FIELD NOTES · ISSUE NO. 14
A working photographer's packing list
South Shore Photography, based in Rockland, MA, photographs families on-location across Hingham, Scituate, Norwell, Duxbury, Marshfield, Cohasset, Hanover, Weymouth, and Plymouth. Chris McCarthy has run hundreds of outdoor family sessions in this region — beaches, parks, harbor walks, conservation land — and this is the packing list he wishes every family had a week before the session.
Outdoor sessions live or die on what you brought with you. I have watched a flawless plan unravel because a juice box exploded on a white linen shirt forty seconds after we parked. I have seen golden-hour light vanish while a parent drove home for the hair brush nobody packed. This guide is everything I have learned about what to bring, what to leave at home, and how to pack a family-portrait bag that actually saves the session instead of weighing you down. It is the same checklist I send my own clients — written from the photographer's side of the camera.
On-location family portraits on the South Shore mean we are usually 15 to 30 minutes from your house — at a beach in Duxbury, a carriage path in Hingham, a marsh boardwalk in Scituate. When something is missing, we lose it. There is no running back to the bathroom mirror, no closet to grab a backup shirt from. The minute we lose to a forgotten hair brush is a minute the toddler is no longer cooperating. The five minutes we lose to a stained collar are five minutes of golden light we will not see again until next October.
I track this in my own session notes. The single most common cause of a session running ten minutes short of plan is “I forgot the wipes.” The second most common is a wardrobe disaster nobody packed a fix for. Almost every other variable — weather, kid mood, lighting — I can work around. Missing supplies I cannot. A packing list converts a chaotic morning into a calm one and gives you back the time we need for the actual photographs.
For the broader pre-session picture, our companion guide on what to expect during an outdoor family portrait session covers timing, flow, and how the actual hour unfolds — pair it with this checklist and you will arrive ready.
The rule I give every family: one backup outfit per person, not five. Wardrobe paralysis is real. When parents arrive with three options per kid “just in case,” we burn fifteen minutes of light debating combinations in a parking lot. Pick the outfit at home the night before. Pack exactly one backup for each person — a clean shirt or top, mostly — and stop there.
Coordinate a palette, do not match. Matching shirts photograph dated and stiff. A palette photographs intentional and modern. If you want a deep-dive on color combinations that work in our specific landscape, our South Shore family portrait color schemes guide walks through twelve combinations photographed in real locations. For day-of, just make sure one person carries a neutral (cream, oatmeal, soft denim) to ground the group.
Layer for South Shore variable weather. Even in June a coastal session can be 15 degrees cooler than your driveway thanks to onshore wind. A light cardigan, a denim jacket, a chambray overshirt — these all photograph beautifully and double as warmth between setups. For the full season-by-season breakdown, our family portrait styling guide covers every month of the year.
PACK THIS
LEAVE AT HOME
Snacks save sessions with kids under eight. Snacks also ruin sessions with kids under eight, if you bring the wrong ones. The principle is simple: pack only foods that will not stain or melt. I have lost more sessions to a single rogue blueberry than to any weather event.
THE SAFE LIST
bland · dry · color-neutralWater bottle
spill-proof only
Saltines / Ritz
plain, never flavored
Cut grapes
halved or quartered
Cheese cubes
small container
Plain Cheerios
no honey-nut
Rice cakes
plain unsalted
Apple slices
brush with lemon
Bento box
one per kid
THE WRECKING CREW
never on portrait dayBlueberries
purple-mouth
Strawberries
red collar stains
Chocolate
melts in pockets
Gummies
sticky fingers
Juice boxes
one squeeze, over
Anything saucy
spaghetti, BBQ
Plastic bags
crinkle on camera
Ice pops
drip on white
Pack snacks in small containers, not plastic bags. A bento-style box per kid with a few crackers and grapes is the gold standard. Hand one over between setups — the snack becomes a reset moment instead of a wardrobe risk.
This is the section most families underpack and then regret. None of these items are exciting on their own, but each one has saved a session for me at least twice in the last year.
THE TOTE BAG · CHECK EACH ITEM
All of this fits in one medium tote. You do not need a giant suitcase. You need the right small things.
New England weather treats forecasts as suggestions. Even on a clear day, the coast can flip in fifteen minutes. The weather kit lives in the trunk and travels with you to every session, regardless of forecast.
Sunscreen even in October. Low-angle autumn light still burns shoulders during a 75-minute beach session. Apply at home, bring a stick for touch-ups. Skip the sprays — they leave a sheen on skin that photographs.
Sun hats and a light jacket layer. A jacket that comes off in the first frame and back on between setups is exactly what we want. Sun hats save the toddler from squinting at the sun.
An umbrella for spring. March, April, and early May on the South Shore are wet. A clear or neutral umbrella photographs beautifully and lets us shoot through a light shower instead of canceling. See locations beyond the beach.
Hand warmers and mittens. For November-through-February sessions, hand warmers tucked in pockets keep small fingers functional. Park as close to the location as legally possible — a heated car nearby is the single best winter portrait accessory.
Sometimes the most useful packing advice is what to leave at home. These are things I see in client bags that consistently make sessions harder.
If you just bought a stuffed animal, a fidget spinner, or a new lovey for the session — leave it home. The novelty will hijack the toddler’s attention from minute one. A familiar comfort object is fine. A brand-new exciting object is a session-ender.
