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The Dunlap Family | A Beautiful Fort Walton Beach Vacation Session
When Ava Dunlap first contacted me about photographing her family while they were vacationing in Fort Walton Beach, I was excited to work with them. Fort Walton Beach is a little outside of my normal 50-mile service area, but I was happy to make the trip as long as they chose the location.
I hadn't photographed in Fort Walton Beach in over three years, and by the end of this session, I remembered exactly why.
Don't get me wrong—I completely understand why families love vacationing in Destin and Fort Walton Beach. The emerald water is stunning, the resorts are beautiful, and there is always something to do. For photography, however, I have become incredibly spoiled by the beaches we have in Pensacola and Navarre.
One of the things I appreciate most about Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach is the public access. If I need gorgeous light, quiet surroundings, or an empty stretch of sand, I know exactly where to go. It's not uncommon to walk for quite a while without seeing another person. Those peaceful beaches allow me to focus entirely on my clients instead of spending hours removing distractions later.
Since I left home early that afternoon, the drive to Fort Walton Beach was actually much easier than I expected. Light traffic was a pleasant surprise, and I arrived excited to finally meet the Dunlap family.
What a wonderful family they are.
I had the pleasure of photographing Ava and her boyfriend, Chandler; her mom, Shelley; stepdad, Jason; her sister, Ivey; brother-in-law, Mason; and without question, the true star of the evening—10-month-old Leighton.
Leighton completely stole my heart.
She was full of smiles, personality, curiosity, and laughter. Every time I pointed my camera in her direction, she gave me another adorable expression. She made photographing this family such a joy, and everyone was relaxed, kind, and genuinely fun to spend the evening with.
Then we stepped onto the beach.
The moment I looked around, I realized I had created quite a challenge for myself.
The beach was absolutely packed.
There were people everywhere—families, umbrellas, chairs, towels, swimmers, and vacationers enjoying the beautiful weather. My clients were completely accustomed to it, of course. To them, it was simply a busy summer beach.
As a photographer, however, I immediately knew what that meant.
Every single photograph would require extensive editing.
Normally, I love sharing a sneak peek gallery within a day or two after a session. It's one of my favorite parts of my job because I know how excited families are to see their images.
This time, I simply couldn't.
Not because the photographs weren't beautiful—they absolutely were. The weather was gorgeous, everyone looked amazing, and the family shared so many genuine smiles and wonderful moments together.
The problem was everything happening behind them.
Nearly every image contained people in the background, colorful umbrellas, beach chairs, coolers, towels, toys, or distractions that pulled attention away from the family. On top of that, there were very few dunes to use as natural backgrounds, and the buildings sat directly on the beach. Most weren't light-colored, so I couldn't use them as a soft secondary light source the way I often do in Pensacola or Navarre.
Every image required careful retouching.
Every.
Single.
One.
I knew I couldn't allow this session to delay every other family waiting for their galleries, so I had to make the difficult decision to skip posting a sneak peek and focus on completing everyone's sessions as quickly as possible.
Over the past two weeks, I slowly worked my way through the gallery, giving each photograph the attention it deserved.
And in the end...It was completely worth it.
The finished gallery turned out beautifully, and I'm so thankful the Dunlap family trusted me with their vacation memories. Looking through the final collection, all I see are genuine smiles, beautiful light, and a family enjoying time together. That's exactly what I hoped to create for them.
This session also reminded me of something important. As photographers, we're always learning. Sometimes the lesson comes from trying something different. Sometimes it comes from revisiting a location we haven't photographed in years. Every experience helps us become better at what we do.
Will I photograph in Fort Walton Beach again? Maybe.
But next time, I'd like to spend a day exploring the area with my daughter, searching for quieter locations and pockets of beautiful light before booking another session there. Until then, if you're vacationing in Destin or Fort Walton Beach and are willing to drive about twenty minutes west, I'll probably recommend meeting me in Navarre Beach instead.
The beaches are quieter.
The scenery is more natural.
The light is incredible.
And together, we can spend our time creating beautiful photographs instead of spending countless hours editing away the crowd.
Thank you again, Dunlap family, for such a fun evening. Meeting all of you was an absolute pleasure, and photographing little Leighton was definitely one of the highlights of my summer. I hope these photographs become treasured memories of your family vacation for many years to come.
