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Tips for Taking Better Vacation Photos



Beach vacations allow families to build lasting memories and the best way to capture those memories is with a photo. Whether you’re using a high-powered Nikon camera or your iPhone, here are some tips for taking better vacation photos.

1. Make sure your camera or phone is charged.

This may seem like an unnecessary tip, but it’s easy to get wrapped up in your daily activities and forget to charge your devices. Before you leave your beach rental, charge everything. This way you won’t be left with a 5{b54bfb356ed24e5e16f3e1e051ea2fc47c3083b77bdf664367285760ff77110d} battery life, but 100{b54bfb356ed24e5e16f3e1e051ea2fc47c3083b77bdf664367285760ff77110d} of your memories to capture! Bonus points if you can get a mobile charger to plug in if you do get low.

2. Pass the camera around to everyone.

Make sure everyone is captured in your vacation photos. You don’t want to get stuck behind the camera your whole trip only to come home and realize there were no pictures captured of you.

Bonus: Passing the camera around also lends to a ton of different memories being captured. What you deem important memories on your trip may be different for your family members, so the photos they take will open your eyes to what they’re enjoying most about the trip.

 

3. Take landscape pictures.

Be sure to take some landscape pictures with your camera. This will ensure you capture all of the scenery.

 

4. Don’t forget to focus on the faces.

On occasion, zoom in to capture your family’s faces. The activities and scenery are great memories to hold onto, but zooming in on faces allows you to remember the feeling of awe and excitement that your family feels as they explore your beach destination.

 

5. Take a lot of candid shots.

The best tip for taking better vacation photos is to candid shots. This doesn’t mean just snap pictures whenever you want, but it does mean capture those moments where your family is focusing on the restaurants menu or are laughing at each others mini-golf fails. Be intentional with your candid shots.

Taking better vacation photos is all about being deliberate in your photo taking and capturing those moments that you know you’ll want to hold on to forever. What are your tips for taking better vacation photos? Share your beach vacation photos with us on our Facebook page!

Beach Activities for Cold Weather



3-things-to-do-at-the-beach-when-its-coldBeach time is always a great time, even when it?s chilly, and there are plenty of beach activities for cold weather. If the temperatures have dropped, but you?re still wanting to book that oceanfront rental for a family beach trip, don?t worry. Even with colder temps, here are three activity ideas your whole family will enjoy:Inside Game TournamentBefore leaving for your trip to the beach, pack all of your favorite board games and card games.  Then, head to your local discount store and buy some bags of candy and anything else that can be handed out as a prize. Once you?ve reached your destination, use any downtime to play some games tournament style. If you?ve got a large family, divide into teams. Tally the winners of each game and at the end of the trip crown the winner with the prizes you bought!Hot Chocolate and Cookie NightStaying in a beach rental gives you the luxury of a full kitchen. Use it to your advantage! Make some hot chocolate filled with marshmallows and whip cream then throw some cookies in the oven that you can decorate with icing, sprinkles and anything else your hearts desire. Once you?ve got your hot chocolate and warm cookies in hand, head out to the porch with some blankets and do some star-gazing.christmas-cookies-553457_1280Hot Soup PicnicOnce again, take advantage of that full kitchen. Make some of your kids favorite hot soup, then head out to the beach for a picnic. Once you?re done with the soup, add a football or soccer ball to the mix for a fun family sports tournament. The soup and the running around is sure to heat you up in no time!No matter what time of year it is, the beach is always a great place to create lasting family memories. Check out some of our awesome family-friendly beach rentals and make your dream beach vacation come true!

Holiday Events Near Surfside Beach, SC You Can’t Miss



 

Christmas at the beach makes for some wonderful memories and Surfside Beach offers some great holiday events that you can’t miss! Here are some family-friendly holiday events near Surfside Beach to add to your must-do list:

Surfside Beach Christmas Parade

Surfside’s Christmas parade is December 10th from 2pm-3pm and local businesses have already started eagerly designing floats. The parade is sure to be a fun holiday event for everyone in the family and is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season!

Breakfast with Santa

Have young children? They’ll love eating breakfast with Santa! Santa will be at the Golden Egg Restaurant in Surfside Beach on December 20th from 9:00am-10:30am. The breakfast is for children ages 10 and under. Santa will arrive with bags of candy and will treat all of the children to a free breakfast, but call ahead to make reservations because the big man is in high demand this season!

“The South’s Grandest Christmas Show”

Just north of Surfside Beach, Alabama Theatre is home to The South’s Greatest Christmas Show. No, seriously! It’s actually been voted the “most outstanding holiday show” in the area by the Myrtle Beach Herald. The show is family friendly and full of both traditional and fun Christmas songs.

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alabamatheatre.com

Night of a Thousand Candles

Brookgreen Gardens’ Night of a Thousand Candles has become an annual favorite in the area. On certain dates in December, the gardens sparkle with 5,500 hand-lit candles and at precisely 5:45 each night, an 80-foot Christmas tree decorated with 70,000 lights is lit. It’s a spectacular event that will leave you in awe and fill you with the holiday spirit.

You can attend Night of a Thousand Candles from 3-10pm, December 3-5, 10-12 and 12-20. Tickets must be purchased in advance, so view their website for more info.

Celebrating the holidays in Surfside really is a can’t miss opportunity and it’s never too early to let Surfside Realty help you start planning your family’s next holiday at the beach.

What are some of your favorite holiday events in Surfside?