Isle of Palms, SC Family Vacation Pictures | Charlotte Family Photographer

I love family vacation pictures. Especially when I get invited on vacation to take them! Just kidding. This family probably wouldn’t mind if I left the camera behind occasionally … one of them might even prefer that from time to time! Confession: This is my brother P.J. and his family. They invited us to join them for a few days at Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. They NEVER ask me to take pictures. They just have the pleasure of me following them around documenting their days 😉 Maybe a blessing. Maybe a curse. The jury is still out. I’ve never been able to control my shooting urges at the beach. I love the light airy tones of the sand, water and sky. I love capturing the kids playing together and experiencing new things. I love it all so much that I made multiple trips to the condo to retrieve and restore my photography gear. Typically I’ll shoot with my iPhone during the harsh sun hours but being my first beach trip this year, I couldn’t stand it. Even at high noon, I trekked through the sand and 100+ temps to get my professional camera. I’ve included a few of those shots in this post too. But first, here are some family portraits we shot in about 10 minutes at sunset. I was on the clock, big time. It was the end of a long, fun day of sun and surf. And dinner was calling. Well, technically it was the hostess but the point is, we had places to be.

family vacation portraits - Isle of Palms, South Carolina

Here are a few of the shots I took in full sun. High noon. You will hear many photographers say it’s the worst time of day to shoot. I’ll agree it’s not my ideal lighting situation but don’t ever shy away from it. You might miss moments like these.

Here is my son Jay heading out to boogie board and watch for sharks. We were there only a few days after the recent shark attacks in North Carolina waters.

Thank you for taking time to read about my own family. I’m hoping to get the rest of them in front of my camera soon too! Click here to view more vacation photos or here for recent family sessions from the blog. And don’t miss all the cuteness in my children’s gallery.

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Abbe McCracken is a portrait and lifestyle photographer serving Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas of Matthews, Ballantyne, Weddington. She specializes in family, child, newborn and event photography. Abbe is a member of the National Association of Professional Child Photographers and is the 2015 winner of Charlotte Smarty Pants’ Best Family Photographer, Hulafrog South Charlotte’s Most Loved Family Photographer and Charlotte Parent Readers’ Favorite Family Photographer.