One of my favorite things about summer? It’s the start of family portrait season! 

Starting every summer running through Christmas card season (yes, that’s a thing) I get the pleasure of capturing memories for all sorts and sizes of families across the Lowcountry… including at gorgeous Kiawah Island Golf Resort. 

If you’ve never been to Kiawah, you’re missing out. The Sanctuary Hotel is a stunning luxury hotel right on the ocean with sweeping views and a magnificent interior, but there are a number of beautiful resort villas and rental homes available for those looking for a cozier, maybe more family-oriented vacation.

And in fact, Kiawah is unique in that it’s a place families come back to for vacation year after year. I can’t tell you how many times during a family portrait my clients will tell me they’ve been coming to the island with their parents for a decade, now to rent a house for their own family. How lovely is that?

So when the Disbennett family hired me for not one but TWO family portrait sessions out on Kiawah (they really got the whole gang together this year!), I was pretty excited about it. The Sanctuary is fabulously landscaped and a wonderful backdrop for photography, which I was super grateful for since we wound up with ridiculously powerful winds on the beach. 

We started out in the gardens and front lawn for some more traditional family portraits before heading out to the beach for a more candid look - and lots of laughter thanks to the insane wind force. This group was a delight to work with and absolutely made my day by asking if we could do a jumping shot in the ocean at the end! Scroll down to the bottom for the ending shot!

Want to see more family portrait work by Reese Moore Photography? Check out this family portrait with TWINS in Hampton Park here! Or this adorable candid-style baby session on Seabrook Island here.