8 Tips for your Family Portrait Session at the Beach - Cape Cod Family Photographer

Summer is almost here, and I am so excited to welcome so many families to Cape Cod for their family portrait session on the beach! This is one of my favorite times of year because I love visiting the Cape and being able to capture other families and their special memories at the same time. This summer will be extra fun because I have so many of my longtime New York clients planning their summer vacations to Cape Cod around their portrait sessions! I’ve been living in NY for eight years now, and these families have heard me talk about the Cape for years, and now so many of them are excited to bring their little ones to this classic beach spot this summer!

I have been spending my summers on the Cape for more than 25 years, and I have so many favorite beaches, bike paths, ice cream shops, and more that I love sharing with my clients when they schedule their Cape Cod portraits. Every single one provides the perfect vibes for summer portraits - and it always makes for an unforgettable evening! I love that I know this area inside and out and can give them an inside scoop on where to go, what to do, and what to pack!

Today’s blog post is filled with tips for your family portrait session at the beach. Read on for lots of great ideas, plus plenty of beautiful outfit inspiration for your family! I want your session to be truly enjoyable and feel like an extension of your summer vacation!

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Plan accordingly for traffic.

On the Cape, Saturday and Sunday are typically the heaviest traffic days coming over both bridges. Plan to come early in the morning and make a day of it!

Baby’s first trip to the beach?

The beach can be a sensory overload for some babies.  Get them used to the sand by letting them play with and sit in sand a few times before your session.  Make sure they have bare legs and feet so that they get used to the feeling of the sand on their skin.  Bring a blanket (neutral colors look best!) if they might need a layer to sit on.

What to wear

Colors that you would find at the beach look incredible in portraits — shades of blue, khaki, linen, white, cream, blush pink, lavender, teal, mint, aqua, and gray are my favorites.  We have many helpful blog posts with outfit ideas — check them out here! 

Keep these in the car…

Sunglasses, hair elastics, cell phone, wallet (bulky things that show in your pockets), stroller, diaper bag, baseball caps or visors. Trust me: you don’t want them in your portraits! It’s better to just leave them behind so you don’t have to keep track of them during your session.

Always have a rain date.

I will let you know 4 hours in advance if we’ll have to reschedule due to the weather, but even on cloudy days we can get some great portraits! Clouds mean less direct sunlight, which is better for all of us. As long as it isn’t outright raining or storming, we’ll try to keep your session. But, planning a backup date never hurts!

Protect your skin.

Try to avoid a sunburn the week of your session.  Especially on your face and nose! It’s no fun - but it also will show up in your portraits.

Barefoot is best! 

We’ll leave our sandals at the entrance to the beach so we can walk in the sand easily.

Embrace the sand & the water, and don’t be afraid to get wet!

I love finishing the session in the water.  Let’s be adventurous and walk in the waves or let the kids splash around a bit.  Bring a towel or a change of clothes for the kids just in case they get a little too excited at the opportunity to splash!  

PLAN FOR AFTER YOUR SESSION

Keep a towel in the car to brush sand off of everyone’s feet after the session. I also recommend keeping a travel-sized container of baby powder in the car. Sprinkle a little on everyone’s feet and calves, and the sand slides right off!

If you have a long drive back home, pack the kids' PJs in the car so they can change into them right after the session and sleep on the way home. I’m a huge fan of anything that will help avoid meltdowns after portraits!

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About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region, and she also works with families at her Attleboro, MA studio and on location in Boston and on Cape Cod. 

Our Cape Cod sessions occur from June through September at beaches all over the Cape. Be sure to reach out early to plan your family’s portrait session as these always fill up early in the season!

A dreamy cake smash at the beach with Cape Cod Baby Photographer Nicole Starr Photography

Back when my son was a baby, I did a cake smash on the beach for him the summer after he turned one. That turned out to be my first ever cake smash at the beach, and since then I’ve done many first birthday celebrations at the beach while visiting Cape Cod every summer. Our daughter celebrated her first birthday in June, which was perfect timing for a cake smash later in the summer during one of our trips to the Cape! I absolutely love creating this special memory with my babies. 

