Jacksonville, FL has so many locations to offer!
"I have no idea where we should be taking our photographs". I'm sure you've thought this before while trying to take family photos for the upcoming holiday card. I have listed some great spots around Jacksonville, FL for beautiful photos.
beautiful beaches
Beaches in Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Beach has many beautiful options. There are gorgeous beaches from St Augustine Beach up to Atlantic Beach. Your photographer will likely take your photos at sunrise or sunset. This is for multiple reasons. First, the lighting is absolutely beautiful at these two times of day during 'golden hour'. The sun midday causes very harsh shadows and lighting conditions, which aren't as flattering. Second, there are crowds of people at the beach during midday. No one wants lots of people in their photos!
Is Sunrise or Sunset better at Jacksonville Beach for photos?
You CANNOT go wrong with either. Both are gorgeous with their own pros and cons.
Sunrise gives you the dreamy lighting and the sun coming up from behind you. The sun rises over the ocean since Jacksonville is on the east coast. It can be early to get up and ready, but there are many other pro's.
- Dreamy lighting with the sun behind you
- Children tend to do better in the morning (I know my son sure does, lol) since sunset puts us in the witching hour many times
- Less crowds and easy parking always
- Weather tends to be better with less chance of getting rained out (in my experience over the years)
- You can go enjoy breakfast and the rest of your day since you'll be done early!
Sunset is also absolutely stunning and allows bright colors and often a pink sky here in Jacksonville, FL. The hard part about sunset can be parking and crowds still at the beach from the gorgeous afternoon. There are lots of pro's as well.
- You have more time to get everyone ready during the day
- Bright and bold with perfect shadows, not as hazy as some mornings
- Gorgeous pinks in the sky
- You get to go out to dinner (& drinks if you want!) after (or before depending on the time of the year)
Below are photos from sunset (first three) and sunrise (last two) to see the difference!
What time will we take photos in the park?
Most parks have shade blocking that harsh sunlight that we see at the beach during the middle of the day. This makes the time of your photos much more flexible. I photograph a lot of families in the mid morning, when the kiddos are happy and ready for a great time. We most definitely can do this session at sunset as well, with the sun setting between the trees can be stunning.
We do have a few parks here in Jacksonville, FL that have a beautiful sunrise. My favorite is Memorial Park. It is on the west side of the river so the sun rises up over. A lot of the other parks that I like to photograph are on the east side of the river. These are better at sunset while the sun comes down between the trees.
Where are the parks in Jacksonville, FL?
- Riverfront Park: this park is my favorite, it is on SR13 near Rivertown. It has beautiful trees with Spanish moss and a pretty dock.
- Walter Jones Historic Park: this park is in Mandarin and has so many gorgeous locations to take photos in one spot. There is an open field with trees hanging over and moss. There is a white house with stairs and a pretty front patio. There is also a walkway that goes over the water and the sun sets beautifully between the trees.
- Memorial Park: this is a beautiful park downtown Jacksonville. It is a perfect spot for a sunrise park session since the sun rises over the river. It is much more open than the other parks.
All three of the images below were taken mid morning in a park!
