Beach Portrait Guide

Below you will find additional info about our sessions, what to expect, and helpful tips on planning and how to prepare. Please take a moment to read through entirely, as it’s packed full of our most commonly asked questions and answers.

Welcome, we’re so glad you’re here!

We’re so grateful you’re considering CHP to capture your vacation memories. It’s truly an honor to be trusted with photographing the moments your family will cherish for a lifetime.

Our style heavily revolves around integrating the natural “untouched” beauty of the Outer Banks. Sessions take place at our favorite spot, Coquina Beach, in South Nags Head, taking advantage of the wide-open space & rolling dunes that are free from overdevelopment. Each session is tailored to your specific group, starting up in the dunes for more structured groupings before working our way down towards het water’s edge for more casual/candid photos.

For me, photography is a heartfelt labor of love—especially when it comes to family portraits. It’s where my journey began, and it continues to be my passion. I’m drawn to the unguarded, fleeting moments that tell a family’s unique story.

About Courtney

Lover of boat days, sunsets, & Rolling Dunes

Hey there! I’m Courtney, the face behind CHP. I started this journey before marriage & motherhood, and as I enter my 19th season as a wedding & family photographer here on the beautiful Outer Banks, I still pinch myself that I get to do this for a living.

I’m married to my high-school sweetheart, and we have two amazingly wild little boys – so trust me, I know my way around chaos (and how to find the beauty in it)!

My life as the mom of two littles has shown me that the days are fleeting, and capturing every single moment of life’s important events is irreplaceable. I consider it a complete honor to be entrusted to preserve your memories!

Let me tell your family story.

session

INFORMATION

Session pricing is based on the number of people participating. Session fees include the session, imaging editing, private online gallery, and digital files for personal printing.

PORTRIAT pricing

Please choose your session based on group size.

$550 • 1 – 5 People
$650 • 6 – 10 People
$750 • 11 – 15 People
$850 • 16 – 20 People
$950 • 21 – 25 People
$1050 • 26-30 People
$1150 • 30-35 People

SESSION DETAILS

Our sessions are scheduled around sunset, and last 60-90 minutes, based on group size. Every session is tailored to fit the needs of each family. For this reason we do not have a “set” number of images we deliver. Most galleries tend to be in the 50-100 image range, depending on group size. We have a tried-and-true workflow when photographing extended family sessions to make sure we cover all the branches of the family to include everyone together, generational groupings, and each individual family.

Sessions take place at Coquina Beach in South Nags Head. At this time we do not cover the Northern Beaches (Duck/Corolla).

**We take a very limited number of morning/sunrise sessions, based on availability.

a little about

extended Family Sessions

Extended families come in all sizes, each with their own unique dynamic. We have a tried-and-true workflow that allows us to capture a variety of different groupings, covering all the branches of the family. Each session is tailored to your family group, and what we cover depends on your group size and the breakdown of family units.

To capture your family in its entirety we start with the larger group photo and branch out from there. We have a great workflow we use to make sure we capture all the standard generational groupings as well as each individual family.

These sessions are designed to fit multiple groupings into our standard session time, and you should expect it to feel like several “mini sessions” all together as opposed to each family having a full session.

We start each session up in the dunes for more structured groupings before we head down towards the water’s edge for more casual/candid photos.

A little about

Single Family Sessions

Our sessions are designed to be fun and relaxed, capturing both those smiling faces and the carefree nature of the beach. Single Family Sessions offer a little more freedom to explore and change up our posing, as we’re able to devote the entire hour to capturing just your family.

With every session, the first half of our time together is typically spent up in the dunes and is geared towards getting those faces smiling at the camera, while the second half focuses no more relaxed candids down near the water’s edge.

As a momma of two little ones, I know all too well that sometimes kids just aren’t having it…and that’s ok! We do our best to get those smiling faces, but sometimes find we just have to resort to more candid and organic moments. We like to keep things moving to avoid littles ones getting bored in the same spot for too long. When al else fails, getting up and moving around is key!

What do we do if the weather is bad?

By far our #1 most asked question. We watch the weather closely on session days. If the weather looks iffy, we are typically able to work around it by adjusting our start time a little earlier. We suggest sticking close to home on the afternoon of your session, should we need to adjust our start time, to allow everyone the ability to get ready.

Every day is a good day at the beach.

We intentionally take a limited number of sessions each week to allow us built-in rain days. We reserve the beginning of the week for new bookings, to allow the end of the week for weather reschedules. In the event of a total rain-out, your session will be moved to another day.

**For this reason, we do ask prior to booking that families be flexible with their session availability, understanding we may need to change in the event of rain. If your family group does not have the flexibility to be available for alternate days, we completely understand, we just might not be the best fit for your photography needs.