We went to my favorite beach right at sunset, and we set up right in the surf where the water was coming up in gentle waves onto the sand. I love the effect it had in the portraits – completely dreamy! Adelaide looked so precious in her pink dress and enjoyed her cake. She actually dug right into her cake, and her expression when she is leaning into it with both hands and her tongue out just cracks me up! Her big brother helped towards the end and I can’t express how it made my heart swell to see my two babies playing together in the surf and the sand. 

This was definitely the messiest cake smash I’ve ever done between the frosting and the wet sand, but it was so worth it! Happy birthday to my sweet baby girl!

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Extended family photo session while on vacation on Cape Cod

Ashley and her family are just the sweetest! They made their first visit to the Cape in 2022, from Western New York and they loved it so much, they decided to come back this summer! When they booked their trip, Ashley reached out about planning a Salt Air session on the beach in Dennis, MA. I’m so happy that we were able to make their session work - and include the grandparents, too. 

I absolutely loved working with this family. They were so much fun and we couldn't stop laughing. And they looked incredible! Ashley decided to use nature as inspiration for their outfits, pulling lots of tans, greens, and blues for their clothing choices. Ashley had the most beautiful pink dress to bring the palette together, too. Honestly, I love how everything looked on the beach. We even had a slightly darker sky that day, which looked amazing against their outfits. 

I have lots of games and prompts that I like to use during our family portrait sessions, and we really are able to get the best expressions and natural smiles out of everyone this way. Ashley’s family made it a lot of fun - and they were such good sports. The prompts and game make for a memorable time together that is so much more enjoyable than just “saying cheese”. I love how we get such natural smiles and giggles, especially from the kids. 

I’m so happy that this sweet family made this portrait session possible. I hope that they treasure these portraits for years to come and the memories made here last a lifetime! 

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Brothers at the beach - a family portrait session at south village beach with cape cod family photographer

The beach is the perfect place for making sandy memories, and I loved this relaxed & playful session with brothers Taylan & Altan on Cape Cod!

We spent the evening running up and down the sand, climbing the lifeguard chair, and looking for clams. It was the perfect evening, and we had so much fun capturing their beautiful family portraits at the beach.

Weeeee!!!! This might be one of my favorite prompts with families — everyone always has the best expressions when their little one goes flying up into the air like a monkey! Altan loved it!

And of course big brother wanted a turn to swing, too!

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About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region.  Nicole also works with families year round at her Attleboro, MA portrait studio, and on location May through October in Boston and on Cape Cod.  Nicole has a clean and classic style, and the studio is filled with neutrals and luxe fabrics.  We use very minimal props to keep the focus on your perfect little baby.  Our sessions are relaxed and fun, and we’ll enjoy an hour together (or up to 3 hours for a newborn session!) laughing, cuddling, and capturing authentic smiles and belly laughs with your little ones.  

Celebrating 40 Years - An extended family portrait session on Cape Cod

Extended family sessions are always so much fun. While some may think that they are complicated & logistically challenging (You want me to get HOW MANY people looking at the camera at the same time?!?! And smiling, too?!?!), I actually really enjoy them!

I look at every extended family session as a beautiful opportunity to enjoy a peek into this whole family’s life together. It’s like being invited to their Thanksgiving table when everyone is so excited to be around one another, inside jokes are flying, and the kids are off having a blast at the kids’ table. Stories circle around the group, and the grandparents are always up for some tickles for the grandkids.

My favorite part is looking at the two grandparents and thinking that everyone is here because the two of them fell in love.

And that’s exactly what this family portrait session on Cape Cod felt like. This couple was celebrating 40 years of marriage, and 40 years of family vacations in Harwich. Their daughters and their grandchildren all got together for family portraits, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN.

We always start off with the kids to capture a few individual & sibling portraits, and the kids love running along the beach, telling me stories, and singing songs to get comfortable in front of the camera. These kids absolutely rocked it and I love how cute they were!

