One of my favorite parts about the summer is taking summer beach portraits at one of the gorgeous beaches here around Charleston. The beach is a perfect, relaxed setting where there’s plenty of room for kids to move and run free. And it’s nearly impossible to keep the kids out of the water by the end of the session, they are just drawn to it!

Here are a few of my recent favorites from the Postell family, whom we photographed one morning at the crack of dawn to avoid the bright sun and oppressive heat. They were troopers for getting up so early!

Welcome to Nikki’s 3rd birthday party!

I have been photographing Nikki since her first birthday and her portrait sessions have become a yearly event I look forward to! The first time I met her, I deemed her the “Happy Baby” as all she did was smile, smile, smile and look adorable. You can see photos from her first birthday here.

Last year, we met up on a hot summer day at Waterfront Park for her photo session. She’d grown into an active little 2 year old and I chased her all around while her mom blew bubbles. It was a lot of fun! Those fun photos are here.

This year, the “Happy Baby” is not a baby anymore, but a happy 3 year old with a birthday party at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry. Nikki and her friends gathered for a parade through the museum, cake and time to explore the awesome Children’s Museum. It has a pirate ship, a pretend grocery store, a castle, art area and more.

Happy 3rd Birthday Nikki!

I love the 4th of July and all the time spent at the beach over the holiday weekend. So does the Woodall family! Their extended family gathered at Folly Beach for the week of the 4th for lots of swimming, sun and sand. There’s no way to celebrate your whole family getting together like having a family beach portrait session!

We gathered around 7pm, which is a good time for beach photos as the sun’s gone down a bit and you don’t have to worry so much about squinting and melting in the sun. After some family group shots, I had a lot of fun photographing each child individually and trying to capture each of their personalities. Sometimes it’s hard when you have a big group to really spend time with each child and get some great candid moments, but this group was rally fun and playful and these are a few of my faves!

I always find it interesting how people from out of town find me to do their children’s beach portraits. Most of the time, it is through Google or somehow via the internet for out-of-towners. I never know what people are going to look like or what their personalities will be before we meet for the photo shoot, so there’s always a moment of anticipation for me at the last minute.

When the extended Mehta family showed up, I was thrilled. Each of these kids had very distinct personalities and were incredibly comfortable in front of the camera. They didn’t even let the heat get them down! I could have photographed them all day long.

Their family is originally from Gujarat, India and I have a soft spot for all things India. I have traveled there twice and have always been amazed at the warmth and color and strength among the people. Here are a few of my favorites from their session!

Another three months has passed and it was time for Alice’s 9-month old photos! We met on a perfect day at Smythe Park on Daniel Island. I had never been there before, but it’s a great park with a big lake in the middle. They have festivals there and a spot for wedding ceremonies, who knew?!

Alice, ever the social bug, had her entourage of parents and grandparents along with her. She is a well loved little girl! These are a few of my favorites form the session. Thanks to Alice for being so cooperative and to all of her family for the fun!

This photo makes me smile. It’s like summer bliss!

I think this one should be an ad for Daniel Island!

Alice’s “details”

Three generations of girls!

Oooh! It’s a baby craze over here. To be honest I wasn’t all that interested in newbies until I found myself “in the family way” and it’s pretty much all I can think about now. I’m amazed at how quickly they change. You always hear that, but the difference between a newborn and a 3-month old is phenomenal. I’m not sure what the equivalent is in “adult years’, but sometimes I hardly recognize the tots three months down the road.

Here is one of the sweetest and most compliant newborns I’ve ever met. He was game for all kinds of photos and barely made a peep. I love this canvas collection we put together of photos form his newborn session and I had to share it with you. The canvas collections can be designed in all different sorts of formations. Call or email me if you are interested to know more!