What To Wear

The first priority is choosing a color pallet. Our editing style is “light & airy” and this lends itself best to colors that are softer, neutral & muted. Think light shades of blues, greens, tans, white, pink, etc. The beach is a naturally light and airy location, and we focus on incorporating the natural scenery of rolling dunes and golden light. Darker colors tend to draw the eye in, putting more focus on the clothing and less on the people and surroundings.

It’s OK to think outside the box. Gone are the days that everyone needs to be in jeans and a white shirt. We encourage families to incorporate different materials/texture into their clothing. Clothing with a pattern is great, but we do suggest avoiding too many different patterns that will compete with each other. Additionally, we would avoid clothing with large logos/graphics.

It’s important to choose clothing you feel comfortable AND can move in. Everyone will be sitting, kneeling, walking, etc during our sessions. For the ladies, be mindful of things like tan lines and bra straps. A good rule of thumb is, “if you can see it in the mirror you will see it in the photos”. We also highly encourage bloomers or “play shorts” for little girls wearing dresses as they run and have fun on the beach.

Set Yourself Up For Success

Do

Talk to your kids about how much fun they’re going to have on the beach.
Encourage laughter, playfulness, and natural interactions between family members.
Feed the kids dinner or a filling snack before the session. Hangry kids are angry kids. 😉
Bring a small bag with any wipes, towel, or water that young children might need. Leave everything else in the car.
Have kids get a good nap, or at the very least some quiet “downtime” before your session.

Don’t

Make them anxious heading into the session, that will only make them standoff-ish.
Get angry if they won’t sit still or listen. The beach is a “fun” place for kids and they don’t understand needing to sit still.
Bribe them with candy at the session. Once they see the candy, it’s game over.
Lug everything but the kitchen sink. Unless you have babies or toddlers, you really only need yourself.
Let kids play hard on the beach right up until it’s time to get ready. Tired kids usually end in meltdowns.

Frequently Asked questions…

Once a date is chosen, you will receive a booking link via email. You will choose your session based on group size, and submit the contract and session fee. Once submitted you’re all set!

We offer a limited number of sessions each week and cancelling last minute prevents us from re-booking the date. Most weeks a significant number of inquiries aer turned away due to unavailability, therefore, our session fee are non-refundable and due in full at booking.

We understand that situations come up, and in the event you cannot make your session we will do our best to reschedule, one time with at least 48 hours notice, based on availability. If no dates are available, or you are unable to choose a date that at that time, a raincheck will be issued to use towards a session at a later date within one calendar year.

*There are no refunds or reschedules for no-shows.

We watch the weather closely on session days. If the weather looks iffy, we are typically able to work around it by adjusting our start time a little earlier. We suggest sticking close
to home on the afternoon of your session, should we need to adjust our start time, to allow everyone the ability to get ready.

We intentionally take a limited number of sessions each week to allow us built-in rain days. In the event of a total rain-out, your session will be moved to another day. For this reason, we do ask prior to booking that families be flexible with their session availability, understanding we may need to change in the event of rain.

**We do often utilize mornings for weather reschedules, as they tend to have the lowest chance of precipitation.

No, not during high season, and not as a stand-alone session option. During high season beach sessions are in such high demand that unfortunately we are unable to offer mini sessions. We do offer a single day of mini sessions in the late Fall.

Beach sessions take place at Coquina Beach in South Nags Head, starting around 1 hour prior to sunset. This is our best beach for photography and where 99% of what you see on my website.

At this time we do not offer sessions in the Northern Beaches (Duck/Corolla). We do service Hatteras Island, based on availability, and travel feels apply.

Looking for something other than the beach? We do have some great non-beach locations and we’re happy to chat with you about those options.

We try to have a sneak peek up on our social media with a couple of days. Full galleries are ready within 3 weeks of your session. The gallery link will be emailed to the booking party, and they may forward it along to the rest of the family. Galleries remain online for 2 weeks and may be extended for $10/day.

For optimal lighting and results, and to remain consistent with our photography style, sessions are scheduled 60-90 minutes prior to sunset. During summer months, our sessions typically start at 7pm. While we know this can be late for little ones, we have found they usually “rally” once we’re out on the beach if they’ve had a nap/rest and something to eat ahead of time.

We do take a very limited number of morning/sunrise sessions, based on availably. If a morning session would work better for your family, please inquire.

Sadly there’s no magic formula to make kids cooperate, but we try our best to make session times fun. This is why we incorporate both structured groupings and candid photos.

Sometimes little ones won’t smile, and that’s ok. We do what we can, and when in doubt we have you interact with them vs trying to get them to smile at the camera. We try to change things up, and usually bring along a few tricks to entice smiles.

Let’s make magic!

Your family, your story.

Families come in all shapes & sizes, and we welcome ALL families. No matter if your kids are grown, or still tiny. If they have hair or if they have fur. We can’t wait to capture your vacation memories with your very own Outer Banks Beach Portrait Session.