Did I mention how much fun we have during our sessions? Dancing, running, twirling, piggy back rides. All of your favorite things about childhood, captured in your portraits.

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My favorite sunset at the beach - cape cod family photographer

I enjoyed the most perfect sunset of the entire summer with this sweet family! Looking through their portraits takes me right back to that warm summer evening on Cape Cod filled with gorgeous golden light, sandy toes, and the cutest little giggles from the kids. I’m already missing these summer sessions, but I’m so excited to share this one on the blog today!

One of my favorite things about spending my summers photographing families on Cape Cod is discovering new beaches. Every family has “their” beach, and it’s amazing because many families introduce me to beaches that are new to me that they have been going to for 10, 20, 30 years! I first discovered this beach a few summers ago with another family that always vacations in the neighborhood, and when Aimee contacted me and told me they were staying near the bridge, I knew we had to meet at this perfect spot for their portraits!

Catherine is the cuddliest, and she was so happy to be in her daddy’s arms! I love all of her adorable expressions, and especially her laugh!

Tickle fight for big brother Charlie! Our family sessions are always so much fun and very relaxed, and it shows when your portraits have big belly laughs and grins in them!

Little Miss Catherine has been working very hard on her walking skills, and it was so special to be able to capture the whole family’s effort and encouragement in these portraits. Look at her go!

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About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region.  Nicole also works with families year round at her Attleboro, MA portrait studio, and on location May through October in Boston and on Cape Cod.  Nicole has a clean and classic style, and the studio is filled with neutrals and luxe fabrics.  We use very minimal props to keep the focus on your perfect little baby.  Our sessions are relaxed and fun, and we’ll enjoy an hour together (or up to 3 hours for a newborn session!) laughing, cuddling, and capturing authentic smiles and belly laughs with your little ones.  

Seaside Smiles - family portraits at their beach house | cape cod family photographer

This summer was all about finding inspiration in new places on Cape Cod for our family portrait sessions.

For the first time ever I brought families to cute little downtowns with shingled buildings, a handful of new beaches, and I was even lucky enough to photograph this family’s portrait session at their waterfront beach house!

I love that the white trim, gray shingles, rocking chairs, blue hydrangeas, and Lilly Pulitzer print dresses all scream CAPE COD IN THE SUMMERTIME!! But even more meaningful was that they will get to enjoy these portraits up on their walls, bringing them right back to those warm summer memories on Cape Cod.

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Salt air & smiles | Family portraits at the beach with cape cod family photographer

Lisa & her son Luca joined me at Earle Road Beach in Harwich for a sweet & cuddly session by the sea! I absolutely loved catching up with this sweet family (check out Luca’s newborn session here!) on Cape Cod this summer, and I had so much fun capturing the special bond that these two share.

Luca is so affectionate & fun, and he really let his personality shine during their session! We had so many laughs watching him play, run, and explore on the beach.

I’m going to miss these sunset sessions on the beach! Until next year, Cape Cod!

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Inspired by this beach Mommy and Me session? Pin this image or any from the post above for inspiration!

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About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region.  Nicole also works with families year round at her Attleboro, MA portrait studio, and on location May through October in Boston and on Cape Cod.  Nicole has a clean and classic style, and the studio is filled with neutrals and luxe fabrics.  We use very minimal props to keep the focus on your perfect little baby.  Our sessions are relaxed and fun, and we’ll enjoy an hour together (or up to 3 hours for a newborn session!) laughing, cuddling, and capturing authentic smiles and belly laughs with your little ones.

Outfit ideas for your photo session at the beach

Our Cape Cod family sessions at the beach should be fun, relaxing, and sandy… just like a day spent dipping your toes in the water and collecting seashells!

However, one of the biggest worries that mamas always tell me is that they have NO IDEA WHAT TO WEAR. That’s where I come in. This might be your first time planning coordinating outfits for a family photo shoot, but lucky for you I have done this hundreds of times and I have a few simple tricks to make it easier for you.

