Category Archives: Coastal Sessions

What to Do at Holden Beach | Favorite Things

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I just photographed two sweet families at Holden Beach (one in this blog post!) and with our first ever Coastal Minis coming up, I wanted to share a few of my favorite things about Holden Beach for those coming to visit. First of all, the colors this Mama chose for her session – love, love, love. The boys coordinated perfectly with their sister. We did end up having some no see em’s (I think that’s what they are called) the night of their session, but these kids still played and laughed in the ocean, no problem. It was a complicated week trying to figure out when to have our session because of the tropical storm. Everytime we thought it was going to rain per the forecast, it was a gorgeous day. It actually rained right before I photographed this family. (I was in middle of a downpour on the beach photographing the other family! Can’t wait to share their images soon! ) A lot going on in one evening!

A few of my favorites at Holden Beach..

1.My favorite place to eat is the Yacht Basin Provision Company. (They also have a location at Southport, so when googling, make sure you pick Holden Beach) It is on the mainland right under the bridge. It’s a super cute dock with great shrimp, crabcakes and burgers. (I usually get “thee special”)

2.If you love coffee, we absolutely love Ocean Boulevard Coffee. It’s right when you turn on the island, and it’s in the same building as Beach Fun Rentals. They also have wi-fi, which is awesome.

3.Speaking of Beach Fun Rentals, we have loved renting bikes from them – especially since we can get a tagalong bike for Owen and baby bike seat for Harrison.

4.For pizza, you can get dominoes delivered, but I’m definitely going to recommend Patronie’s Pizza. 

5.Produce. Since you know I love some produce with my whole30 eating and all, and who can resist having watermelon around in the summer, we have loved Lulum’s Produce which is on the way to Shallotte. They also sell an amazing key lime pie.

6.If you want to go out for breakfast, have a burger or lunch, or especially if you need a birthday cake or dessert, you will want to go to The Purple Onion. They have so many baked goodies, but call ahead and order if you need a birthday cake. They are open until 2pm most days.

7.Ice Cream. Beaches -n- Cream all the way. My favorite of theirs has been the Krispy Kreme, but you just never know when they will have it. (You can check their social media for their daily flavors)

8. Sunset Slush is a fun place to take the kids. It’s right under the bridge and the kids can play cornhole while they eat their slushie.

9.The walkway/pier under the bridge. It’s fun to walk out there and watch the boats. You can also see what the fishermen have caught.

We’ve also eaten at The Seafood Barn (get there right at 5 to beat the rush, Castaways, and Archibalds – great for a sandwich or chess pie!) Inlet view is a little bit of a drive but is also a fun place with cornhole + gorgeous view.

9. If you want to drive a little bit, Calabash isn’t super bar and we love eating at The Boundary House and then perusing through the Christmas shop there.

10. Miss Minnie’s Antiques – a fun shop to stop in if you are in Shallotte.

11. Tide Dye Tuesday under the bridge. So much fun, and this year they had 5.00 Holden Beach 2016 shirts – so much fun and a great memory. Tuesdays 2-3:30 on the island right under the bridge at the Pavillion. (right next to Sunset Slush) We got there early, and there was already a line.

What to Do If It Rains

It is inevitable that it will rain at some point if you stay at the beach long enough, right? Especially if you are staying for a week. Shallotte is not too far and has a few great options

1.Planet Fun is just that – fun. It is such a great place for kids – so many fun things for them to do.

2.Go See a Movie. If there are some fun kids movies out, this is a great spot.

We love Holden Beach. It’s so quiet and such a great family beach..Most of all our favorite part of Holden, the beach.

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Rebecca Keller is a Holden Beach Family Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Let the Kids Dress Themselves. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information and family photography and travel sessions.

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Holden Beach Family Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography

We’ve had so many requests for Coastal Sessions this year that we’ve decided to open up a Limited Edition Event. We rarely ever offer Family minis, and this year we will be offering Coastal Session Family Minis.  These will be styled by Little Apple Styles so they will be very unique and special. (So excited about these!) They have already been opened up to 2016 Clients, so we only have two sunset spots left! If you have been thinking about booking a Coastal Session, contact us as soon as possible. (You can see more Coastal Sessions here) Coastal Sessions are fun, windy, sandy, and include a lot of running around and playing on the beach with your kids. It’s a fun memory with beautiful artwork for your walls. These will be at Holden Beach July 3rd with a rain date of July 5th.

Fill out the form below for more information.


 

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Rebecca Keller is a Holden Beach Family Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including The Bump. contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about travel sessions, family and newborn photography in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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August was such a great month. We spent our last days at the beach, got ready for Kindergarten, and then took a trip to Washington, D.C. for a newborn session and got to spend a little bit of time with friends sightseeing.

