Sanibel Family Sunset Shoot
If you want to walk the beaches of Sanibel Island at sunset, this is the place. This family wanted to get everyone together for a beach photo shoot when all the cousins were in town together. They are the perfect ages to capture playing on the beach, all of them being under five. With it being summertime in Florida, we had an afternoon rain shower (it even hailed!), but the sky turned an amazing shade of pink and purple for us as the sun went down. These summertime sunsets are unlike anything else, making this night on Sanibel the stuff beach photographer’s dream of.
If you go, drive down Periwinkle and enjoy the ambiance, there are so many wonderful little shops and restaurants all over the island to enjoy. Don’t forget to take a bicycle ride! You will see bikers all over the island and easy rentals right on the main road.
Nearby Captiva provides a beautiful drive if you want to go a little further past Ding Darling. While there is no large public beach to speak of on Captiva aside from near Blind Pass, you can enjoy the scenery and make the trek all the way to the Mucky Duck. Stop there for dinner and you can watch the sun set before heading back. If you want a little more upscale dinner on Captiva, Tween Waters Inn has a nice restaurant right that is right across the street from the hotel’s beach access. You could enjoy dinner there and then walk over to enjoy the view, just note the parking lot is for guests and hotel visitors only.
Speaking of Tween Waters, it is one of two amazing resorts on Captiva. At the far end of the island there is the South Seas Island Resort. It’s a beautiful property if you are staying on Captiva Island and I highly suggest hiring a beach photographer while there. I love shooting down at the end of the golf course near the rocks, you can see North Captiva Island off in the distance. North Captiva is only accessible via ferry ride, and for that reason I don’t photograph families who are staying over there. It is great for those who truly want to get away from it all.
If you happen to have just one day on Sanibel to sightsee, here are a few places I recommend checking out that my family and I always enjoy when we visit:
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
There really is so much to see and explore on the islands of Sanibel and Captiva, even if you only have a day to venture up from Naples or Marco Island. I’m always happy to head over if you need a family photographer while there.
