When do you book?
Beach Sessions book all year long but the ideal months are between March and August. Sessions are booked Monday through Thursday for sunrises and sunsets, Friday sunrises only if needed. Sunrise sessions typically start about 10-15 minutes before the sun comes up, sunset sessions usually start about 20-30 minutes before the sun sets. I take a maximum of 4 beach sessions a week, and every client books an initial date, and a backup date in case of poor weather, which does happen often here. With that reason in mind, I usually prefer to book MOST beach sessions at sunrise. It's less HOT here in the early mornings, the chances of thunderstorms here on the coast are a fraction of what they are in the afternoons and evenings. You can see now why these sessions book so quickly!

Why only Sunrise and Sunset, and why only Monday through Thursday?
If you've ever been to the beach, and especially if you've ever been to the beach in the summer in the south you know how HOT and how CROWDED the beach is during the day. Charleston is a major tourist and vacation destination so not only do we have our own mass of residents flooding the beach during the day, but thousands of tourists we have month to month, all summer long. There is no shade on the beach, you're squinty and you're sweaty within about 30 seconds during the day. During Sunrise and Sunset the sun is at the lowest point along the horizon and therefore is indirect on the subjects. So, no squinty eyes, lovely color in the sky, less people at the beach, and cooler temps. Here in Charleston we see the sun rise right out of the water in most cases, where as the sun sets behind the beach, hotels, houses etc and isn't visible like it is at sunrise. Either time frame is great for light and color, but if you've never seen the sun rise on the East Coast I do highly recommend that. There are some locations I also completely avoid for sunset sessions. Anywhere near piers and hot spots for tourist traffic, and I avoid weekends all together since there is never anywhere to park, tons of people out and about... Just trust me, I've shot plenty of beach sessions to know when and where is best for your session to cut down on the amount of background traffic in your images.