We also shoot beach weddings and we are booking up fast this year so our family portrait dates are going fast. We offer family beach portraits 7 days a week. Our summer months June July and August get crazy we hate to turn done sessions be we can not shoot so many each week.

For 2019 we have now updated all our camera gear to the latest new versions two of them in fact. We have also added on another new flash system and other related gear. We are commuted to providing the best quality family beach portrait you will fine.

We started photographing family’s on the beach 18 years ago one the first in the Gulf Shores area. We also shot over in Destin Fl Pensacola and Navarre and we still shoot in Perdido Key. See our photo gallery to see samples of our work Here.

Gulf Shores Family Beach Portraits

All our photo sessions include all the edited high resolution images you can download. We upload them to a custom gallery we create for you. In the gallery you can also order prints including framed canvas prints and many other photo items. The photos that you download we include print rights so you can make your own prints as you wish.

For our photo sessions we take a lot of photos and have no set amount that you get as each session is different. We take large group photos then smaller groups. We then break it down to small groups of kids or teens and then some single photos of teens or small children. Also then any other single person photos you want. We also do fun photos playing or walking on the beach all based on the day and the location.

In the end you will receive sharp in focus well exposed professional quality photos. Edward you photographer has been doing this for a long time working on the beach.

Edward also creates camera and gear reviews you can see some of them here on one of our other websites.

Your Beach Photographer

Shooting on the beach can be quite a difficult thing to do as each day is different. Every day the wind is blowing different and each different location is different we shoot at. The sun is ever changing as clouds roll buy or is overcast. On bright sunny days we have to deal with people squinting but also deal with the what direction the wind is blowing. So we have to position our subject in a way the the wind is not blowing their hair into their face but also not be blinded by the sun. It is a balancing act and then we see if we are going to shoot with natural light only or use off camera flash.

Many photographers call themselves natural light photographers. In reality that is just an excuse to not learn how to use off camera flash. On the beach many times more then not you need to use flash to get good quality photos. Like well exposed with wonderful views of the sky and water colors.

Ed shoots with a mix of what every is needed at the time. we shoot both natural line when the light out is right and use off camera flash when that is needed. We like great colors and sharp images with great looking background. Not point in having beach photos done and the photographer blows out the background so much you can not even see the water or sky. All due to their lack of using off camera flash when it should be used.

Give us a call to book your Gulf Shores family beach portraits at 352 232-9112. Talk with Donna and she will get your date set. Then we will see you at the beach and create some magic for you and your family.

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Gulf Shores Beach portraits

My Family Beach Portraits is the leading beach photography service on the coast. We do not send out hired photographers to do the job. All photos are shot by photographer Edward Morgan. Ed shoots natural light and off camera flash as needed.

Many photographers claim to be natural light shooters. The problem with this is on bright days natural light can be very harsh. Also, the wind blows on the beach and for great family photos, you do not want your hair blowing in your face. If you are shooting natural light you may need to turn the subject to a direction that is so bright no one can open their eyes. Or they place the subject with the backs to the sun and then you get blown out images so bad you can not even tell you are on the beach.

The best Gulf Shores Beach portraits possible on any day is what we go for. Using off camera flash we can do that when natural light is to strong and will not produce good images. See our packages and prices Here

To book your Gulf Shores Beach portrait session call Donna at (352) 232-9112

See our Orange beach family portrait website Here

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Stay away from any company that has many photographers working for them.

Why? For one any good photographer will not be working for a photography group as they will not make as much money as working on their own.

The biggest problem with group photography companies is they will hire anyone and send them out on jobs with no experience or even good equipment.

We are a beach town and beach photographers make most all other income working in the summer months. A photography group cannot keep a group of photographers working all year so after summer is over so is all the jobs. The photographers working for the group companies just wander away as they can not make any money.

Before summer the group photography companies start hiring. They will hire just about anyone with a camera as they have a large turn over as most do not stay as they do not make much money. The people they hire to shoot your family photos have no background check and may even be chriminals you never know. Most do not own good camera equipment and have no photography training but they get hired anyways as they need them for the racket they are running.

