On Friday evening, we decided that we needed a few more pictures of Norah in this beautiful dress that Amy made especially for her beach portraits. Before I post the pictures I must say that Amy is so talented and creative. She whipped up this dress in no time and added some sweet details to it that made it just perfect. We had her put our last initial on it instead of a full monogram because I hope that maybe another little girl in our future could wear it - I love it that much! Thank you Amy! (If you’re interested in this or any other precious dresses, shirts, etc. I know Amy would be glad to create something for your little princess!) OK - on to the pictures.

I thought I would also share some quick tips for a shoot similar to what we did.

1. Your camera needs time to adjust to the temperature/humidity of the warm air if it has been inside your freezing cold hotel room. Consider taking the camera outside, even still inside the camera bag, and give it 15-30 minutes to adjust gradually and it will prevent the camera fog from the condensation on the lens and viewfinder.

2. Don’t take the camera bag onto the beach. It will come back with sand in it and you will NEVER get it out. Put the camera strap around your neck and don’t take it off. Never let the camera touch the ground. If you must have a bag, try a backpack. Never change lenses or remove your lenses on the beach - sand can scratch the interior mirrors or glass and your camera will never be the same.

3. As I mentioned in a previous post, hit the beach during the “sweet light” - usually about an hour before sunset is a good time to start.

4. For photographing a child Norah’s age, a baby wrangler was absolutely necessary. My Mom was the one that moved her from location to location, wiped her face and hands, straightened the dress, coaxed her to stand, picked her back up when she would sit down at the wrong time, etc. You’ll be much happier if you have a helper.

5. Don’t be afraid to let them be kids and get dirty. After I knew I had enough portrait-y shots of Norah standing like I wanted, I totally just let her explore. We planned our day and ate dinner before so we weren’t going anywhere after the photos. There was nothing that she could do to ruin the dress - she could be bathed and the dress washed and came out fine. The shot above of her sitting and playing in the water is one of my favorites.

6. Don’t be afraid to get dirty yourself. If you’re going to go, go all the way. Commit to the photos. I dressed in my bathing suit and some shorts and by this point i was laying on my side on the wet sand so that I could get down on Norah’s level. The waves washed up on me as much as they did on her, but because I had the camera strap around my neck and because I never let go of the camera, it stayed clean and dry. Mom handled Norah, and I handled the camera, all the way back to the room.

7. It’s tempting to only shoot tight on your subject, but part of the beach photo experience is to show you’re on the beach, so shoot some wide shots that include more of your surroundings.

8. Keep shooting. I was sharing with Leslie this morning that one of the secrets of photography is the more you shoot the better chance you have to get good images. If you and your subject are having a good time, there’s no reason to stop. Norah was having fun playing so we just kept shooting.

9. Flip - your entire composition. Don’t forget this. I shot every photo above from one general area with the sun behind me, lighting Norah’s face. For the last series, as the sun was setting, I flipped the entire setup and went behind Norah, so that now I am shooting into the sun. You might not get it right the very first time, but if you work at it long enough, you’ll come out with some keepers. This one I feel is a priceless shot.

10. Um, I feel like only nine tips would be too strange, so I am coming up with a tenth one. Don’t leave your photo shoot until the end of your trip. That way, if things go south and your kids (or husband) end up in a crabby mood, you have another day to try again.

Hope that helps. Let me know how you do!