Plus, once you have a few outfits in mind you can always email them to me to get a second opinion on which ones will photograph best together!

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White looks amazing in the summer.

Everyone looks a little more sun-kissed when they wear white, and it really pops against the scenery at the beach. When in doubt, wear white.

SHADES OF BLUE

Pull inspiration from the colors at the beach. Many shades of blue look incredible by the seashore. I especially love light blue, chambray blue, and other muted shades of blue. Navy blue is classic, too!

HINT: Avoid any overly saturated, super bright blues because it just looks a little unnatural at the beach. Notice how most of the blues in this blog post have a touch of gray in them. That’s perfect.

Use colors you would find in nature.

Think of a sunset at the beach, and plan your colors accordingly. Blues, beiges, white, light pink, lavender, mint green, aqua. These all look incredible at the beach. A faded red also looks really nice (like those classic Nantucket red shorts that are everywhere in New England in the summertime).

PLAID

It’s super classic, and very summery. Also, gingham is very in this year, too!

How to style lots of family members?

If you stick to the tips above, it’ll actually be really easy. When in doubt, tell everyone to wear shades of muted blue with neutrals like white, cream, and khaki. That’s the easiest option when working with extended family and trying to coordinate 3-4 households for a large group portrait.

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About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region, and she also works with families at her Attleboro, MA studio and on location in Boston and on Cape Cod. 

Having spent more than 20 summers on Cape Cod, this area truly feels like home when we get together for family photo sessions at the beach. Trust Nicole to capture your family beautifully while having fun out in the salt air!

A Playful Family Session at the Beach - Harwich, Cape Cod Family Photographer

This was one of my favorite family sessions of the summer! We were waiting for a thunderstorm to roll in on Cape Cod, and we snuck in this portrait session at the beach right before the rain started. The overcast skies made for an incredible backdrop, and these brothers just stole the show!

I first met this family back where Nicholas was only 6 months old, and now he’s a big brother! We did Baby Harrison’s newborn photos, and in the blink of an eye he turned into a toddler who was excited to run all over the beach and point out all of the seagulls flying overhead.

This shot of the boys is my FAVORITE image from the entire session. I love how playful and wild and carefree it is! They framed this one to hang in their beach house, and it’s going to look amazing up on the wall. I wish I could wake up to this photo every day — I would start each morning with a smile just by looking at this!

Their family photos are truly some of my favorites because mom and dad got lost in the moment with their kids, playing and laughing and not worrying about where to look or who to make smile for the camera. They just had fun together, and that joy shows in their portraits!

When you Take a Toddler to the Beach - Cape Cod Family Portraits in Harwich

When you take a toddler to the beach, he’s going to want to run and play, jump and sing. He’s going to chase the birds, put his toes in the water, and climb the lifeguard chair. He’ll search for rocks, throw sand, and give you a dozen shells to put in your pocket….. which you’ll forget about until you pull them out of your dryer a few days later. ;o)

When you take a toddler to the beach, you are bound to have SO MUCH FUN. That’s what makes this family portrait session on Cape Cod so memorable — Holden was an absolute blast, and I loved playing with this little guy and watching him cuddle up with his mom and dad against the perfect backdrop of sea & sky.

One things that moms and dads always worry about before their portrait session is — “Oh my god, what if my kids misbehave?????”

And I always remind them that kids will be kids, and that’s exactly what we’re going to capture on camera! The running (sometimes the running away, haha!), the games, the smiles, the shy looks while they’re still warming up to a new person and a new place.

We are capturing their personality, and I never ever ever expect “perfect behavior”, whatever that is anyways! To me, perfect behavior for a kid is being perfectly yourself, and I will play lots of games and have a lot of tricks up my sleeve to get them to listen and guide them in a few of the family shots. But overall, we just have fun together!

And check out how much fun Holden had!! Just look at that smile!

While last weekend were our last beach sessions of the season, I am already missing those sandy toes and dreaming of next summer on Cape Cod. I can’t wait to capture more amazing family memories like these ones!

