After moving from Wisconsin 5 years ago, one of the first places we grew to love was Boca Grande. A small island south of Sarasota and north of Captiva Island. The island is small, quaint and not over run with the typical spring break tourists. It gives off that old Florida charm. If you are every looking for a getaway on this gorgeous island, be sure to check out Gasparilla Inn! It’s historical charm will leave your heart skipping a beat.

One of my favorite times to photograph families is sunrise. I think, honestly, if I had the option I would choose to photograph a lot more sunrise sessions over sunset. While we do have some of the most spectacular sunsets on the Gulf Coast, we have such beautiful sunrises too. Especially when you are trying to schedule a session in the evening during our raining season. I rarely have to reschedule, but when I do, and another sunset session isn’t available during your stay, we do sunrise. I know, it’s early, especially now, starting around 6:30am. BUT, it’s soooo worth it.

The little ones are usually a lot happier in the morning than evenings, seeing that sunset is at 8:30pm, most are getting ready for bed then. Your day is done! No worry about watching the weather, waiting to see how your day will plan out. And, we rarely ever have morning storms. Oh, and the best perk, at least for me…..no one else is usually out, except for a few early dog walkers.  We have the beach to ourselves.

Jessica had contacted me a quick little mini session on Boca Grande and we both agreed that sunrise was the best. Miss Madelyn was such a happy little girl. They even brought her a little cupcake to celebrate her 1 year milestone. She wasn’t a big fan, but was cute regardless. Here’s the images from their session to give you an idea of what to expect from a Mini Session.