If we are shooting at Webb Park, Wompatuck, or any beach, dress shoes are a bad idea. Sand and grass eat heels. Bring comfortable shoes everyone can actually walk in — they barely show in most family compositions anyway.
In close-quarters posing — five people leaning in for a tight group — scents migrate. A heavily perfumed grandparent next to a toddler with a sensitive nose can derail the entire session. Skip the perfume on portrait day.
The itch factor on a new sweater shows up at minute eight, every single time. Wash and wear each outfit at least once before the session.
Some items are not on every family's list, but when they show up they elevate the gallery in a way nothing else can.
Heirloom blankets. A grandmother's quilt, a wedding throw, the blanket every kid was wrapped in as a baby — these are some of my favorite props. They photograph as texture, they double as a sit-spot, and they carry a story. A wool plaid or vintage quilt across a family on a beach dune is one of the most timeless compositions in the portrait playbook.
The family dog. Dogs in family portraits work beautifully when they are leash-trained, outdoor-comfortable, and have a designated handler for the moments they are not in frame. For the full how-to, our guide on pet-friendly family portraits on the South Shore covers everything from leashes to break timing.
Anniversary or milestone props. A handwritten sign with the date, a baby's first-shoe keepsake, a chalkboard with kids' ages — a single, simple prop adds context without overwhelming the frame. The mistake is bringing five props. One is plenty.
If you are planning a larger gathering, our guide on extended family portraits with fifteen-plus people covers the additional logistics — these scale the packing list considerably.
Two days before the session, run this short list. It is the single highest-leverage hour you can spend.
Stains, missing buttons, mystery holes — find them now, not in the parking lot.
Five minutes of trying on the chosen outfit at home reveals every itch, every too-tight collar, every shoe that does not fit. Fix it before session day.
And pack a small backup battery if you have one.
If something looks shaky, message me — we can usually adjust the start time by 30 minutes to dodge a front.
Working backward from session start: 60 minutes for getting ready, 30 minutes of buffer, plus drive time. Add 15 minutes more than you think.
Do not pack the morning of. Future-you will thank past-you.
Once the gallery is back, the delivery timeline can feel long — our post on the family photo delivery timeline and what affects it walks through what happens between session day and your final gallery.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris McCarthy is a portrait photographer based in Rockland, MA who has been photographing the South Shore full-time since opening his studio in 2014 — more than a decade of outdoor and lifestyle portrait work across the region. He specializes in headshots, senior portraits, branding, family, and maternity photography — shooting at his studio at 83 E Water Street and on-location throughout southeastern Massachusetts at places like World's End, Scituate Harbor, Duxbury Beach, and the North River conservation land in Norwell.
Your packing list changes with the season. The good news: the South Shore has four genuinely distinct portrait seasons, each with its own look and its own kit.
September and October are the most-requested family portrait months for a reason. Layered fall colors, soft warm light, sweater weather without bone-cold wind. The packing list is light — layers, a hair brush, snacks — and the conditions cooperate. Book by August for prime weekend slots.
Spring (April through early June) brings green grass, flowering trees, and unpredictable showers. Pack an umbrella, bring rain boots as a backup, and keep an extra outfit per kid in the car. The reward is fresh-greens-and-blooms imagery you cannot get any other time of year.
Summer (mid-June through August) needs sunscreen, water, and an early-morning start. Sessions at 8 AM or after 6 PM avoid the harsh midday sun and the worst of the heat. Beach sessions in particular benefit from early-morning timing — softer light, fewer crowds, cooler sand.
Winter (November through February) is the most underrated portrait season on the South Shore. Bare trees, low golden light, and that crisp coastal air produce moody, cinematic work. Pack hand warmers, mittens that come off easily, and park near the location. Keep the session short — 45 minutes is plenty in 30-degree wind.
If you are choosing between locations for the season you are in, our guide to the best South Shore parks for toddler portraits covers terrain options that work in every season, and our take on annual family photos covers why repeating the same season year-over-year creates the strongest long-term gallery.
Bring it. The trick is to hold it back for the second half of the session rather than letting it appear in the first ten minutes. When a tired four-year-old suddenly sees their favorite stuffed elephant come out of the bag at minute thirty, the surprise factor produces the most genuine reaction of the whole session. If the toy is in their hands from the start, it becomes background, and you lose that moment.
Yes, but assign one adult to that role specifically before we start. The mistake families make is asking me to pause the session so a grandparent can grab their phone — that breaks the rhythm and costs us light. If grandma wants behind-the-scenes shots, let her shoot freely from the side while I work. Just designate the role in advance so nobody is fumbling for a phone during the good light.
Yes, if your dog is leash-trained and comfortable outdoors with new people. A calm family dog in two or three frames is one of the most meaningful additions to a portrait gallery. If your dog is reactive, easily distracted, or pulls hard on the leash, it's usually better to do a separate short session with just the dog. The pet-friendly guide on the blog walks through all the practical details.
Designate a “base camp” spot at the location when we arrive — usually a bench, a tree, or a corner of the parking area. Everything that isn't actively in the frame lives there. Between setups, we move the gear out of view together so the next composition stays clean. You don't need to hide things perfectly — that's my job during composition — but having one consistent staging spot keeps the session moving instead of hunting for the diaper bag every five minutes.
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