A guide for your Oregon Coast photography session
The Oregon Coast is an incredible place for photography sessions. With beautiful ocean views of sea stacks, tide pools, waterfalls, forest and gorgeous sunsets. Our wide open soft sandy beaches provide the perfect setting to capture natural and organic photographs to preserve some of your most important memories. Whether it’s a family vacation, exchanging vows, spending time with a loved one or much more, you will be sure to have a relaxed and fun experience. Enjoy the tranquility of the Oregon Coast and its small beach town vibe.
LOCATIONS AND BEST TIME FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
There is an abundant amount of amazing beach locations to choose from. In some cases the best location for your session may be the beach where you are staying. The convenience of walking out onto the sand and meeting your photographer can work really well. I also provide session coverage at the locations listed below and beyond. If you are looking for a more private beach, Ecola State Park or Arch Cape is a great option. For forest, beach and waterfalls, Hug Point or Oswald West State are pristine locations. Haystack Rock in Cannon beach is always favorite! Manzanita & Rockaway Beach have wide open beaches and sand dunes with views of Twin Rocks and Neahkahnie Mountain. Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City is a must see if you are in that area and provides a beautiful variety of scenery. Oceanside and the 3 capes area is yet another set of gorgeous locations. I can also photograph indoors if needed.
For lighting, I recommend early morning, afternoon or evening sessions. Although any time of day will look amazing. Sometimes the best time of day for photos is when your kiddos are most happy. Although, once they step out onto the beach and start exploring the magic of the Oregon Coast, that makes for happy and joyful photos. You can choose from session times available on my session booking calendar. or I can suggest a time that works well for your photography date. With my session booking calendar you can choose from any time of day or pre set sunset session times. The sunset session time generally begins about 1 hour before sunset to capture that golden hour of photography. Mid day photographs can also work great. We use the latest editing tools to be sure your lighting is natural and attractive without the overuse of trending filters.
Weather on the oregon coast
The Oregon Coast weather can be unpredictable. Pack layers and warm clothing for options. Summer generally begins in June and runs until October. That time of year tends to be the most consistent. Although great weather conditions can be found any time of year. As I am writing this, we just had 7 straight days of sunny January weather. The winter temperatures are in the low 50’s with summer running in the 70’s. Clouds or sun works great for photos! Even light rain can be photographed in depending on your session. I am fully flexible with my session times incase the weather is not cooperating on your scheduled session date and time. As a local to the coast and a full time photographer I can make room in my schedule if needed. Be prepared for windy conditions anytime of year. Every day and time of day is different. In some cases early morning or sunset sessions can be the least windy parts of the day.
Preparing for your session | what to wear & session tips
I recommend clothing that is of pastel colors or shades including variations of black and white. It can be nice to compliment each other with colors or shades rather than completely match. Barefoot or sandals work well on the beach. Try to avoid very vibrant colors, very bold patterns, stripes, logos or hats that will shade your face. Hats can work well for some shots. Have warm clothing and layers on hand. Pack snacks for the kiddos. Happy kiddos make for the best photos. Bring a bag to put your extra things in. Possibly bring a kite, bubbles, a soccer ball or sand toys which can be fun for kids and help create nice photos. Although just being on the beach and exploring is most definitely enough to capture joyful pictures! When preparing for your session you can let your kids know that this will be more fun then your typical photo session. I generally take a mix of posed and candid lifestyle photos. The candid more fun photos will help keep your kiddos engaged and capture real smiles. They will then be more ready for those traditional posed photos. Having the beach as my studio is very helpful in creating real and natural photos to capture your families personality.