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Did you love this session? Check out more beach fun on the blog!

Family portraits at West Dennis Beach

A Low Tide Family Session at Corporation Beach

The Family Beach Session that had me Laughing the Whole Time!

Fun Family Portraits at West Dennis Beach with Cape Cod Family Photographer

I always love when families come back for their portraits year after year, and when I see a family's name in my inbox after a few years it always puts a great big smile on my face as I get ready for another fun session with them, excited to see how much they've grown and changed.  

This is one of those families.

We met when I was a first grade teacher in Massachusetts, and while I never had any of the three kids as my students, we did enjoy a few sessions together and spent a lot of time designing a gallery wall in their home.   When Wendy contacted me this spring and told me she'd love to plan some beach portraits and that she was excited to add to their gallery wall in the living room, I was all in and we started planning their Cape Cod family session!

We met at the very end of West Dennis Beach at the Bass River for their sunset session, and it was the perfect spot for cuddles, tickles, and lots of splashing in the water!

I just love everything about this photo.  They went in for a family hug.  Little sister is hidden on the inside (see that arm sticking out?) and her big brother couldn't resist peeking out with the most amazing smile.

This was truly such a fun evening together, and I can't wait to see what their new gallery wall looks like with these beach portraits on display!

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Did you love this session?

Check out another fun family session at Corporation Beach in Dennis!

Family Portraits at Corporation Beach in Dennis, Cape Cod | Cape Cod Family Photographer

Our beach sessions on Cape Cod were a hit this summer!  I loved getting to photograph so many families, and this year a number of families drove a long while to get to the Cape and enjoyed portraits together. 

This very special family actually came all the way from Saratoga Springs to the Cape for their vacation this summer, and they were excited to dig their toes into the sand at Corporation Beach for their family portraits.  Plus, the mother is a photographer, and it's always such an honor when another photographer asks me to photograph her family.

The sand dunes were the perfect spot for lots of laughs, tickles, and family games!

Lifeguard chairs were made for climbing, don't you think?

One of the most fun things about working with another photographer is that she sees all of the trends and ideas in our photography groups that I do.  When she asked if she could do an outfit change for some fancier portraits with just her husband, of course I said yes!  This is the "famous Amazon skirt" that has been making the rounds in photo shoots since last summer, and she brought the perfect shade of pastel pink to go with a lace top for some couples portraits at the very end of our session.  

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Did you love this beach session?
Check out this fun family at the beach, too!

Family Portraits at Low Tide on Cape Cod

Now that everyone is back to school, it's time to look back longingly at the beach days of summer, don't you think?

And what better way to do that than with a family that I once did the whole "back to school" thing with?  I've known this family for years, and their oldest daughter Jenna was a student in my first grade class back when I was a teacher in Massachusetts.  Now she's entering 8th grade!!  

We got together at Corporation Beach in Dennis on a perfect low-tide evening this summer and we had so much fun doing portraits together in the sea grass, on the jetty, and just exploring the parts of the beach that are normally covered in water!

Jenna & Annabelle warmed right up to the camera and they wanted to tell me all about their summer and their school year.  They were absolutely goofy to get the other one to smile, and we laughed so much during their session.  

Enjoy those summer memories as you move back into the school year routine!

Sunset Beach Family Session with Cape Cod Family Photographer

When THIS is the very first photo captured during our one-hour session together, you know it's going to be an amazing evening at the beach!

I have never laughed so much as I did with this fun family at the beach.  We had such a great time at Corporation Beach in Dennis for their Cape Cod portrait session, and I just love how much personality the boys brought to the shoot.  These brothers were joking around, playing games, and having way too much fun -- I loved every moment of it!  It made for a very entertaining session, and so many beautiful portraits.

For me, the beauty of our beach sessions is that they are about so much more than just the blue ocean.  The sand dunes, sea grass, and rock jetties are beautiful parts of the landscape that I love to showcase as the background of our portraits, and this is one of my favorite beaches with a little bit of everything.

We're still going strong with so many beach sessions this summer!  More to come on the blog soon!