Here is how many of them work

This is based on talking in person with many people that have been hired by the companies in the area at the beach on jobs they have been sent out to shoot. We run into them all the time waiting for a customer to arrive. We can always tell they have little to no equipment and have no clue what they are doing. But Sadly some family paid and this is what they get for their money.

They hire someone to be a photographer and show them how to do a few people posing setups and give them some tips on how they might use whatever camera they own. They market at lower prices and will book as many jobs as they can so they can make money off of many bookings each day. They then send out the new photographer to the beach for a job and give them a small fee with the promise of making more money by giving them a % of the after sales print sales hyping them up with numbers of making a lot of money.

The so-called photographer shoots the family photos with no real experience and good camera knowledge and no lighting or other equipment and the photos end up being horrible. The company at this point has already made their money off the customer booking with them. The photographers end up not making anything more as the customer does not buy any prints as they do not lik the photos or they may buy a few and they may almost nothing extra. After a few times doing this the photographer quits as they are not making any money and is replaced by the next person they use.

The company makes their money off the customer booking with them up front. The photographer, for the most part, is used as with so many new starting out photographers they think great things will come of this. In the end, the customer ends up with what may be horrible photos they do not even like.

Natural Light VS Flash photography on the beach

Shooting on the beach in super bright sunlight is not easy and for a photographer, it can be one of the harder conditions to get great images in.

The bright sun the wind and the water mist and ever-changing light exposures as the clouds move by.

Two way to shoot beach portrait one if natural night and two is using flash. Bother are a good way but both have up and downsides.

Natural light. Many newer photographers like to call themselves natural light photographers because they never learned how to use off-camera flash lighting and do not own any. They tend to make up any reason for why they shoot this way. The fact is any good photographer that knows flash photography can also shoot natural light as well but many times it is much better to use flash to get better images.

The big problem with this it is the bright sun we have on the beach. With natural light photography you need to use the light in a way to have your subject lit up from the sun but with the wind blowing this can be a nightmare to do at times unless you have everyone’s hair blowing in their face making for a very bad photo.

The other problem with natural light shooting is to get great exposures you will most likely need to overexpose the background blowing it out making the background very white with little to no details. You come to the beach for photos on the beach and can end up with photos that make the beach look all blown out and lack color.

Using flash. Using flash is not easy on the beach that is why you do not see a lot of people doing this. For one most on camera, or add-on camera flash systems do not have the power to compete with the sun to get the exposure right. A much stronger flash system is needed and needs to be run in full manual this alone stops many photographers as they have never learned how to do this.

So shooting with flash has many advantages over natural light. For on with using flash the photographer can balance the background with the flash to produce a much more even photo with the beach water and sky all looking good and not blow out.

With the wind on the beach using flash the photographer can move the subject so their hair is blowing back not in their face producing much better images.

From image to image using off-camera flash the photographer can use a consistant exposure creating images that are rich in color, very sharp with the better beach colors and look.

At My Family beach portraits, Ed shoots both ways. When the lighting is right for natural light shooting Ed will shot that way but when the lighting the sun and wind are like it is many times on the beach Ed uses flash to make sure you get the best possible photos no matter what it is like out that day.

Ed shoots with two cameras each with a different lens on it. One is set up for the family group photos and the other camera is set up with a special portrait lens on it just for creating the better portrait look and great background bokeh blur.

What to look for when looking for a good Gulf Shores Family Beach Photographer

What to ask 

1. First, Ask who will be the photographer?
2. How long have they been shooting family beach portraits?
3. Do they have a website with sample family beach portraits they shot you can see?
4. What camera and lens are they using?
5. Do they have backup cameras with them in case their camera breaks on the job?
6. Will they be using any flash photography?
7. If not how are they going to deal with the bright sun and wind to get good images?
8. Do they have a Gulf Shores business license to be in business?
9. Do they have the Gulf Shores area permit needed to work and shoot on the beach if not they are breaking the law?
10. How will they be editing your images using what?
11. How long will it take till your images are edited and ready to see? We have seen other photographers take till the end of Oct to edit images from summer sessions.

