if you want at least a couple traditional photos, this location choice might have you stressed out.) Other small children are majorly distracted by the sand. It’s immediately picked up, thrown or put in the mouth. LDP Family, neither one of these sand situations is great for pictures. hahaha. Tiny kids also think the sensation of sand on their feet is really cool, but very distracting. Kids are constantly looking down to watch their toes scrunch the beach beneath them.
Appointment time
- Shooting at the beach needs to be done really late or really early. It’s a whole thing with the light. Some beaches are better in the morning (Union Pier, Bridgman, Cherry Beach… I’m looking at you!) while others are better in the evening (hello, Tiscornia and New Buffalo!). What’s not good anywhere is a session too far away from sunrise or sunset. This means you’re either up for an early morning or a late night. If this sounds FUN, then move this point over to the PRO category! For a lot of you, it will remain here in con territory, especially if your kids are small.
Wind
- Sometimes, no matter how well I plan or how many times I check the weather, it is just downright blustery on the beach. The parking lot can be calm, but over that dune it’s another story. For the fussier among us, that love our hair perfect… the beach may not be our cup of tea for family pictures.

Compromise.

I had this exact pro/con conversation during the pre-session phone call with this longtime Lindsey DeCicco Photography family member. We’ve taken family pictures at almost every local spot together. Her husband really loved the idea of a beach session since we hadn’t done that yet and since he l-o-v-e-s the beach, like me.

After mom heard the con list, she decided that her 3 kids (under 3 years old) should probably wait for a beach session for a couple years. It’s a hard call to make, but I think it’s the right one sometimes. I mentioned this compromise spot, right here in Osceola. It’s got the beach-look (beautiful color palette and bright reflecting sand) but without the full con list. (To be really honest, I also did not recommend this place for her age kids. This place has a couple extra cons including a long hike and mosquitos! The kiddos did AMAZING, though, so it really worked out.)

All in all, it’s a great compromise for when you want a beach session look without the beach session concerns.