Along the Gulf Coast, the weather can change from hour to hour. Because of this I rarely cancel photo sessions. For beach portraits you are getting my morning or evening, not a specific time slot. We can watch the weather and move the time up or down depending on the hourly forecasts that day. Sometimes during the summer we will have patterns of thunderstorms that move in and move out quickly. The only time I cancel a shoot is if there is a region wide front moving in or it is too windy. Winds above 10 mph make a shoot difficult for people with long hair. If there is flexibility in my booking and your time we can move a session to another day or try a sunrise session as most families like the sunset hours.
Following are what to expect in different conditions on the beach. Each has an advantage. Because I shoot based on the conditions during the session I do not photoshop different backgrounds into the pictures. I take advantage of what is given to us so the pictures are authentic to the moment. Because I use off camera flash as well, I am not dependent on just natural light so I can adapt to just about any condition.
Sunny Day
This will be the harshest sun and sometimes it is best to wait until about 30 minutes before sunset to shoot. People with light sensitivities have trouble in these conditions so I usually compensate by waiting or having subjects facing against the sun. Once the sun gets lower the light becomes softer and these make for some really great natural light shots as well as mixing in flash.
Partly Cloudy
These conditions can give some very dramatic looking backgrounds and light. With the clouds sometimes hiding the sun, we can get some beautiful backgrounds.
Overcast
Overcast skies are the easiest to shoot in. The sun is blocked by the clouds so there isn't any squinting and the lighting is even.
Rainy and Dreary
Even rainy days can produce great pictures. These kind of days will produce very dramatic looking backgrounds and even the possibilties of rainbows!
