Outfits

Not sure what to wear for your shoot? No problem! I have a few recommendations for you.

Pastels or light colors look amazing against a beach background. You can never go wrong with sunset colors. Think the colors of the sky. Pastel pink, yellow, purple (personal fav), blue, orange, and green all look AMAZING against a beautiful blue ocean and light colored sand. Creams, off-whites, and light greys are also great. I recommend avoiding super dark colors such as dark navy, black, or dark grey. Patterns can clash if other individuals in your shoot will be wearing patterns as well. Plan accordingly!

Below you can see a few examples of great outfits from my past sessions!

Hairstyle Suggestions

It is typically windy on the beach! There's always a breeze by the shore that can't be felt until you get there... then you realize your hair is sticking to your lipgloss! To avoid flyaway hairs covering any facial features, I highly recommend wearing your hair up if possible! Half up-half down, braids, bun, ponytail, claw clip, etc. are going to be your best friend for a beach session. Below are some examples from Pinterest.

What time of day is best for a session?

Most people prefer the beautiful lighting of either sunrise or sunset. Either one is great! Golden hour is also stunning. Golden hour is about 1 hour before sunset. If you are sensitive to harsh light (makes you squint) then I'd recommend staying away from mid-day or golden hour. Early morning, before 10am, is also good lighting. The sun isn't at a high enough point yet by 10am to blind you.

Below are 2 examples of sunrise vs. sunset. Here in Myrtle Beach, SC the sun rises over the east coast. Which means for a sunrise session you'd have the beautiful glowing rising sun behind you over the water. The sun sets in the west here. Which means for a sunset session you'd have the sun setting behind the dunes, not over the water.

The 1st photo below is sunrise, the 2nd photo below is sunset.

More Lighting Examples

The 1st photo below was taken around 10am. The 2nd photo below was taken at golden hour.