Any good family portrait photographer will have at least two high-end cameras just in case one breaks as that can happen. The better photographers will offer both natural light and off camera flash shooting that way you know you are getting the best of both.

Any good photographer with experience shooting beach portraits will have plenty of smaples images to show. And a website they own and run for their business. Any working beach shooter knows that they must edit the images fast and get them down or they will fall behind shooting every day in summer. They will have a good photo gallery system for the customers to view, download and order prints.

It is unlikely you will find a well-experienced photographer shooting or working for any company that has many photographers they don’t need to.

Hire the right photographer and get the better images you will be more happy with. Stay away from the photography farms as we call them as you never know who and what you are going to end up with.

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A quick mini session of Jeremy at a park across the street from the beach it was very cold out but we got it done. This is part of our non-beach family portrait sessions we offer on our My Family Photography website. Family and children portrait photography at your location or at a park or any location we come to you.

Happy New Year From Gulf Shores Family Photographer Ed Morgan

As this new year starts we have a lot in store for 2018 including upgraded camera equipment and packages. We will be shooting a lot now with two cameras each camera will have a different lens on it. By doing this we can have one lens for the family group photos and another special lens just for the single and two-person portraits. With bokeh background, soft creamy blur to images has become popular we will be shooting for that style for the smaller and single photo shots. Sharp image with creamy backgrounds most shot using natural light.

Natural Light and Off-Camera Flash

After as many years we have been a Gulf Shores Family Photographer on the Alabama coast one thing we have learned is about lighting up our subject. Some days we can use natural sunlight and some days we need to use flash. On other days we can do a little of both. We so so many newer photographers shooting with no flash but the problem is that only works sometimes. The rest of the time if you do not use flash you do not get good quality images. Anyone can buy a camera and walk out on the beach and shoot natural light photos but very few will end up with good results.

We use a mix of natural light and flash photography so we get great images all the time. Not just sometimes. Bright clear in focus images that will print great for large portraits. If you look at many of the image other photographers posts you can see they are very soft not in focus. A soft looking image will not print well the larger you make a print the most it will look bad.

When looking for a Gulf Shores Family Photographer why not hire the best. We have been an innovator in beach portrait photography copied by others.

All our packages in 2018 now include all the edited images from each photo session. You will be able to download the images within days after your session. Your gallery will include two versions the large full-size image for making prints. And a smaller website size 1200 pix for posting on social media or websites. Each package comes with print rights so you can make as many prints as you like in any size you want. For more higher end prints we will still offer framed canvas and other mounted prints ready to hang. Other items include gallery wraps and family beach portrait albums.

See more sample family beach portrait image on our sample page here. It may take a few second for the images to load its worth the wait.

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Stephanie and her husband Eric and 3 kids had us photograph them it was a lot of fun for everyone. We ended up with some super nice photos of them. We shot with two different lenses one wide angle for the group photos and our special zoom len. The zoom produces the great bokeh blurred backgrounds for single person photos great for the kids.

Photo With Great Bokeh

Bokeh is the name of the background look or effect behind a subject that is blurred. New for 2018 we are now shooting with two different lenses for most family beach portraits sessions so we can offer you the best of both looks for your Gulf Shores Family Beach Portraits.

We now have another website that features a lot of family and children photography not shot on the beach it is focused on in-land family sessions see our new site here. 

We are more than just a beach photographer we off full photography services for all your family photo needs including weddings and high school senior photography and children photography.

See our beach portrait packages here we have many packages to pick from based on what your needs are. Packages included Families, Extended family sessions, Family Reunions, High School Seniors, Children photo sessions.

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The traditional dress colors are white shirts and khaki pants or tan dress but this also can make you blend into the beach as the Gulf Shores beach is white sand so we loving seeing other colors being used like bold colors or another popular outfit is blue jeans and white shirts, Black also works well as does Turquoise it stands out well on the beach.

A few colors to stay away from are bright colors like bright red or yellow they can be overwhelming looking with the white sand and blue-green water and sky colors.

Fun Colors For A Fun Time

You can wear anything you want it is your family beach photo session this post is only some suggestions with a few photo samples to show each look to see.

