We want you to see how we work with the bright sunlight at the beach, including the bright afternoon light and golden hour at sunset, and how we embrace the sunlight in our pictures.

As the photos go on and time continues towards sunset, you'll see the light become more golden and soft.

Note that the photos are in focus, but the character of the light adds a soft glow that we love! 

Note that golden hour (the 1-2 hours before sunset) is THE best time to take photos and is the only time we will take photos at the beach.
Any earlier in the day the lighting will be very harsh, you will be squinting, have dark, deep shadows in your face and more details will be lost. We will always place the sun behind you so that you aren’t squinting and creating more face wrinkles, but that means that the lighting is much brighter in the scenery around you. Cloudy days are of course very different and will provide much more detail and muted colors in the photos, scroll on to see more!

Cloudy days at the beach means more muted colors with more of the background and sky being visible in the photos. No matter where you are, you will have even, soft lighting on your face and you won't have to worry about squinting!

Sometimes, there is even different lighting during the same session!
Rest assured we will edit the colors to be the same, but you can really see the difference between sunny and cloudy here on the same subjects.
The first two photos are when it was cloudy, the second two are when the sun came out:

For your ceremony we would shoot it however it is set up! Whether that is facing into the sun or away from it.

This wedding ceremony was on the beach right across from the Hilton Resort in Santa Barbara during low tide. It was near sunset in the afternoon (5:30pm) in the early summer, (May 3) when the sun sets around 7:30pm.

The ceremony was set so that there was direct sun light on the couple and bridal party! This meant a lot of squinty faces and harsh shadows because the sun is shining directly in eyes.

But! You do get to see a lot of the background and the incredible blue color of the sea!

This wedding ceremony was at Luscomb Point on the Sunset Cliffs in San Diego. It was early in the afternoon (3:30pm) in the early summer, (May 13) when the sun sets around 7:30pm.

The ceremony was set so the sun was coming from the left side (side lighting) so while the lighting was bright, it wasn't causing the same squinty eyes as the first wedding.

Instead you have occasionally awkward highlights and shadows on faces and this lighting can often make eyes look deep set and dark.

This wedding ceremony was at Point Dume in Malibu during low tide. It was early in the afternoon (4:30pm) in the early spring, (May 13) when the sun sets around 6pm.

They also had this beautiful, fabric covered chuppah which added some shade and diffused the light.

The shade and fabric helped the lighting and the shadows to be less severe and more soft.

This wedding ceremony was at Victoria Beach, Laguna Beach during high tide. It was early in the morning (10am) in the early autumn, (October 17) when the sun rises at 7am.

The ceremony began just as the marine layer of clouds was starting to burn off. So again there were harsh shadows and squinty eyes.

The ceremony had bright side lighting and get to see a lot of the background and the incredible blue color of the sea!

After the ceremony, we will resume our normal method of placing you with the sun behind you for the most flattering lighting highlighting your best features...more about golden hour, golden glow and bright backgrounds.
Make sure you'll love our beach photos, and as always, we'll be happy to answer any questions you might have!