Ideal Family Photo locations on Kiawah Island

Kiawah has numerous picturesque settings to snap some really great photos of the family. A family gathering in the low country is not complete without capturing the moment with several memorable photos. The ideal island photo spots include the ocean/beach area, the river marsh, golf courses and the hotel/resort grounds. If there are no constraints with money or time, consider hiring an island photographer to capture the moment. Most of the Charleston area photographers are accustomed to meeting you at Kiawah or Seabrook to take some awesome family photos. We have outsourced our picture taking twice in the eleven years I have traveled to Kiawah. All the other times, we snap the pictures ourselves. We typically set up a tripod or enlist the help of in-laws or strangers to take the family photos. I put together a list of my favorite places to shoot family photos.


Beach – A sunset setting on the beach is one of the best places to get a picture of the family. We hail from the Midwest and the warm Atlantic is one of our main draws to coming back to this beautiful prestine beach every year. Beach front is accessible through numerous paths throughout the island. We usually come out along the beachfront in front of the Sanctuary hotel. If you choose to do photos on the beach, try and arrange to get there an hour or two before sunset. This extra time will allow numerous shots.

Marsh – Another great location for taking family photos is along the Kiawah river marsh. This large open setting is one of the crown jewels when approaching the island. One can travel all along the eastern seaboard of the United States and see beautiful coastal views of the ocean, however the sunset views over the inter-coastal marshes are the real treat for some amazing panoramic pictures. A dusk picture session by the Kiawah River bridge or Mingo Point will make for some awesome sunset photos. If your stay on Kiawah includes a family canoe or kayak trip along the river, make sure to bring the camera (as long as it is strapped around your neck so it doesn’t fall in the water). The water voyage may even include a dolphin sighting or two.

Golf Courses – Take the family out for round of golf at any one of the great resort courses and bring along a camera when you go. These courses are some of the finest around and also provide great colorful backgrounds for some good portraits. The Ocean course is one of the best courses for family pictures.

Resorts – Take a walk over the Sanctuary for some great photo shoots. The gardens, lawn and walkways provide some excellent backdrops for family portraits. Beautiful landscaping includes numerous palmettos, ancient oaks, Spanish moss, and lovely flower gardens along the walkway to the hotel.

Kiawah Island site of 2013 Dream Home

As if the 2012 PGA Championship is not enough to put Kiawah in the spotlight, along comes the well known cable channel HGTV to set up camp on the Island. That’s right; Kiawah will be the site of the 2013 HGTV Dream Home sweepstakes. The site of the home’s construction will be at the new development of Indigo Park which is located in a secluded eastern section of Kiawah just off Governors Drive near the River Course. I have biked past this beautiful stretch of marsh and river on numerous occasions and can easily see why Kiawah would develop a quaint neighborhood in such a picturesque setting. The Indigo Park developers are keeping the marsh environment and scenery intact as these homes are built with the marsh still as a focal point of the neighborhood.  This dream home like the others within Indigo Park are built upon LEED concept guidelines, which means every facet of environmental stewardship and sustainability will factor into construction.  I am excited to see how this environmentally friendly project turns out and will definitely enter this contest as many chances as I can get. Keep the pictures coming, HGTV!