What to Wear for a Beach Family Portrait Session in Perth (and Why We Almost Always End Up Barefoot)

It happens more often than you'd think. A family arrives at Cottesloe for their portrait session dressed beautifully - pressed shirts, a floral dress, polished shoes - and within about three minutes, the sea breeze has arrived, a toddler has made a beeline for the water, and the shoes that took too long to put on are sinking quietly into the sand.

I'm not telling this story to embarrass anyone. I'm telling it because with a little preparation, that scenario simply doesn't happen - and the session is better for everyone.

After more than 30 years of photographing Perth families at the beach, I've worked out what makes a beach portrait session flow easily and what makes it harder than it needs to be. Most of it comes down to one thing: dress for where you actually are.

The Beach Is Not a Ballroom - Dress Accordingly

The most common mistake families make is treating a beach session like a formal occasion. Stiff fabrics, structured clothes, shoes with heels or buckles, hair that has been pinned, sprayed and styled into something that requires stillness to survive.

The beach doesn't do stillness. The light moves. The kids move. The wind moves. And the best photographs - the ones families come back to again and again - are the ones where everyone looks relaxed and genuinely themselves, not like they've wandered off a school photo day.

Formal clothing isn't just impractical on a beach. It changes how people carry themselves. It makes kids stiff. It makes parents self-conscious. It works against the natural, relaxed feel that makes a great family portrait.

What Actually Works at the Beach

The simplest rule: wear clothes you could comfortably sit, walk, run and possibly get slightly sandy in.

For adults, linen and cotton are ideal - they move well, breathe in Perth's warmth, and photograph beautifully. Jeans work brilliantly at the beach, especially paired with a relaxed shirt or a simple top. Soft summer dresses flow naturally in a breeze and give portraits a lovely, timeless quality. Shorts work well in summer. Layers are useful in the cooler months - a light jacket or wrap can be removed for some shots and kept on for others.

For children, comfortable everyday clothes are almost always the right call. The clothes they wear to a relaxed Sunday morning. T-shirts, shorts, a simple dress. Clothes they can move in, climb in, crouch in the sand in - because they will.

Coordinating colours rather than matching outfits tends to look better in photographs. Soft neutrals, warm earth tones, dusty blues and greens all work well at the beach. Avoid very bright whites (they can overexpose against a bright sky) and very dark black (loses detail in strong sunlight). Avoid large logos or text on clothing - they draw the eye away from faces.

Shoes - or Rather, the Lack of Them

Bare feet win at the beach. Almost every time, without exception.

Shoes on a beach look awkward in photographs and create practical problems - heels sink, buckled shoes take forever to remove, and anything with laces becomes a sand trap. More importantly, taking shoes off changes something in how people feel. There's a reason we call it "getting grounded." When your feet are in fine Cottesloe sand, you connect with where you are. Kids relax. Parents let go. The session starts to feel like a Sunday afternoon rather than an appointment.

If bare feet genuinely aren't an option, simple flat sandals or thongs are fine. But if you're considering whether to bring those beautiful heeled sandals - leave them in the car.

The Cottesloe Sea Breeze - Let's Be Honest About It

The Fremantle Doctor, as Perth people know, arrives most afternoons from the south-west, often picking up through the middle of the day in summer. At Cottesloe beach, which faces almost directly west, this means a reliable and sometimes brisk breeze - which is wonderful for keeping the session cool, and presents exactly one challenge: hair.

For women and girls with longer hair, the Cottesloe sea breeze will do as it pleases. No amount of styling will hold up indefinitely. This is worth knowing in advance rather than discovering mid-session.

Practical approaches that actually help: a light application of hairspray before you arrive can keep a style in place for longer. Loose, natural styles tend to look better in a breeze than structured ones - a gentle wave or a loose braid photographs beautifully when it moves a little. A few discreet hair ties in a pocket give us options to quickly pull hair back for some shots and let it out for others.

I also know the beach well enough to find shelter when we need it. The Cottesloe Groyne runs out into the water from the southern end of the beach, and on a south-westerly day the northern side of that groyne provides a quiet wind shadow that changes everything. We use it often - and most families don't even realise we've moved into shelter until they notice their hair has stopped fighting them.

A Few More Things Worth Knowing Before You Arrive

Arrive relaxed, not rushed. Leave ten minutes of buffer time. Running late with children and a car full of beach gear sets a tone that takes a while to undo.

Skip the heavy makeup for a beach session. The light outdoors is very different from indoor light, and the natural warmth of a Perth afternoon means that a lighter hand with makeup almost always photographs more naturally.

Bring a bag with a few essentials: spare hair ties, a small brush or comb, a light cardigan or wrap, and a few wipes for sandy hands or faces. A water bottle. A snack for the kids if the session runs long.

Let the children touch the sand. Crouch in it, run on it, chase the birds. The parents who spend the session telling kids not to get dirty tend to have stiff, anxious photos. The parents who let go and join in tend to have their best images.

The Best Versions of These Sessions

The best beach portrait sessions I've photographed share a quality that has very little to do with what anyone is wearing. They happen when families arrive, take their shoes off, feel the sand under their feet, and let go of trying to look like something other than what they are.

The clothes are natural. The hair is imperfect. The kids are moving. The breeze is doing its thing. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, someone laughs at something real - and that's the photograph.

If you'd like to talk through what a beach session would look like for your family - location, timing, what to wear, or anything else - I'm very happy to chat. That's what the pre-session consultation is for.

Geoff Fisher

Fisher Photography photographs families across Perth's Western Suburbs. Geoff Fisher holds AIPP Master Photographer accreditation. Favourite beach locations include Cottesloe, City Beach, Mosman Park and the Swan River foreshore.