How do you adequately pack for a family of 8 traveling to lively Panama City Beach, FL, for the entire week? Let alone outfit coordinate for family photos?
Our pro photographers in Panama City Beach, Fl have seen it all, ketchup stains to baby spit up right when we were capturing the big group photo. Over numerous situations, we have learned a few tips that will help avoid these photoshoot fails and actually make planning effortless.
Remember these few helpful pieces of advice when packing.
Comfort is Key
Remember, if you look feel comfortable, you will look at ease and the kids also will be pleasant during the photo shoot. Yes, sometimes that heavy cotton long sleeve is just want you want your four year old to wear, but it’s all about finding alternatives so that you can be as cool as possible. Even though most photo appointments are during sunset hour, we still battle with heat and humidity. Yes ladies bring extra hair spray! We are in Florida after all, so keep materials light weight, sleeveless, and loose fitting. No one wants an accidental pit stain in your family photos.
Picking the Perfect Color Scheme
It’s not so much about choosing a color scheme. Rather, think about the PCB beaches. The white sandy beach with the glistening Emerald Waters of the Gulf Coast. Too often this little detail is forgotten. And when it comes to colors, complementing your surrounds will make quite a visual difference.
You don’t necessarily need a plan where you are going to display the photos. But do look around your home. Are there cool tones or warm tones? Choosing a classic navy, white and khaki would complement a cool toned home — almost like art work to hang on the walls. Or, if your home is neutral colored and you want a bit of subtle color on the walls, pastel colors are a refreshing choice. Whatever you decide, try looking through our photo galleries to see what other families have chosen!
Packing with Ease
Once you have decided on your families beach portrait color scheme, now you have to gather all the outfits together. Here are a few helpful tips when packing for this particular vacation activity.
Make sure to try on everyone’s outfits before leaving home. You want everyone to feel great in what they are wearing. Having someone try on their outfit makes it easier to fix a last minute, “my shorts are too tight!”
If you have a baby or toddler, bring a spare change of clothes. By bringing this spare change of clothes to your photo appointment, this works like an insurance policy if the little one spits up. Bringing a diaper bag is also a practical option. Make sure to bring all the essentials — wipes, toys, and that spare outfit!
Lay out all the outfits to see if you want to change anything. It’s helpful when you visually see everything side by side. You may be stressing about matching the right shade of blues for no reason at all. Lay out the outfits and even take a quick snapshot on your phone to see if you like the outfit choices.
When packing for your trip, pack all photo appointment outfits in one place. This will help prevent anyone from forgetting their articles at home. It will also help keep the outfits clean and safe before the photo shoot. Our recommendation is that one person packs the items so that on the day of the big photo shoot, you are prepared.
Last minute outfit selections
Although planning for vacation can be a daunting task, there is a flip side to that. Forgot your outfit at home? Let’s go shopping! Some folks love to wait until they get to PCB to go shopping for that perfect beach outfit. There are plenty of shopping options that may not be available back home.
Beach shops like Alvin’s Island and Sunsations not only have great souvenir novelty items, but they are loaded with beach attire. Options like Pier Park have more main stream shopping options. Or, if you don’t mind the drive down to Miramar Beach, Florida, you can splurge at the Silver Sands Premium Outlets.
Take away thoughts from our pro beach photographers in Panama City Beach:
- Try to coordinate, not match completely.
- We do not recommend mixing too many patterns. Rather, try to incorporate a pattern sparingly.
- If you have a very large group, pick a few colors allowing different shades of those colors.
- Keep communication open with other family members about the upcoming photo session.
- And most of all — have fun when planning. This is supposed to be an enjoyable family beach activity, just try to relax when packing and give yourself enough time to pack with ease!
Want to see more examples of outfits and color schemes? Here are some samples of sunset family photos and large group sunset photos.
And if you are ready to plan your family photo shoot, contact us today.
