Sharing today some beautiful beach senior photos! As a photographer in Chicago and California, I’m lucky to be able to photograph along the Pacific Ocean and Lake Michigan! Come check out these beach senior photos and get inspiration for your own photoshoot!
Beach Senior Photos
Beach Senior Picture Ideas
The beach offers a lot of flexibility and interactivity with the location! Here are some of my favorite beach senior picture ideas!
Look for locations at the beach WITHOUT water in the background!
It’s a little counter-intuitive – OF COURSE you want portraits with the water for your beach senior photos! But, when you look away from the shore, you can find some really pretty photo backdrops that still have that beach vibe, but show off a different facet and give you more variety in your senior portrait gallery. Especially at beaches with the water to the east, you are likely to actually have the BEST light scenarios if you don’t have the water in the background! I like to provide both angles for my clients so they get the best of both worlds. 🙂
Get in the water!
Weather permitting, getting in the waves can add fun movement and interest to your senior photos! It’s also adds a classic and fun vibe to your portraits. Be aware, though, that some days the waves can be high enough that even wading in the water isn’t a smart idea! I’ll be watching the weather and beach forecast in the days leading up to your photoshoot so you know exactly what conditions to expect.
Highlight beachy “things” that aren’t necessarily the waves
Look for cool structures that can provide interest in your beach senior photos! Maybe that’s a lighthouse, a pier, skyline, or a lifeguard station. Adding these to your images can give more of that beach vibe while also highlighting exactly where you’re at – North Avenue Beach, Scripps Beach – which lends more a personal feel to your portraits!
Beach Graduation Photos
Nothing quite captures the carefree vibe of summer like the beach! Choosing the beach for your graduation photos can be a really fun way to highlight that “peace out, I did it!” feeling! To get that beachy vibe in your graduation photos, there are some fun accessories you can bring. You could go for the full cap and gown, but I find that incorporating just a hint of that academic regalia – just the cap, or just the stole – leads to a more laid back feeling in your images. In think it’s a better fit for the casual location!
Another fun graduation accessory that meshes well with the beach is a lei. I’m happy to offer suggestions for where you can get one of your own for your beach graduation photos!
Just a cap and tassel – but that’s all you really need to signal the graduation look!
Beach Senior Pictures for Guys
Guys, don’t discount the beach as a location during your photoshoot! Beach senior pictures for guys are some of my favorites! The versatility and beauty of the location can lead to some really cool photo opportunities.
If you’re a senior guy who’s less about the posing and more about the athleticism, it can be fun to incorporate your love of the water into your photos! I’ve had seniors that wanted surfing photos, swimming photos, or volleyball photos at the beach!
And you can’t forget how beautiful sunset is for your beach senior photos! Whether the water is to the east or west of you, we can capture those beautiful sunset colors and the end of your shoot – fitting, as you wrap up your final year of school. 🙂
Interested in beach senior photos of your own? I’d love to help out! Reach out here to get the ball rolling for your own photoshoot!
Kristen Hazelton is an award-winning Oak Park, IL (West Chicagoland) and Livermore, CA (San Francisco East Bay Area) graduating senior, and family photographer. She occasionally photographs in San Diego, CA, Tucson, AZ, and Seattle, WA. You can inquire about your own photoshoot here!
