Florida beach portraits

Maternity Portraits on Honeymoon Island State Park with former photo student Betty

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Relaxing on a swing at Honeymoon Island State Park Florida during a maternity photo shoot - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 1/200th ISO 200 - Strobist: SB-800 & SB-600 to frame left & rightA lot can happen in 4 years and so it has for a past DSLR photography student of mine.  I first met Betty in November of 2010 for a couple of 1-on-1 DSLR photography lessons with her Canon T1i.  She contacted me this fall inquiring about maternity portraits and after a bit of schedule gymnastics, we were able to find a date and location that worked out.  It seems that in those 4 years she was busy, not so much with her photography as she informed me sadly, but in her personal life getting married and now expecting a baby.

I added a digital white background to this maternity portrait actually made on a beach at Honeymoon Island State Park Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/9 1/250th ISO 200 - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightIt is always nice to see a past photography client again and especially so to photograph a new part of their life.  It was a bit breezy out on the beach at Honeymoon Island State Park, but otherwise the weather cooperated pretty well.  I had a number of different styles of shots I wanted to try, including the tightly composed profile photo above.  I cut out the existing background as it was not very vivid to begin with and replaced it with a pure white digital background.

Willing to get sandy for a maternity photo at Honeymoon Island State Park Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 1/250th ISO 200 - Strobist: SB-800 & SB-600 angled down

For the last shot of the afternoon I asked them how willing they were to get a bit sandy.  They were quite willing so I was able to try out an overhead shot I thought was a bit different than the usual maternity composition angle.  I look forward to photographing Betty and baby in 2015!

Bilmar Beach Resort Sunset Portraits Treasure Island Florida with couple from Utah

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Visiting all the way from Utah, Matt & Shanna have fun at Bilmar Beach Resort during our sunset portrait session - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame right front & SB-600 to frame right rearIt would seem the Bilmar Beach Resort is a popular hotel with out of state visitors as the last time I did a sunset beach portraits session there it was with someone visiting from Chicago.  This time, a couple all the way from Utah was staying on Treasure Island and met me for a candid couples beach sunset portait shoot.  There are few things I am lucky with in life, but having good weather at sunset time is one of them.  Just the night before it was raining all evening.  As you can see, no rain in sight thankfully!

Twilight beach portrait at Bilmar Beach Resort Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left front & SB-600 to frame right rearBeing a Tuesday evening in September as well, there were few people on the beach allowing for wide shots like the one above to not require any tricky people removing editing in the background.  The twilight sky was also very beautiful.  We stayed a little extra longer to get the above shot.

Leaning in for a kiss at Bilmar Beach Resort Treasure Island Florida during sunset portraits - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame right front & SB-600 to frame left rearIt was a fun session with Shanna and Matt and I am always glad to be able to help people remember their time in Florida through photographs.

Madeira Beach Florida Sunset Beach Portraits with Paula & Family

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All smiles for this family on Madeira Beach during their sunset portrait session in Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 & SB-600 @ 1/2 powerIt had been awhile since I had a sunset family beach portrait session on Madeira Beach, so it was good to meet Paula and family there recently, although once facing the Gulf of Mexico, pretty much every beach on the Pinellas peninsula looks the same!  The family-in-a-row was a new style photograph for me.  I am always looking for new ways to photograph families on the beach and adding as much variety to a family's set of shots as possible.  I like this in-a-row composition and will definitely be adding it to my already existing set of shots.

Sisters all stacked up on Madeira Beach during a fun family beach portraits session - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 200 1/640th - natural lightAll three sisters stacked themselves up and were bookended by their parents.  I encourage families to physically interact as much as possible to add a natural and fun look to shots.  The more you come into physical contact, the better the results is typically how it goes.  Just standing stiffly side-by-side is something I try to avoid at all costs.

Family togetherness on Madeira Beach in Florida during a sunset portrait session - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 200 1/500th - natural lightI wonder if in 20 years these sisters will remember what they were laughing about in this moment.  I hope they can.  That is the potential power of a still photograph.

A beautiful sunset on Madeira Beach Florida for family portraits - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 & SB-600 @ 1/2 powerFor me personally (and as a photographer), I prefer there to be some clouds along the horizon and in the sky in general for sunset portraits.

Sisters jumping on Madeira Beach during a family beach sunset portrait session in Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 & SB-600 @ 1/2 powerI think these three sisters jumped the highest I have ever seen for a jumping photograph of this nature.  Madeira Beach and mother nature provided a very nice backdrop for this family beach sunset portrait session.

