If you think waking up the whole family for a sunrise session during your vacation is an impossible task, well I get it- but THINK AGAIN! Anything is possible with a little persuasion and when the your end goal is to really enjoy each and every day. Sunrise sessions can be as early as 6:00am starting time in the summer months on the South Carolina coast and while that sounds daunting let me add some points to begin to sway you-
- Sunrise sessions have the lowest temperatures of the day, making for a lot less sweat and overheating.
- Kids are in a way better mood after a good night's rest as opposed to making them smile when they've been in the sun all day and pushing bed time hours.
- Sunrise sessions have the least chances of pop-up thunderstorms and almost always are given the green light by the evening before. So no sitting around and guessing the weather all day.
- Sunrise sessions maximize your family's vacation day because the session is completed within 45 minutes with the rest of the morning, day and night to enjoy completely on your own!
- And finally, who wouldn't want to start their morning with some family time followed by brunch, bloody marys or mimosas?
This group of 20 joined me at 6:10am right outside of their rental on Isle of Palms, so no travel necessary, just walking out from their rental to the sand. We began with the full family group getting everyone in their perfect places, and some variation of the group, cousins, with and without significant others, etc. We even added in the grandparent's dog since she was hanging around for a good time!
Did you know that in some of our summer months there can be a 20 degree difference in the heat index between sunrise and sunset? I mean it's no joke that it's getting hotter out there so sunrise is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the coolest time of day when you need to look your best!
We were able to give this session time the green-light the evening before, just had to wait out a few clouds in the morning for there to be just enough light to begin with everyone present. This gave the family plenty of time to plan their morning routine while being able to enjoy their evening festivities and drinks if they desired. I think for some larger adult groups the evening session time *sounds* great until your family tells you there is no drinking allowed and you're not sure what time you're going to be able to eat dinner because your session time is at the mercy of the coast's unpredictable weather.
I have rescheduled 3 sunrise sessions so far in 2023 as of the night before due to weather, 2 sunsets due to rain-outs, but in addition have also had to move the starting time of a sunset session over a dozen times this year. While it's never ideal to change your session time, we are always at the mercy of the weather and move to beat out pop-up storms and heavy cloud coverage. I ask all my families with sunset sessions to be flexible, so I encourage families NOT to make any significant plans the evening of their session as we have a good chance of having to move our time. So if you think about it that way, with a sunset session you are almost guaranteed to lose one whole evening of festivities as it will need to be completely devoted to our session.
Another PRO-TIP: I have to say after this summer is to book your portrait session earlier in the week!! Get your sessions in before all of the outdoor activities have you burned. I can't tell you the amount of odd tan-lines I've been asked to edit out this year- goggle tans, sunglass raccoon eyes, weird bathing suit lines that don't match up with regular clothes, jewelry lines, you name it!
I hope that seeing this family's amazing session with smiling faces it might convince you further that sunrise is always a good choice! A choice that leaves you with plenty of time to nap, and really enjoy that laid back or adventurous vacation you deserve while also fitting in that important family portrait session.