You booked your family photos in Hawai‘i — yay! Now comes the part where you start wondering what everyone should wear, whether your kids will cooperate, what you need to bring, and how on earth you’re supposed to get the whole family ready and smiling at the beach at the same time.
First: you do not need perfectly behaved children or a perfectly coordinated family to have beautiful photos. After photographing hundreds of families here on O‘ahu, I’ve learned that the best images rarely come from everyone standing perfectly still and smiling at the camera. They happen when families relax, play, love on their kids, and stop worrying quite so much about what they’re “supposed” to be doing.
That’s exactly what I want for you.
This family photo session prep guide covers everything I want you to know before your beach photoshoot in Hawai‘i — from what to wear and what your kids can expect to the most important thing you can do once we get to the beach: trust the process and have fun with your family. I recommend reading through this guide when you first receive it and giving it another quick look a day or two before your session. And please send it along to any other adults who will be joining us!
Tips for Relaxed Family Beach Photos in Hawai’i
Before anything else, please don’t worry about your kids. I want to get this one out of the way early because I know it’s one of the biggest concerns parents have before family photos: your kids do not need to behave perfectly for me.
I have four kids of my own — ages 8, 6, 4, and 2 — so tantrums, wiggles, toddler opinions, random bursts of running, and children suddenly deciding they are absolutely NOT interested in whatever the adults had planned do not scare me. 😂 In fact, you may see me running around like a crazy person right alongside them.
My goal during every family session is to photograph your family as you really are — personalities, silliness, chaos and all. I work around your children’s temperaments rather than expecting them to work around mine. The kids help lead the flow of the session.
If your child doesn’t want to stand still for a classic family portrait right now, no problem. We’ll dance together instead and come back to that portrait later. If your toddler wanders toward the water to investigate something, assuming they’re safe, you don’t have to immediately call them back. Let them explore. I may follow them and photograph exactly what caught their attention. If someone needs a snack, a cuddle, or a minute with Mom, we take it.
I promise: when I need your help getting everyone together, I will ask for it. Some of my favorite images happen in those in-between moments when nobody is trying particularly hard to create a photograph.
What to Wear for Family Beach Photos in Hawai‘i
If you haven’t already, take a look at the Style Guide included in your client portal. It goes much deeper into outfit preparation, but there are a few things I especially want you to keep in mind for a beach session.
Comfort Comes First
My number-one rule when choosing outfits for your family photos is simple: wear something you actually feel comfortable in.
Our sessions involve movement. You may be walking through sand, sitting down, chasing your toddler, picking up your kids, twirling, dancing, giving piggyback rides, or throwing a little one into the air. If you’re constantly pulling up a strap, tugging down a dress, or worrying that your clothes aren’t staying where they’re supposed to, it’s going to be much harder to forget about the camera and enjoy yourself.
Comfort doesn’t mean you can’t dress beautifully. It just means choosing beautiful things that allow you to move, play, and be present. Flowy dresses, linen, cotton, gauze, and other soft fabrics tend to work especially beautifully for family beach photos in Hawai’i because they move naturally in the breeze.
Coordinate — Don’t Match
You do not all need to wear white shirts and khaki bottoms because you’re taking family pictures at the beach 😉
Instead, choose a palette of approximately three or four complementary colors and distribute those colors throughout the family. Think cream, oatmeal, dusty blue, and sage; ivory, rust, muted coral, and tan; or white, pale blue, sea glass, and blush.
Mixing solids, subtle patterns, and different textures makes everyone look connected without looking like you’re wearing a family uniform. And start with whoever is hardest to dress — which, let’s be honest, is often Mom. Find something you feel great in first, then build everyone else’s outfits around the colors and feeling of that piece.
Coordinated, not identical. You should look like you’re all headed to the same place while still allowing everyone’s personality to come through.
Keep the Beach in Mind
The beach already gives us a lot visually: blue water, sand, greenery, rocks, sky, and beautiful Hawai‘i light. Your clothes don’t need to compete with all of that.
Soft neutrals, earthy shades, muted blues and greens, warm tones, and gentle pastels tend to complement the surroundings beautifully. I generally recommend avoiding very large logos, extremely busy patterns, or anything you’ll need to adjust every five minutes once the wind starts blowing.
And unless I tell you otherwise for a particular location: bare feet are perfect. You’ll probably kick your shoes off fairly quickly anyway.
Prepare Your Kids for What a Hawai‘i Beach Photoshoot Feels Like
A beach photoshoot is fun, but the beach can also be a lot of sensory input for little kids. Depending on the location and conditions that day, there may be strong wind, loud waves, and bigger crowds — especially around sunset. That’s one of the reasons many families prefer sunrise sessions, when the beaches are often quieter and the whole experience can feel a little more relaxed. You can read more about why I love sunrise family photo sessions in Honolulu.
Talking to your kids ahead of time can make the whole experience feel much more familiar. You don’t need to make it a big, serious conversation. Simply tell them something like, “We’re going to the beach together, and Gita is going to take pictures of us while we play. She’s going to tell us some fun things to do, so we’re going to listen to her and have an adventure together!” It sounds simple, but it can be one of the best ways to prepare them for family beach photos in Hawai‘i.
You can tell them we’ll probably walk, play, cuddle, run around, and be silly. What I wouldn’t recommend is spending the entire day saying, “You better smile for the photographer tonight.”