Best of 2017 Beach Sessions | Cape Cod Family Photographer

Honestly, if I could live near the coast and photograph families there every day, I would be one very happy photographer!  Sandy toes, salty windswept hair, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, and always bringing home a little bit of sand in my camera bag are a few of the things that make me smile in June, July, August, and September when we head to the beach for our portrait sessions.

Our beach sessions on Cape Cod in the warmer months are some of my favorite sessions that we do all year, and I love planning these summer vacation sessions with families each spring as they begin the countdown to their trip over the Bourne & Sagamore Bridges to the Cape.  

This year was filled with so many fun families, and I spent the entire second half of July and all of early August on the Cape, heading to a different beach every night with families for their sunset session.  We photographed in Dennis, Yarmouth, Hyannis, Harwich, Falmouth, Mashpee, Eastham, Bourne, and off-Cape in Marshfield.  

2017 was also the year of SO MANY RAIN DATES!  All of the unexpected thunderstorms meant that we took advantage of the backup rain dates we had planned ahead of time for many of these beach sessions.  I was so grateful to all of the families for their flexibility in reserving two evenings of their vacation for their session just in case the weather wasn't cooperating. 

Oddly enough, in 2016 we didn't need to use a single rain date for our beach sessions, but in 2017 we used so many of them!  It all worked out in the end, and those overcast evenings at the beach resulted in the most magical moments that were enveloped in fog & mist.

One of the things I love most about our summertime portrait sessions on Cape Cod is reuniting with families that I have photographed for years, and meeting their friends that they have referred for their own family portraits! 

We have so much fun running across the sand, laughing, climbing on jetties, and exploring the coastline that the hour passes quickly and before we know it, the sun is going down and everyone is heading out for an ice cream treat before bedtime.  

This year the families were not afraid to get wet, and almost every single family ventured into the waves for a few truly beachy photos!

Enjoy a peek at a few of our most memorable sandy moments at the beach from 2017, and be sure to check out our other “BEST OF 2017” blog posts!

Best of 2017 Cake Smash Sessions
Best of 2017 Family Sessions
Best of 2017 Lifestyle Sessions
Best of 2017 Studio Newborn Sessions
Best of 2017 Maternity Sessions
Best of 2017 Fresh 48 Sessions
Best of 2017 Brothers & Sisters: Candid and Fun Sibling Portraits

A Cape Cod Family Portrait Session at Bass River Beach in Yarmouth - Cape Cod Family Photographer

What's a little wind matter when your family is this adorable?

Baby Sophia and her family joined me at Bass River Beach (Smuggler's Beach) in Yarmouth for a family portrait session.  With summer coming to an end, it was a windy evening and we had the beach all to ourselves.  It was such a perfect evening!

I have spent the past 15 years coming to this beach since it is close to my family's home in Dennisport, but this was my first time shooting a portrait session there and I fell in love with the landscape.  There's beautiful seagrass, a gorgeous jetty, a boardwalk and a fishing pier, and it overlooks West Dennis Beach and the Bass River.  The sand dunes protected us from the wind, and also gave us a little extra shade as the sun was setting.  

Sophia didn't mind the breeze in the least, and she was happiest when her hair was blowing all over the place!  This little sweetheart loved the sand, and of course she kept trying to eat everything in sight.  

Grandma joined us for a few family portraits, and she told me that this is the beach that her children grew up going to.  This is their family beach, and it'll be the same one that is home to so many summertime memories for Sophia as she gets older.  

Just look at her!  She is already a beach baby!

We enjoyed SO many family sessions at beaches all over Cape Cod and the South Shore this summer and fall, and I'm already looking forward to creating even more sandy & salty memories next year!

Family Portraits with Twins at Rexhame Beach | Boston Family Photographer

Another beautiful family portrait session at Rexhame Beach in Marshfield!  I just love this expanse of beach, and it's a new favorite spot for our sessions in the summer and fall.  

