It’s been about a decade since The Killebrews  started taking family photos on the beach during our annual vacation, but this year was extra special for Nick and me. This was our first year with a child of our own, which added another level of fun! When we first started these special photos, we would just gather everyone on the beach, bring our camera, and hope a kind stranger would pass us by and snap some photos for us. It always worked out, but as we added new Killebrew additions over the years I knew it might be a bit more challenging to capture everyone in this same format. Since our immediate Killebrew Family is up to nineteen, I knew we would benefit from a local photographer for our beach vacation. We started this new tradition in 2023 on our Hilton Head vacation, and it was awesome to have someone help us capture so many special shots of our family!

With our beach trip in Destin this year, I found Sarah Lynn Photography on Instagram. When I learned she had our vacation dates available, I was so excited. To make our shoot process even easier, I sent her over some ideal shots and groupings, gave her lists of each siblings’ family, etc! All of this paid off because even with some iffy weather right before the shoot, we were able to capture every possible grouping and so much more photo magic. In case you have a beach trip coming up, I’m sharing some of my favorite shots and some tips to help make sure your family beach shoot goes smoothly!

 

Tip 1: Book As Far Out As Possible

Photographers book up fast, so the sooner you can search for local photographers for your trip the better. For our June 2025 trip, I locked Sarah in by January 2025! Curious how to find photographers for your trip? Instagram is a great place to start! I just search local photographers, view their website and Instagram feed, and then inquire for pricing and session info. (Ex search on IG: Destin Florida Photographers, Hilton Head Photographers, etc.)

If you’re doing a beach trip, I recommend aiming to book your shoot for one of the first days you’re there to avoid any unnecessary sunburn! We always travel Saturday to Saturday, so I usually booked our shoots on Monday or Tuesday, but I think next time I’m going to just book it on Sunday as a way to kick off our trip.

 

Tip 2: Plan An Outfit Color Palette

In 2023 for our Hilton Head shoot, we did Navy Blue, Light Blue, and White for our color palette. Since it went so well then, I brought it back for our 2025 Destin shoot! Something about pretty blues and whites just feels so natural on the beach, right? Whether you’re thinking blues, denim, white, black, pastels, it helps to have guidelines for your family to follow — especially for a large extended family shoot like ours. If you need some inspiration, you can’t go wrong looking on Pinterest! I’ll probably keep suggesting this color palette as long as my family will let me!

 

Tip 3: Capture As Many Photo Combinations As You Can

Family photos are so special because it helps us remember everyone at that moment in time.

For these special shoots, we love getting the big group shoot of all nineteen Killebrews!

Some of my other favorites are the smaller family shots, individual shots of each child, and sibling shots.

I know as our kids get older they will loving looking back at these pictures of themselves and their cousins on these memorable family vacations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also like grabbing some different couple shots without the kiddos too!

Here’s me and all of my beautiful sis in laws!

Nick and his brothers always get some different shots with their parents and they are always the ones I smile most at when I see them.

Sarah was great about capturing a bunch of shots of each of the brothers’ families. Seeing the difference in my nieces and nephews poses and personalities from even just our shoot two years ago is so much fun! Something tells me they will all have their own signature poses or picture ideas that we will keep recreating as the family vacations continue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tip 4: Don’t Forget The Silly Shot!

No Killebrew Family photo is complete without “a silly one” and our vacation shoots are no exception! With the initial chaos of getting to the beach after some rain earlier in the day, all of the kids, etc, we almost forgot about our silly shot after we took our group photos. Fortunately, we remembered and just had everyone hop in at the end of a quick “silly one.” As I look back at this silly shot in particular, I can’t help but smile to see all of my nieces and nephews bringing their personalities out! I am so glad we have these sweet, silly photos to look back on.

 

Was this blog just a fun excuse to show off some pics from our beach shoot? Maybe. I do hope that it can serve as some inspiration to those who want to make a family beach shoot happen on an upcoming vacation! Whether you’re a family of three, or part of a larger, extended family like ours, this is one of those fun memories for the beach that you’ll always be happy to look back on! My in-laws actually print these photos out and hang them up too. I love seeing our beach family photos on display when we’re there!

Whether you found this post looking for beach photo shoot outfit ideas, Destin photographers, or just family beach photo pose ideas, I’m so glad you’re here! In a few years, I’m sure I’ll have another sweet gallery to share and I can’t wait to see what our Killebrew Party number is to then.

All photos are by Sarah Lynn Photography in Destin, Florida! You can find her website here. She’s also on Facebook and Instagram. Let her know Kait Killebrew sent you!

While I wish I had everyone’s outfit details, I can share where my dress is from! You can find my comfy dress (available in a number of colors) here. 

 

Which Beach Would You Want To Do A Family Photo Shoot At?