Have you ever wanted to take family photos while you’re on vacation but don’t know where to start? I’m here to help.

I have been fortunate enough to live in a vacation spot for the last several years and something that I absolutely love doing is working with families who come to town on vacation. During the summer about half of my clients are people who are here on vacation. I get people who are just with their immediate family for a beach vacation, renting a big airbnb (or a string of them!) for an extended family reunion or just a couple on their baby moon.

But no matter the occasion, getting your family photos taken on vacation can be a lot to take on. Here are three things you can do to make the process a little easier and less stressful!

1. bring outfits you can rewear

It’s enough to plan out outfits for vacation, add in trying to plan and coordinate outfits for you and your family for photos just adds to the stress and to the suit case weight. So pick pieces that you, and your family members, can easily rewear while you’re on your trip!

2. don’t stress about location

If you’re visiting somewhere you’ve never been before, you aren’t going to know the area very well. Trust your photographer! They are the local here and no doubt they’ll have tons of great location options for you and your fam.

3. try to schedule for the beginning of your trip

I have a few reasons for this tip! First and foremost, if your family is anything like mine, the photos are an event. It’s something that half the people participating are dreading and the other half are worried about how the kids (and the dads lol) will behave for photos. So do them early and get them over with! This also gives your family, and your photographer, some flexibility if there is inclement weather. It makes rescheduling and being flexible a lot less stressful! And lastly, if you’re vacationing somewhere sunny, doing your photos early decreases the risk that you or your loved ones might have a bad sunburn. No need for “sorry can you photoshop that out!?” when everyone is still working on their base tan!