I have been photographing Finley & Bella since they were teeny-tiny 4-pound newborns.  These girls have come to me every few months for portraits, and I have loved watching them grow into happy, playful toddlers!  At the same time, I have such a hard time believing that they are growing up so quickly and that they're already running around and starting to talk!

This little ticklish moment below is my absolute favorite portrait of them -- those chunky little toddler legs peeking out from their dresses, their smiles, the nose wrinkles, and the way they stick their tongues between their teeth.  Perfection.  This one shot makes me fall so in love with this stage of toddlerhood!

The girls were all about the TICKLES.  They loved tickling each other and receiving tickles from mom and dad.  Bella even started tickling herself and cracking up, which of course sent all of us into peals of laughter!

Beautiful Finley.  We couldn't tear her away from the water, and later in the evening she sat down in the waves and let them wash right over her!  Once she was wet, she was happy and kept going back to get even more soaked.  Thankfully we captured a lot of photos BEFORE she was wet & sandy!

Bella wasn't as much a fan of the water, and every time her mom tried to lower her toes into the waves she would pick her legs up the second the water came near.  She loved the sand, though -- give her some sand to sift through her fingers and a few rocks to collect, and she was a happy girl!

Watch Finley & Bella grow!  Check out a few of their other sessions in the links below:

Playful Family Portraits on Cape Cod | Cape Cod Family Photographer

Because I'm not ready for summer to be over yet, let's keep sharing more of our Salt Air portrait sessions from Cape Cod beaches on the blog!  

I absolutely adored Kara's family.  They kicked off my beach season this July and we had such an amazing time at Corporation Beach in Dennis.  Her kids have the biggest personalities they cracked all of us up with their dancing, their jokes, and their silly faces.  

No one wants to go take awkward family photos where you have to pose a certain way and be very still -- instead, we embrace the chaos, the hugs, the laughter, and the natural moments that unfold with your family.  These sessions really are SO MUCH FUN.

Cole is a riot.  He's a ball of energy, and he loves being the "clown" and making everybody laugh.  But when you catch his serious side, it's pure magic.  What a sweetheart!

Riley is the wisest little four-year old, and she seems to be years beyond her age.  Plus, she gives the best cuddles with both of her parents!

We were right in between high tide and low tide, and I love how the water came up into the seagrass.  This was definitely my favorite spot on the beach, and I'm so happy we captured a few playful portraits here of the whole family!

At the end of their session we captured the last rays of sunlight right as the sun was going down -- I am obsessed with the golden light and the magical feel of this portrait!  

Relaxed Family Portraits at Popponesset Beach in New Seabury | Cape Cod Family Photographer

I just love this family!  I've been following them on their journey of parenthood since before Lizzie was even born -- from maternity portraits to newborn sessions & cake smashes, we have captured so many memories together over the years!

This was our first time doing an outdoor session with the kids, and Lizzie & Gavin had so much fun running around Popponesset Beach and playing in the sand.  It was an overcast evening, which made for the perfect misty backdrop for this family's memory-making session.  Plus, the beach was almost empty and we had the entire stretch of sand to ourselves!

Our family sessions at the beach on Cape Cod are always playful and relaxed.  See a lifeguard chair?  Climb it!  Want to run on the board walk?  Go ahead!  Fan of collecting rocks?  Have at it!  Kids can be themselves -- curious explorers who can't help but laugh and chase each other, and we capture so many real memories for your family!

The first time I ever met Kate she had just gotten engaged, and now she's a mom of two amazing little kids with such big personalities!  I really do love getting to develop these amazing lasting relationships with the families that I work with while watching their kids (and families!) grow!

Gavin loved the sand, and of course he figured out that if he threw himself face-first into the sand we would all start laughing.  So it happened again and again, and we got the best smiles out of him!  Such a carefree and fearless kid!

As the weather cools off, I'm already feeling nostalgic for our beach sessions!  Thankfully we'll continue beach sessions on Cape Cod through October, so there is still time for some salt air memories!  Plus, beach portraits on your holiday cards are so refreshing.  Email us to book your session today!