3 Alternatives to Beach Family Photos in Charleston, SC

Living in Charleston means we have some ridiculously beautiful places to take family photos.

The beaches. The parks. Downtown Charleston.

I've photographed families in all of them, and I will happily keep doing it.

But what if you've already done that?

Maybe you're a returning client and we've photographed your family at the beach for the last three years. Maybe you've done the beautiful golden-hour park session. Maybe you love those photos, but this year you're ready for something that feels a little different.

Here's the good news:

Your family photos don't need a traditionally "photo-worthy" location to be beautiful.

Sometimes changing the location is exactly what we need to make your next family session feel completely new.

And some of my favorite options are much closer to home.

1. Take Your Family Photos at Home

Before you immediately start looking around your house thinking about everything you'd need to clean...

Stop. 😂

Your house does NOT need to look like it belongs in a magazine for us to photograph your family there.

We're not documenting whether you dusted the bookshelf.

We're documenting your people.

One of the biggest advantages of an in-home family photo session is that everyone gets to stay somewhere they're already comfortable.

Kids are home.

Their toys are there. Their rooms are there. Their favorite snacks are approximately six feet away.

And, let's be honest, the adults usually aren't mad about it either.

There's also something incredibly special about documenting your family inside the space where your life is actually happening.

Think about how much of your family's story takes place on your couch, around your kitchen table, piled onto your bed or sitting on the floor of the playroom.

Right now, those spaces might feel completely ordinary.

Years from now, they won't.

The house will change. The furniture will change. Maybe you'll eventually move.

And suddenly that photo isn't just about how little your child was.

It's also a photograph of the place where they were little.

That's pretty special.

2. Rent a Charleston Photography Studio

Maybe reading that entire section made you think:

"Absolutely not. I do NOT want to clean my house."

😂

Perfect.

Let's go to a studio.

Charleston has some beautiful photography studios available to rent, and I use them regularly for sessions.

A studio gives us a completely different look from the traditional Charleston family session.

Instead of making the location part of the story, we can keep the backdrop simple and let your family become the entire focus.

Give me a beautiful open space, some great light and your people.

That's plenty.

Studio sessions also come with some very practical perks.

We don't have to watch the weather forecast all week. We don't have to worry about humidity or rain. And you don't have to clean anything before I arrive OR pick anything up when we're finished.

Everybody wins.

3. Stay Home...But Go Outside

There's another place your family probably spends a TON of time that you've never considered for professional photos.

Your own backyard.

Or your front porch.

Or the driveway where your kids ride their bikes.

Or those front steps where everyone sits while you're trying to get out the door.

You don't need an enormous yard, professional landscaping or a freshly pressure-washed porch.

We're not photographing your house for a real estate listing.

We're using it as the backdrop for your family's story.

Remember during Covid when photographers started documenting families sitting on their front porches?

I LOVED that.

Those photographs weren't special because everyone suddenly had incredible porches.

They were special because they documented families exactly where they were during a very specific chapter of their lives.

There's no reason we can't keep doing that.

Let the kids run through the backyard.

Sit together on the porch.

Bring out the bikes.

Snuggle on the front steps.

These are places your kids see every single day, which is exactly why you might someday be surprised by how much those photographs mean to you.

Your Next Family Session Doesn't Have to Look Like Your Last One

If you've been taking annual family photos, first of all: KEEP GOING.

Those photographs are only becoming more valuable as your family changes.

But taking family photos every year doesn't mean recreating the same session every year.

We can change the location.

We can change the feeling.

We can photograph a completely different piece of your family's life.

And if you've already done the beach and the park and you're thinking, "Okay Kayla, what should we do THIS year?"

Let's talk about it.

Your home, a Charleston studio or even your own backyard might be exactly what makes this year's family photos feel completely different from the ones you already have.