Naples Family Photos at the Beach | A Relaxed Sunset Session

Whether you live in Naples or are visiting, beach photos are one of the most requested types of family sessions I photograph in Southwest Florida. It’s a natural fit for families who live here as well as those visiting for a vacation.

For this family, the session had a little more meaning behind it. They had lived in Naples for a number of years and were preparing to move to Texas. Despite all the years they had spent here, they had never taken the time to document their family and their life in Naples.

We were able to fit their session into the final week before their move and met at their local beach for a sunset session. It ended up being a really special way to say goodbye to a place that had been home for their family for so long.

Why the Beach Works So Well for Family Photos

This particular session took place at Park Shore Beach, a beach used by Park Shore residents. But even if you aren’t a Gulf Shore or Park Shore resident, many of the beaches throughout Naples offer the same things that make the beach such a natural setting for family photos: beautiful white sand, plenty of open space, and nearby green areas where we can photograph while we wait for the sun to reach its most flattering position.

The beach gives us room to move, and kids love to move.

I think one of the best things about beach photos is the freedom they give both the kids and me as the photographer. We can keep moving, change backgrounds, explore different areas of the beach, and spend only a short amount of time in any one spot. There isn’t the same pressure to keep everyone standing in one place and smiling at the camera.

Being barefoot, feeling the sand between your toes, and having the freedom to move around naturally all help make the session feel less like a traditional photo shoot and more like time spent together as a family.

If you’re trying to decide which beach is right for your family, I’ve put together a guide to the best beaches in Naples for family photos .

A Relaxed Sunset Family Session

This family was taking in one of the last sunsets they would see as residents of Naples, Florida.

We met at their local beach about 45 minutes before sunset. They were in the middle of packing up their lives and preparing for a move, and I’m sure that adding an hour-long family photo session to everything else they had going on wasn’t necessarily at the top of their list.

But that’s actually one of the things I loved most about this session.

For that hour, they got to step away from everything else. The packing could wait. The boxes could wait. Instead, they were able to spend some time together at the beach, let the kids play, soak up the last bit of Naples sunshine, and enjoy one of their final evenings in a place that had been home.

It felt like a little last hurrah at their local beach, and I think that comes through in the photos.

Working With Kids During a Family Session

I always say that the kids run the session.

The parents are usually already on board because they’re the ones who booked the photos. Once the kids are entertained and enjoying themselves, the session tends to fall into place.

I like to keep kids moving through interaction, games, exploring, and little prompts that give them room to be themselves. Rather than asking them to sit still and smile for an hour, I’m much more interested in seeing their individual personalities come through.

When the kids are engaged, their mood and personalities often dictate the direction of the session. That might mean changing up the groupings, moving somewhere new, letting them run, or simply taking a few minutes to photograph them doing their own thing.

For me, those moments are often some of the best photographs from the entire session.

The Last 20 Minutes of Sunset Light

When I photograph families on the beaches of Naples, I pay very close attention to the light.

The Gulf doesn’t really give us a traditional hour-long golden hour. Instead, we get a much shorter window of that beautiful, warm, diffused light that everyone associates with sunset. On the beach, I usually think of it as the golden 20 minutes.

That’s why I don’t necessarily want to put a family on the sand for the entire session.

We’ll often begin in nearby shaded or landscaped areas while the sun is still a little higher in the sky. This gives us softer light and a variety of backgrounds before we make our way onto the beach.

Then, once the sun drops low enough, we head toward the water for those final 20 minutes.

This is when everything starts to come together. The light becomes warmer and softer, the sand takes on a beautiful glow, and the Gulf creates a simple backdrop that allows the focus to stay on the family.

If you’re trying to decide whether a morning or sunset session makes more sense for your family, I go into much more detail about the difference in my guide to morning vs. sunset family photos in Naples .

Why I Photograph Families on Film

Many of the images you see throughout my work are photographed on film, which has become my primary medium for documenting families and couples.

I love the way film handles natural light, especially during a beach session. The tones are soft, skin looks natural, and the highlights roll off beautifully when we’re working in bright Florida sunshine.

But more than anything, I love the feeling film gives the finished images.

Family photos are meant to become something you look back on years from now. I want them to feel connected to the moment they were taken rather than to whatever photography trend happens to be popular that year.

For this family, that felt especially appropriate. These weren’t just photos from another evening at the beach. They were photographs of their family in a place that had been home before they started their next chapter in Texas.

You can read more about why I choose film photography 

What to Wear for Naples Beach Photos

I always encourage families to wear what feels like them.

You don’t need to dress your family in matching outfits or completely change your personal style for photos. If your family naturally gravitates toward simple, casual clothing, lean into that. If you prefer something a little more polished, that’s perfectly fine too.

For beach sessions, I tend to love soft, neutral colors and clothing that allows everyone to move comfortably. Kids should be able to run, play, sit in the sand, and generally be kids without worrying about their clothes.

I’ve put together a more detailed guide with what to wear for family photos, including color combinations and outfit ideas, if you’d like some help planning what everyone will wear.

Final Thoughts

I think this session is a good example of why I love photographing families in Naples.

Sometimes we’re documenting a vacation. Sometimes we’re celebrating grandparents being together with their grandchildren. Sometimes we’re simply documenting what life looks like right now.

And sometimes, like with this family, we’re photographing a place that has been home before everything changes.

The beach gave us the perfect setting for that. The kids could play, the parents could slow down for a little while, and we could make photographs that will always remind them of their years living in Naples.

That’s ultimately what I want family photography to do. Not just give you a collection of nice portraits, but give you something that brings you back to a particular place, a particular season, and the people you were with when it happened.

If you’re living in Naples or visiting Southwest Florida and would like to document your family while you’re here, I’d love to help you plan a session.