10 Tips and Tricks for Planning Your Family Session at the Imperial Sand Dunes
We are NO strangers to family sessions at the Imperial Sand Dunes or Glamis Sand Dunes. We absolutely love doing family sessions at the dunes and work hard to create a unique client experience with our sessions there. Whether you are visiting, from Yuma or stationed here with the military for a few years, we believe the dunes are such a unique place to capture family photos and we try to do it in a very memorable way. We don’t aim to just take photos smiling at the camera. We aim to create heirloom quality memories for you and your family to pass down for generations to come. Having done hundreds of family sessions at the Sand Dunes, here are some of our tips and tricks for planning your family session there.
Plan your Wardrobe. I always like to encourage my clients to plan for a good mix of colors, patterns and textures. Bold colors and patterns do well at the Sand Dunes because it is like a big blank canvas. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll get a beautiful colorful sky but often times, you can also get a clear sky mixed with the sand. I do think neutrals are beautiful too but even if you do a neutral color palette, I would encourage you to aim for some patterns and a mix of textures within that to help create depth in your family photos.
Don’t plan on shooting if the wind is over 10mph. Wind is the biggest hindrance at the sand dunes. It helps to have a slight breeze because it adds to the drama of photos at the sand dunes BUT you do NOT want the wind to be too strong. Your hair blowing everywhere, sand in your mouth, your little ones screaming or getting too cold are all things we want to avoid. Aim for low to no winds at your session. We will watch the weather as we get closer to your session and reschedule as needed.
Do you need a pass? Technically yes. They are $30 for a day pass. (at the time of this post) You need to go to a gas station nearby OR stop at the little check in station when you get there depending on where you are shooting. I like to shoot my sessions at Buttercup Ranger Station. They have a little drive up station to grab a pass from but they aren’t always open. You can get your pass from Flying J’s Truck Stop (10800 N Frontage Rd, Yuma, AZ 85365) in the Foothills, The gas station in the Walmart (2900 S Pacific Ave, Yuma, AZ 85365) parking lot on Pacific, OR at the Speedway Gas Station (3200 Old US Hwy 80) off of the exit on the way to the Sand Dunes from Yuma.
Ditch the shoes. My advice is to just shoot without shoes. Sometimes men specifically want to wear shoes and that’s okay if they feel more comfortable doing that but if everyone is good with ditching shoes, that is the way to go. It’s hard to walk in the sand with shoes on so no shoes is better. That being said, you’ll want flip flops or something you can easily take off AFTER we walk past the bad sand. The sand below can often times have glass or debris in it. Once we get higher up into the sand dunes, there will be cleaner sand and you can ditch the shoes them.
BRING WATER. Grab a water bottle and have it ready for you or the kids. We will walk a little ways (it’s not too far but far and high enough to make you need to catch your breath a little) so bring some water to help if anyone needs it. You won’t be able to run back to the car easily so bring it with you when we walk up.
If there is a sight wind, choose hairstyles that will secure your kids’ hair.
Lighting is everything at the sand dunes. There are not places to hide in the shade and take photos so if we have a day with zero cloud coverage, we may walk up and then hang out a little for the time with the PERFECT lighting. Planning your session RIGHT at sunset is imperative at the dunes to get the best looking sand.
Avoid weekends that will bring heavy traffic at the sand dunes. Holiday weekends, popular camping weekend, and any weekend where there will be lots of tourists are not ideal for the sand dunes. If you can choose a week day evening over a weekend, that is best. You will have cleaner sand without all of the ATV tracks and footprints in the sand.
Sunrise Sessions are beautiful and have the least amount of traffic for sure! Consider a sunrise session if you are a morning person!
Let me help you with your wardrobe! We have an entire client closet that we keep stocked with gorgeous gowns for the sand dunes!
Hope this blog post helps! If you would like to get onto our calendar for a Dunes Session this year, reach out soon! We can’t wait to work with you!
