Family Beach Portraits on Siesta Key

jasonscottphoto

So... I lurk here daily but haven't posted much. Feeling brave today I guess :huh

Hubby and I are starting to get really busy with these family beach portraits in and around Sarasota, FL. Most people request Siesta Key but many select Longboat Key as well. Most customers are from out of town - vacationing with family. We have some spots we like to use but many customers prefer that we come straight to their condo, etc. (These photos were at our "spot" on Siesta Key, which tends to work out better.)

We want to do more weddings but the beach portraits seem to just keep on rolling in, which is fine w/me... :wink

We took these back in December... jobs are starting to pick up again for March/April (spring break) so hopefully will have some newer stuff to post soon...

This extended family had 21 people!

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Blog post: http://www.jasonscottphotoblog.com/2012/12/siesta-key-beach-portraits-parzch-family.html

Another giant group from another day in Dec (I think this one had 20 people):

8.

Blog post: http://www.jasonscottphotoblog.com/2013/01/siesta-key-beach-portraits-ryan-family.html

Mitchell

These are pretty good. I really like your large group shots (#8 in particular).

Your horizons are tilted on 1-3 and need to be straightened.

I'm up in Clearwater and do these types of shots. Is there a stretch of beach without the condos or hotels as a backdrop? These elements are a bit of a distraction in several of your photos.

jasonscottphoto

Mitchell wrote: »

These are pretty good. I really like your large group shots (#8 in particular).

Your horizons are tilted on 1-3 and need to be straightened.

I'm up in Clearwater and do these types of shots. Is there a stretch of beach without the condos or hotels as a backdrop? These elements are a bit of a distraction in several of your photos.

Thx. We leave the horizons tilted on the walking shots on purpose. Personal taste I guess...

Re: condos/hotels... depends on where we end up, how many people are on the beach in our way, etc...

Mitchell

That's great!

reyvee61

Nice, above all great job with posing a large group!

VayCayMom

WOW I would be super proud of this work, congrats. Lovely colors. Clients must be thrilled.

jasonscottphoto

Thanks!

When we started doing more and more of the candid stuff (families walking, kids running down the beach), we started getting busier and busier.

jonh68

Nice set, I'm a bit distracted by the crooked horizons, but it does add a flare to the shots so it works. Sometimes you can't help the condos. They are all over the beach down here as well. The choice is to get the family and travel to a park, but then it is another set of logistics for the family to deal with. Much easier to shoot at the condo where they are staying. We take the skyline for granted but many visitors actually want the condos in the pic.

jasonscottphoto

jonh68 wrote: »

Nice set, I'm a bit distracted by the crooked horizons, but it does add a flare to the shots so it works. Sometimes you can't help the condos. They are all over the beach down here as well. The choice is to get the family and travel to a park, but then it is another set of logistics for the family to deal with. Much easier to shoot at the condo where they are staying. We take the skyline for granted but many visitors actually want the condos in the pic.

The white sand of Siesta Key is the draw for these families. A park just wouldn't do

jonh68

jasonscottphoto wrote: »

The white sand of Siesta Key is the draw for these families. A park just wouldn't do

Well, I was thinking more on the lines of a state park on the beach with the white sands.

In Gulf Shores, we have the white sands and a few places that you don't see condos like state parks on the beach. However, if it's a large family they would rather get ready and walk down to the beach from the condo than drive to an area where there wouldn't be condos.

D3Sshooter

Nice series, I guess its another kind of photography.
Horizont and condo's can be corrected.
I would like a bit more contrast, the shots are rather light. Am I the only one seeing this. Maybe I need to check my Mac

jonh68

D3Sshooter wrote: »

Nice series, I guess its another kind of photography.
Horizont and condo's can be corrected.
I would like a bit more contrast, the shots are rather light. Am I the only one seeing this. Maybe I need to check my Mac

Beach photography tends to not have much contrast as you have white sand, water, blue skies. If you over correct, it can look unnatural. It's a careful line.

jasonscottphoto

jonh68 wrote: »

Beach photography tends to not have much contrast as you have white sand, water, blue skies. If you over correct, it can look unnatural. It's a careful line.

jasonscottphoto

jonh68 wrote: »

Well, I was thinking more on the lines of a state park on the beach with the white sands.

In Gulf Shores, we have the white sands and a few places that you don't see condos like state parks on the beach. However, if it's a large family they would rather get ready and walk down to the beach from the condo than drive to an area where there wouldn't be condos.

Verrrrrry hard to find a spot like that here. Also have to deal with tons of people walking the beach (and they'll walk straight through your photos no matter what - love to show you that it is a public beach and they have the right... blah blah...)

We used to have a different spot that was more secluded but some big storms over the summer came in and wiped out ALL of the sea oats (tall grass) at the smaller beach access points. So now we shoot here and deal with the condos. Nobody's complained yet and we normally try to shoot like #6 where there are no condos. The larger group shots weren't fitting right at that angle/location so we had some condos creeping in. We could get rid of the condos in post if they asked, but they didn't, so they stay...

For the walking shots the condos don't really bug me as much. But neither does the tilted horizon which seems to bug a lot of people here

jonh68

jasonscottphoto wrote: »

Verrrrrry hard to find a spot like that here. Also have to deal with tons of people walking the beach (and they'll walk straight through your photos no matter what - love to show you that it is a public beach and they have the right... blah blah...)

We used to have a different spot that was more secluded but some big storms over the summer came in and wiped out ALL of the sea oats (tall grass) at the smaller beach access points. So now we shoot here and deal with the condos. Nobody's complained yet and we normally try to shoot like #6 where there are no condos. The larger group shots weren't fitting right at that angle/location so we had some condos creeping in. We could get rid of the condos in post if they asked, but they didn't, so they stay...

For the walking shots the condos don't really bug me as much. But neither does the tilted horizon which seems to bug a lot of people here

That's what I try to do. The candid stuff it's just better to let people be, especially kids and not worry about the condos. Since most are vacationers they like the condos. Locals on the other hand want natural backgrounds so we go other places. For posed shots I like getting behind dunes which obscure the condos, or use a 300mm lens, get really far back and blur out the condos.