No pressure necessary. Just let them know what’s happening so when they arrive, it doesn’t feel completely unfamiliar.
Your Kids Will Feed Off Your Energy
Your children pay attention to how you feel about the session.
If the adults are relaxed, laughing, and treating the photoshoot like a fun evening at the beach, the kids are much more likely to settle in and enjoy themselves too. If everyone arrives stressed and the kids immediately start hearing “Stop,” “Stand there,” “Smile,” “Look at the camera,” and “Don’t do that,” family photos can suddenly start feeling like a test they’re failing.
Instead, stay engaged with your children. Hold them. Chase them. Tickle them. Listen when they excitedly show you a shell they found. Pick them up. Dance with them. Whisper something ridiculous in their ear. And when they’re being silly? Be silly with them. If something genuinely needs redirecting, I’ll help. Your only job is to be present with the people you came here to photograph.
Let Your Kids Be Kids
If your child wants to run, we’ll run. If they want to look for seashells, let’s look for seashells. If your toddler suddenly decides digging a hole in the sand is the most important mission of their life, give me a second — there may actually be a photograph there.
I’m not interested in spending your entire family session struggling to force a five-year-old to sit perfectly still while everyone gets increasingly frustrated. Of course, I always make time for those classic portraits where everyone is together and looking toward the camera. Their grandparents need that one framed too 😉
But those photographs are only one small piece of your gallery. I also want the way your youngest fits on your hip, the way your child laughs when Dad catches them, the little hand wrapped around yours, the sibling who can’t stop making the other one laugh, and the toddler running toward the water while everyone chases behind.
That is your family right now. Those are the things I want you to remember.
Trust the Process and Be Present
This may be the hardest part of preparing for family photos — and probably the most important.
Try not to arrive with one very specific picture in your head that everyone has to produce. The families who end up with some of my favorite galleries aren’t necessarily the families whose children followed every direction perfectly. They’re usually the families who eventually forgot about my camera.
They trusted me enough to stop mentally directing the session and started enjoying each other instead. That’s when something changes.
If your child throws us a curveball, we’ll work with it. The child who doesn’t want to sit still isn’t ruining the session. The toddler collecting rocks isn’t ruining the session. The teenager making a ridiculous face isn’t ruining the session. They’re being themselves, and that’s exactly who you’ve asked me to photograph!
One thing that can quickly change the energy is repeated scolding. If a child hears “sit still,” “stop being silly,” or “give me one nice smile” over and over, suddenly everyone becomes very aware of the camera. Instead, if your child makes a ridiculous face, make one back. They’re probably going to crack up — and I’ll be ready.
My job is to think about the light, composition, movement, timing, and all the little things happening around us. Your job is much easier: love on your people.
Come Ready to Move, Play… and Maybe Get a Little Sandy
Family beach photos in Hawai‘i are not studio portraits with an ocean conveniently sitting behind you. We’re actually going to use the beach.
That may mean sitting in the sand, walking along the shoreline, running with your children, dipping your toes into the water, and occasionally getting a little wet. If the conditions are right and your family is game, some of my favorite endings to sessions happen right at the water.
So if a little sand on your dress or a wet hem would completely ruin your evening, keep that in mind when choosing what to wear. You don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with, of course. I’ll always follow your family’s comfort level.
But the more freedom you give yourself to actually experience the beach, rather than protect your outfit from it, the more possibilities we have.
A Few Things to Do Before Your Family Beach Photos in Hawai’i
As your session gets closer, here are a few simple things that can make the day feel easier:
- Feed everyone. Please don’t arrive with hungry children — or hungry adults, for that matter. A good meal or substantial snack beforehand can make a huge difference.
- Bring water. Hawai‘i is warm even later in the day, and running around the beach makes everyone thirsty.
- Bring a few simple snacks for young children. Choose something quick and relatively mess-free if possible.
- Leave extra time to get ready. Rushing out the door already stressed is not the energy we want to bring into your session.
- Check everyone’s outfits ahead of time. Have everyone actually try them on rather than discovering ten minutes before leaving that something no longer fits.
- Empty your pockets. Phones, keys, and bulky wallets create very visible rectangles in photos. You can leave them safely together with our things once we start.
- Bring only what you need. The less we’re carrying from spot to spot, the easier it is to keep everyone moving.
And remember that beaches are naturally unpredictable. Wind, waves, clouds, and changing skies are all part of photographing families outdoors in Hawai‘i — and sometimes the conditions we weren’t expecting create my favorite photographs.
Most Importantly: Show Up and Enjoy Your Family
You don’t have to arrive knowing what to do, know how to pose, or spend the whole session wondering whether I’m getting anything good. That’s my job.
Come ready to play with your children, love on your partner, and spend some time together somewhere beautiful. Trust me to handle the rest.
The session might feel a little chaotic sometimes — especially if you have young kids — but I’ve photographed enough families to know that chaos and beautiful photographs can absolutely coexist. Actually, they usually do.
So take the pressure off. Let your kids be kids. Let yourself be in the pictures instead of managing them. The best family beach photos in Hawai’i don’t require perfectly behaved kids — they require connection, trust, and a willingness to have some fun.
Or actually, a LOT of fun.
I can’t wait to photograph your family here in Hawai‘i!!
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