Family Beach Portraits Sunset Beach Treasure Island St Petersburg Florida July 2013

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Getting on the sand for their family beach portrait on Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/2 power to frame rightIt was a quick return to Sunset Beach on Treasure Island Florida for me since my last visit on Thursday for another candid family beach portrait session.  I never know what the sunset will be like for any particular shoot, and it is surprising to me about how different they always turn out to be from each other.  This evening was a mix of pure sun followed by dramatic clouds.  The youngest member of this family was not impressed with anything though and as you can see by his damp eyes, was crying almost the entire time being up a bit past his usual bedtime.  I know I get cranky too without enough sleep, but that usually is about waking up too early in the morning.

Sunset Beach reveals another great Treasure Island Florida background - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightOne last shot before the sun disappeared below the horizon bringing the end to another day on Sunset Beach on Treasure Island.  Just after we finished a few raindrops started to fall.  Another lucky weather evening out on the beach!

Pouring sand on his brother on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida candid portraits - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightNow getting sand poured on your head by your older brother is enough to make anyone cranky, that's for sure!

Madeira Beach St Petersburg Florida Family Photography at Sunset

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Family Beach Portraits on Madeira Beach Florida at sunset - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-600 @ 1/2 power to frame right & SB-800 @ 1/2 power in frontI met Lisa and her family visiting from Georgia at their condo on Madiera Beach in St. Petersburg Florida for a candid family beach portrait session.  There were never any worries about the weather all day, which is rare for July, but I did not know what the beach would be like on that particular stretch of Madeira either.  Thankfully, there were not that many people and there was some sea grass to use as a background that blocked out the adjacent condos.  

Three generations in this Madeira Beach family portrait in Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/125th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThough there was no rain this evening, there were plenty of clouds along the horizon to make for a dynamic background over the Gulf of Mexico.  I personally like a lot of clouds in the sky as opposed to a cloudless sunset only background.  I chose to convert this particular portrait to black & white to add even more impact.

Sea Oats background on Madeira Beach family portraits in Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/10 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightA willingness to get on the sand allows for a wider variety of shots, and the above style photo has been my go to first photo for beach portait sessions letting the sun go down a bit (it's too strong to shoot against an hour before sunset) and making use of the existing flora.

Florida Family Beach Portraits with Dramatic Skies - South Dakota Family

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Family Beach Portrait - Sunset Beach on Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 400 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 power above front & SB-600 @ 1/8 power directly behind family 

A few months ago Melanie contacted me from South Dakota about having family beach portraits here in Florida when her family was to come down on vacation.  I always like to photograph out of state families as they have full appreciation for the beauty of our Gulf beaches.  Locals I guess get used to spectacular sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico.  A large storm was scheduled to roll over central Florida around the time of our scheduled portrait session, but we stayed dry and were treated to dramatic stormy skies for use as backgrounds.

Sunset Family Beach Portrait - St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D80 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens @ f/5.6 ISO 400 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 power to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame rightThe sky kept changing from dark blue (see top image) to fiery yellow (above) to metallic purple (see below).  I had never seen it go through such a range of color before.  Often the intensity of one color will vary, but to get three distinct background colors was unprecedented.  

Family Beach Walking Portrait - Sunset Beach St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 with Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/250th natural lightOne other good thing about the stormy weather is that it kept almost all the people away from Sunset Beach, so we had no trouble making the above shot of Melanie's family talking a long walk down the shoreline.  I was able to make the shot I wanted to in just one take.

Father tossing children in air - Nikon D300 with Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 640 1/250th natural lightWhat a great feeling to be tossed up into the air, especially when you never know if you will land in the ocean!  Too bad it is not common for someone to be able to toss 185 pounds into the air.  I would like to be able to touch the sky too!

Young boy candid beach portrait - St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 with Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 640 1/250th natural light - sepia landscape filter applied in Silver Efex ProI titled the above photo, "The Fighter."  I would say he is a southpaw by the looks of things.  I am glad I was using my Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens from a distance for this shot and was at no risk of that left hook!

Purple Twilight Florida Family Beach Portrait - Treasure Island - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 800 1/50th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 +2/3 power frame left & SB-600 @ 1/4 power frame rightTheir dad had all sorts of shall I say "unique" expressions to get the children to look at me, such as "Elmo is coming out of the top of his head," and the like.  I had not heard that one before but it worked so that's all that matters.  It was a fun challenge photographing this family of five and I am very pleased with the results the stormy skies provided.