By Ivan Djikaev Cape Cod Family Photographer / May 26th
I am not a native of the Cape. I spent most of my life living in a big city, and if anyone ever told me that a sandy peninsula south of Boston would become my home and the center of my professional life, I would never have believed them. Yet here I am.
Just like many others, my wife and her family have been coming here since she was a teen; we spent our honeymoon here, brought our kids here for summer vacations, and eventually decided to move to Falmouth.
There is a magic about this place that is hard to explain, and it keeps families coming back to the same beaches, lighthouses, and boardwalks, generation after generation. Authors write novels about the place, movies are filmed here, and of course, the small island of Martha’s Vineyard served as the location for one of the scariest movies of all time, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.
Although coastal erosion has shifted its beaches, little towns are growing, and traffic is becoming infamous, Cape Cod has managed to retain its character and its magic. There is something about the salt air, the endless sky, the sweeping dunes, and the majestic sunrises and sunsets that has kept the Cape’s magic stubbornly intact.
The pull of Cape Cod has a long and storied history, and understanding it helps explain why photography sessions here are different from those anywhere else.
For the full story of how a fishing outpost became America’s summer place — from the Wampanoag to Thoreau to Patti Page — I’ve written a longer history piece on my Substack.
A Cape Cod photography session offers more than just a beautiful backdrop; it places you in a setting that, for more than a century, has drawn people in and kept them coming back again and again!
I have clients I met over ten years ago who asked me to photograph their engagement portrait. We then worked together on a maternity shoot, and they returned to Cape Cod year after year. And each year we take a family portrait.
I would love to take all the credit, but I think that I have to share it with this place – Cape Cod is really the place to make your family’s memories happen.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cape Cod Family Photography
When is the best time of year for a Cape Cod family photo session?
The honest answer is that every season on the Cape is best for photography; however, when thinking of when to schedule your shoot, you need to decide what your photographs should feel like.
Summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) is the season on Cape Cod. Most likely, when you think of a traditional Cape Cod family photo, you think of one taken in the summer. The days are long, giving you more photography options; the water is warm, allowing you to incorporate it into the shoot.
Early fall (September and October) is hard to beat, and honestly, it might be my favorite. It’s less crowded, but the water is still warm enough to swim in. My wife usually swims in the ocean well into September. The light becomes more golden and directional than at the height of summer. It’s also the one season that opens up genuinely beautiful non-beach options. Cape Cod is New England, and the foliage gives you more options for different types of family portraits.
Winter (November through March) is the Cape most visitors never see. A windswept beach in February has a quiet beauty that no July afternoon can match. Bundled-up family sessions, snow on the dunes, gray Atlantic skies. It’s a different kind of photograph, and for the right family. You would be surprised how many family portraits I photograph in what most people think of as off-season.
Spring (April and May) is when Cape Cod wakes up. The light is clean and clear, the beaches are nearly empty, and there’s an unhurried pace to sessions that disappears once summer arrives.
And then in late spring, the cycle starts all over again.
What time of day produces the best photos?
I am sure most of you have heard of the Golden hour, an hour before the sunsets or after the sun rises. It’s when the light does all of the work for a photographer! The sun sits low on the horizon, atmosphere filters out the harsh blue wavelengths, and what’s left is warm, directional light that flatters every face. Shadows grow long. The entire sky becomes a soft reflector.
Bay-facing beaches (Upper Cape, Mid Cape) are best at sunset. Ocean-facing beaches on the Outer Cape catch equivalent light at sunrise — magnificent, but it requires an early start.
Golden hour shoots fill up very fast.
However, you should not have to make the photoshoot rule your vacation plans. Any good photographer knows how to work in bright sun. Please take a look at my blog post about bright-day photography and book a shoot that fits your vacation schedule!
How do tides affect Cape Cod beach photos?
Sunsets and sunrises are not the only factors that shape your family portrait shoot; after all, Cape Cod means tides! At low tide, beaches like Mayflower in Dennis or Crowes Pasture expose a quarter mile of tidal flats that shimmer like a mirror, while at high tide, those same beaches become a narrow strip of wet sand.
Before any tidal-flat session, I check the sunset time and the tide chart together. Regardless of whether you are looking to schedule a shoot or just thinking about the best time to go to the beach, the best tide-tracking app to use is Tides Near Me and Tide Guide (the latter was built by a Cape Cod local). Either one will tell you when the flats will be exposed, whether you’re planning a session or just the best time to bring the kids to the beach.
What if it’s cloudy on my photo session day?
If the skies are cloudy on the day of your shoot, you are in luck! Overcast light is soft, even, and flattering; it’s essentially a giant natural softbox.
Yes, you lose the dramatic sunset color but gain beautiful, even light across every face without harsh shadows.
The only weather I’d actually move a session for: steady rain. A partly cloudy sky with some drama is often more photographically interesting than a pure blue sky.
How should I plan for my photography session around Cape Cod traffic?
The Sagamore and Bourne bridges are the chokepoints, and every Cape Cod photographer plans around them. On summer Friday afternoons, inbound traffic can back up for miles. Sunday afternoons, the reverse. A 20-minute drive in October can take 90 minutes in July at the wrong hour.
For peak summer sessions, build in buffer time and avoid the bridges between 2 and 6 pm on summer Fridays. Upper Cape sessions are the easiest logistically; Provincetown sessions require the most planning. If you’re staying on the Cape already, you’ve avoided the worst of it, but you can still get stuck. The best way to avoid the traffic is to pick a beach or other location close to where you are staying.
What about parking?
Most Mid-Cape town beaches require a local sticker in peak season — worth researching for the town you’re staying in. National Seashore beaches (Marconi, Nauset Light, Race Point, Herring Cove) charge a daily vehicle fee but reliably have capacity. An America the Beautiful Annual Pass covers all of them and pays for itself quickly if you’re visiting multiple beaches.
Because I live in Falmouth, I have a town sticker, and I can take my clients to the beach in my car.
What should we wear for my Cape Cod family photo shoot?
This is one of the questions I get asked most often, whether for a family shoot or engagement portrait. My answer is always the same: wear what you like, what makes you comfortable. Don’t worry about the colors or the style; my best models are those who wear clothes they feel relaxed in.
Having said that, a couple of practical notes: wear shoes you can take off easily, a beach shoot usually means bare feet. Bring layers; the wind off the water has a temperature of its own. Bring a change of clothes, especially for the kids! Some of the best photos are taken when they are splashing around.
Another question that many clients ask is do I do mini sessions. I do not, and here is why.
As far as locations, I am putting together a very detailed blog post on the different beaches on the Cape for a shoot, so keep checking in.
In the meantime, my blog post about locations for a couple’s shoot also works for family photos!
If you think you are ready to book your annual family shoot, or if you have any additional questions, please reach out!
