Two small children playing in the surf
Family of three walking down the beach holding their small son's hand
A little girl running from the ocean surf
Family walking along surf smiling and holding hands

OUTER BANKS Family Beach Portraits

Making memories in the soft & warm light of Golden hour.

Our beach portrait experience has become a time-honored tradition for many Outer Banks vacationing families. We use golden light and the natural scenic elements of the Outer Banks to capture moments in time spent with your loved ones. We include traditional group portraiture and playful candids of your entire group— an extra special memory that is enjoyed by multiple generations! Whether you’re gathering on the Outer Banks with extended family for the first time in way too long, or simply wanting to document your annual trip—our beach portrait sessions are a great way to hold onto your OBX memories.

Packages + Pricing

Bring home the beach

Bring home the beach

  • Early in the morning shortly after sunrise, or late in the evening about an hour before sunset. These are the best times for lighting.

  • We highly recommend Coquina beach access in Nags Head. This location is quintessential Outer Banks! With a stunning dune line filled with sea oats, there are no houses at this beach access giving your photos a very natural vibe. We also travel to Corolla for our northern OBX vacationers. We can use whatever beach access is closest to where you’re staying.

  • Unfortunately, we DO NOT travel to the 4x4 region of Carova. However, we are always willing to meet you at the northern most public access in Corolla.

  • We always recommended just dressing as yourself. Comfortable clothing that looks like something you would normally wear! Photography sessions are not a time for fashion experiments!! It’s always safe to wear something that you feel confident in! Traditional khaki & white are not recommended as it blends with the background. No graphic tee’s with loud our big logos! Band shirts, novelty shirts, wolves howling at the moon shirts, etc… not recommended.

  • We want this to be a fun and enjoyable experience for your family, so we ask that you PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY PERSONAL CAMERAS OR CELL PHONES!

    Transitional lenses look like sunglasses and do not translate well into professional photographs. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR TRANSITIONAL PRESCRIPTION LENSES BEHIND. We will not “photoshop” your transitional lenses to look like normal glasses. We also will not have time to do some photos with and with out your transitional lenses.

    Keys, sunglasses, phones, baby toys, snacks, etc... We will not hold or keep any of your personal items in our camera bags.

  • Both! Your session includes digital images but you may also order high-quality prints through your gallery.

  • A beach portrait session is 1 hour long. Pricing is based on the number of people in your party:

    1-9: $599 + tax
    10-17: $699 + tax
    18-29: $799 + tax

    For parties of 30 and more, please inquire for custom pricing.

  • We do not offer mini sessions!

  • Print and digital release for all images delivered in your online gallery.

  • There is a 5-8 week turnaround for gallery delivery. This is an industry standard, however we do our very best to deliver your gallery ASAP!

  • Beach Portrait sessions are NON REFUNDABLE unless it is PHYSICALLY RAINING at the time of your session and we cannot get your group rescheduled before you leave town.

  • The beach wouldn’t be the beach with out a breeze! Wind is to be expected and we never reschedule due to winds. Please plan outfits and hairstyles accordingly!

  • We also shoot a wide variety of other beach photography! Engagement sessions and senior portraits are always on our weekly agenda!

  • Fill out our contact form and we’ll be sure to email you back ASAP with our availability! Once we settle on a date, we’ll shoot you an invoice and get you on our calendar. We are highly sought after for family beach portraits so we take full payment upon receipt in order to hold your date!

FAQs

Sarah with her husband and two daughters

Meet the shooters

Hi. We’re Sarah and Madeline.

As sisters, we both grew up lucky to call the Outer Banks our home. And even luckier to have such a beautiful landscape as the backdrop for photographing our families. At SDP, we pride ourselves on our attention to detail and our ability (and flexibility) to shoot stunning photos of your family in the natural OBX elements.

Madeline with her husband and daughter

Take the beach home with you

We’d love to Shoot your Family beach portraits

Fill out our contact form and we’ll be in touch to schedule your session.

Shoot us an email or give us a ring! sarahdambraphotography@gmail.com 252.423.1335