Before your beach session:

Q: What can I expect at my session?: A: You can expect to be relaxed and to have Fun! The great outdoors is our studio. You will be able to kick off your shoes, play in the sand, and feel the warm sun on your face. I can't think of a better way to get your portrait taken... can you?
Q: Where do we go for our Beach Session?: A: We try to schedule your beach session near where you are staying during your vacation. Most of these locations offer sand dunes, boardwalks, beautiful beaches and fewer crowds. We will give you the GPS location to put in your phone for easy navigation. We try to limit your travels to 5-10 minutes.
Q: What is the best time to take Beach Portraits?: A: The best time for beach portraits is either Sunrise or Sunset.

Sunset - Most of our visitors enjoy the hour before Sunset. This is the coolest part of the day, with beautiful soft lighting. *Most Popular

Sunrise - The sun rises over the ocean, bringing beautiful bright lighting. This session works well for visitors that are early risers. (6:30-7:00am)
Q: How long is the Portrait Session?: A: The length of your session will depend on the size of your group, but most sessions take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Q: What do we wear for the best portraits possible?: A: Clothing: Clothing is a key element for beautiful, timeless family portraits. Coordinate and complimenting colors are best, but there is no need for everyone to match. Try to pick 2-3 complimenting colors and coordinate. Try to avoid really busy patterns or plaids. (Pastels, Blue, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Teal, Neutrals, White, Khaki, Denim, Coral, Pink, Yellow) ...all work well for the beach. Also, look on Pinterest for ideas on what to wear for beach portraits. They have wonderful examples.

Shoes: We ask that you wear slip on sandals or flip flops to the session, so you can easily kick them off. Bare feet are always preferred for beach photos.

Accessories: There is almost always a little wind on the beach. If you have long hair or your child has long hair, please be prepared with hair ties, clips, bows, etc. to help manage hair if needed.

Little Girls in Dresses: Dresses are beautiful for beach portraits, just be aware that children could be sitting on the sand for some poses. Cute bloomers or white shorts will eliminate underwear mishaps. (Thank you)
Q: What happens if it Rains?: A: We recommend scheduling your session in the early part of your vacation week. (Sunday-Wednesday) This way we have the later part of the week for rescheduling if it rains. We will do all we can to work it in. The photographers will monitor the weather and will notify you of any weather cancellations. If all attempts are made to reschedule and it still rains, we will refund your session fee. Cancellations, not weather-related, must be done 5 days before session date to receive a full refund.

**Family portraits are an investment that last forever. We realize that you are on vacation and it can be a task to get everyone together for a portrait session, but you will not regret it. A family beach portrait session is the best way to capture your family's vacation memories and treasure them forever.
Q: Cancellation Policy?: The Session Fee reserves a calendar date and time for your personal beach session. A full refund will be given if cancelled within 5 days of your reserved calendar date. If within 5 days of your session date, the session fee will NOT be refunded. The reason is because we are holding a date for you and potentially turning away other clients from booking on that date.

Weather Cancellation- We will do our best to get your photo sessions in. We will try to reschedule on a different date. If this can not be done, due to weather, we will issue a FULL refund.

BOOK YOUR SESSION TODAY

TIPS: Please use sunscreen! Red sunburned faces, arms and legs will show up in the pictures. Unfortunately, we cannot fix this.

Be on Time or 10 minutes early! Be sure to leave in plenty of time to get to your Photo Session location. Take into consideration summer beach traffic. Your session is scheduled 1 hour before sunset, therefore if you are late that means that time will come off your session. Once it gets dark, we no longer can shoot... so time will run out. Arriving late to your session will lead to less time resulting in fewer images for your family. If you do not show up for your appointment, you forfeit your session fee.

It is best to leave all of your valuables (phones, purse, sunglasses, shoes) at home or in your locked vehicle. You will be sitting in the sand, walking along the beach and having these items are distracting and you don't have anywhere to put them during the session. You don't want to lose, scratch, or have them in the pictures.

Feel free to browse our gallery. Our sessions have traditional posing, lifestyle and candid, as well as any input or ideas from your group. We shoot lots of combinations including large groups, individual family groups, couples, siblings, and individuals. Let's not forget grandparents, grandkids, cousins and any other combinations you can think of. We are

After your beach session:

Q: When will we be able to view our picture gallery and order?: A: 10-14 business days after your session, your picture gallery will be ready for viewing. We take this time to go through and pick all the best pictures. We color correct and also remove any random beach goers from your pictures. You will then receive an email with instructions and passwords to open your gallery. Everyone in your family will be able to view your online gallery for 10 days.
Q: Need More Time?: A: If the 10 days we offer is not enough time for you to make your purchase decisions, you can extend your gallery for 10 days at a time. Go to Products, "Need More Time". The cost is $10 for 10 more days. You can purchase as many as you need to keep your gallery up. **To explain, our website charges us per number of photos listed on our website. During our busy season, we have many clients and thousands of pictures, so 10 days helps us keep the flow of pictures rotating and our cost to you down.
Q: Can everyone in the Family order Separately?: A: Yes, Everyone can order prints and products individually and be shipped to them.

...Or if you are interested in the digital downloads we suggest the family split the cost amongst each other and each member is able to download the pictures to their computers at home. **This is the most cost effective product, but also more expensive... That's why we suggest the family split the cost and share the images.
Q: Do you offer Digital Images?: A: Yes... The Digital Downloads is our best selling product. This purchase gives you all the images offered in your portrait gallery (80-100+ pictures). It also comes with an unlimited print release form. The Digital Downloads are high-resolution images and can be downloaded easily from our website. It's very convenient! The pictures that you will receive will be able to print wallets, tabletop prints, wall or canvas portraits, and even Christmas Cards. That is the advantage of purchasing the Digital Downloads you have the ability to print any size you want, any time you want.
Q: Do you offer Editing/Retouching?: A: All images are edited for color, contrast, and removal of beach goers from background before they are added to your portrait gallery for viewing. This is what we are working on during the 10-14 days after the session. We do not, however, retouch or Photoshop your images. Retouching/Photoshop work is a separate charge based on what you would like done. Retouching includes fixing stray hair, removing acne, whitening teeth, head swaps, etc. Most of this type work is done in house and prices are listed on the website. If the work you are requesting is beyond our skill level, we can offer you a quote from our professional lab.
Q: When can I expect receive my finished portraits?: A: Most portraits will be shipped within 2 weeks after we receive the order. Memory Albums can take up to 4-6 weeks, because these are custom made.
Q: What forms of payment do you accept?: A: Orders are placed and paid directly online using Visa, MasterCard, Debit or PayPal. If you have any trouble using the online ordering website, I will be glad to take your order over the phone. 843-333-5738
Q: When is payment due and can I make payments?: A: Session fees are payable at the time of booking. Payments for your picture order is due at the time you place your order. Myrtle Beach Family Photography does offer a short-term payment plan for large print orders - please contact Tanya Brunson for more details. 843-333-5738