Things to maybe expect on the beach can be wind. We have a wind or breeze blowing on most days on the beach and based on the direction of the wind blowing we will position you so the wind is blowing your hair back to keep it out of your face. In the summer months, it can be very hot out so expect to get a little sweety from the heat and humidity.  Water mist, The ocean can be splashing waves and be creating a water mist you may feel a little bit of. Overall at sunset on the beach you will have a great time and enjoy the feeling as the sun sets and the air cools down as the sky lights up with its amazing colors.

Below are a few sample photos of a few different colors looks of possible ways to dress for your Gulf Shores beach session.

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Ed has received many awards for his family beach pictures as well as his unique talents as a beach wedding photographer. Beach photography is second nature to Ed Morgan of My family beach portraits and Beach wedding Shots. He has full comprehension on how to use his professional camera equipment. Ed photographs natural light photography as well as advanced off-camera lighting.

When choosing your Family Beach Photographer In Gulf Shores Alabama Ed Morgan is the right beach photographer for you, He can capture your family like no other Gulf Shores beach photographer can. He will photograph your Gulf Shores family beach pictures with a mix of Traditional, fun and spontaneous. Your traditional family beach portrait hanging on your wall will be a treasured keepsake for your family. Your family beach pictures in Gulf Shores, Al will be posted in a gallery for your family to view within 24-48 hours after your family beach session for viewing and to download, You will also receive a secondary copyrights form to print your beautiful family beach pictures. You will receive two files, One will be web size pictures that you can post on social media, text and email the other file is our high-resolution pictures that the quality is so astounding that you can pint a billboard from it.

We also offer special edit images that take the normal edit of your image to a new level by turning your image into a fine art image great for large framed wall portrait like a 16×20, 20×02, 24×36 and many other sizes we offer. So for the best Family Beach Photographer In Gulf Shores, Alabama call My Family Beach Portraits and set up a time to have your family portraits made. We have sunset and some afternoon session times available. Afternoon sessions are shot a little different from our Sunset session as the sun will be much brighter out and you will not have the sunset glow.

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We photograph with a mixture 0f traditional posed, lifestyle/natural, fun & spontaneous. All of our clients are incredibly happy with the portraits, They are not just pictures they are treasured memories that will be pass down to their families. Photographing environmental there be wind, humidity, sun and maybe a little rain but we will do everything we can to ensure we provide your family with sensational portraits you’ll be proud of. Our main time to photograph before sunset. I’m sorry we do not offer sun raise beach sessions … I am up late editing our family beach portraits or weddings but our office is open for booking. We are available 7 days a week for Gulf Shores Alabama Family beach photos and beach weddings. If you are looking for a wedding photographer please visit our beach wedding website. beachweddingshots.com

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The sea oats, as well as the beautiful gulf water, makes a majestical backdrop for your family beach portraits. We can photograph your family at the Gulf State Park Pavilion, Your vacation beach rental, Gulf State Park or where your imagination takes us.

See our Children and Toddles page here

We photograph with a mixture of traditional posed, lifestyle/natural and fun & spontaneous. All of our clients are incredibly happy with the portraits, They are not just pictures they are treasured memories that will be pass down to their families. Photographing environmental there be wind, humidity, sun and maybe a little rain but we will do everything we can to ensure we provide your family with sensational portraits you’ll be proud of. Our main time to photograph before sunset. I’m sorry we do not offer sun raise beach sessions … I am up late editing our family beach portraits or weddings but our office is open for booking your beach session. We are available 7 days a week for photographing our family beach portraits and beach weddings. If you are looking for a wedding photographer please visit our beach wedding website. beachweddingshots.com

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We offer astonishing beach pictures with fast turn around time for your viewing. Ed is remarkable beach wedding photographer as well, Photographing thousands of beach weddings. Most Gulf Shores full services wedding providers do include a photographer with their beach wedding setups,  but why settle for just anyone taking your pictures on one of the most rememberable days’,  You can book your ultimate beach wedding photographer at beachweddingshots.com

Family Photos On The Beach Gulf Shores Alabama sunset and afternoon sessions.

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