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Holden Beach Family Portrait Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography 

1.The kindergarten schedule has taken some getting used to. He gets out of school pretty early – I have to be in carpool at 1:40 and wait for him until 2 and sometimes don’t really get back home until 2:30 depending on how far back I was in the carpool line. Until this week, I was still trying to figure out the best way to organize a new working schedule and I think I’ve finally found it. (He is looooooving kindergarten which is so great and looks forward to every day)

2.Carpool is a great time for catching up on reading. I can’t read anything during morning carpool, but having to sit there in the afternoon for 20 minutes or more, I’ve already read one book, and I’m starting on another. If I didn’t have this time, I’d find it difficult to sit down and read during the day.

3.Along the lines of starting school this month, I have realllly enjoyed packing school lunches again. It’s been so much fun, and I’m not sure how long he’ll let me pack him batman sandwiches or lightsaber skewers, so I’m just going to make his lunchbox fun as long as possible.

4.If you go to the Air and Space Museum in DC, you get to go in a real spaceship. Owen was in love, and I’d have to say, it was pretty cool.

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Rebecca Keller is a Holden Beach Family Portrait Photographer in Raleigh, NC. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about family photography and travel sessions.

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My sister-in-law and I had chatted about updating their family portraits at the beach this summer, and it didn’t work out for us all to be together July 4th this year, so it finally worked out at the very end of July. We decided we were going to take them the evening they got to the beach, and we had chatted about all the details. It was pretty hilarious as we were picking out wardrobe, my brother had no idea he needed to go get ready for family portraits, and during the whole thing we were laughing hysterically as he was taking pictures of pretty much everything (his feet? the sand? a bird overhead maybe?) I had to keep reeling him in to take a few more photos without laughing too much that the camera wasn’t still. There were a lot of giggles, and my nieces were so excited to see the ocean – so super cute.

If you are thinking about booking a Coastal Session for next year, I only offer a few spots and I’m already booking them for next year’s holiday weekends – contact me for more info.

According to Mom…

Why did you choose this location and what was the weather like the day of your session? We had our session at Holden Beach because it is where our family vacations and it’s a beautiful setting! The weather was perfect!

What’s your favorite family activity? We love to LAUGH. All the time. I’m so glad our girls have a healthy sense of humor.

Who are the members of your family and tell me a quick fact about each person. Jason is a pastor and Amy is a homeschooler. Eden loves books and Caroline basically does whatever Eden tells her to do until she’s over it.

What were your favorite parts of the session? I love how happy the girls were. We were fresh off the road so I was nervous that they would be in a mood, but it was our first trip down to the water and they were so excited! That definitely helps when you are wanting natural smiles for the camera! And of course, Becky was ready with lots of ideas to keep them engaged!

Tell me about the outfits you wore to the session and why you chose them. I wasn’t sure which outfits would work best for the shoot, but Becky looked at the options I had and came up with the perfect combination. I definitely wanted something relaxed and fun but also wanted my girls to coordinate.

What props did you bring and why? We only had the blanket as a prop because the water, sand, dunes, and boardwalk don’t need any help – they provide the perfect backdrop.

What are some words of wisdom you have for other families preparing for a session? Be ready to just relax and have fun together. Becky will do a fantastic job of catching the best expressions and angles.

Holden Beach Family Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography

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Rebecca Keller is a Holden Beach Family Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Let the Kids Dress Themselves and Lemonade and Lenses. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about coastal sessions, newborn photography, and family photography.

 

 

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It’s hard to believe this is the third year I’ve photographed this sweet family at Holden Beach right around July 4th. I only take a limited number of Coastal Sessions each year, and this sweet family has celebrated their little one’s first, second, and now third birthday with portraits at the beach. I love the beach, and I think we laughed soooo much just from the wind during this session. (Never forget how windy it is at the beach) This year we decided to add in the marina and were even brave enough to head to the pier. You just never know how many people could be trying to take pictures under the pier. (And I may have sprinted from the walkway to the pier when I saw it was free. We started at the marina, and these two little ones just LOVE each other- how precious are they together? So many smiles and giggles which made this session so much fun. There was a concert going on under the bridge while we were taking pictures at the marina which was also amazing.This mama is the talent behind Little Apple Styles who is so talented at styling sessions!

Styled by Little Apple Styles

Holden Beach Family Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography

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Rebecca Keller is a Holden Beach Family Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Let the Kids Dress Themselves and Lemonade and Lenses. Contact the studio for more information about Raleigh Newborn Photography and travel sessions.

 

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