Photos by Emily - Houston Lifestyle Family Photographer.
This weekend we have a last-minute family trip to Galveston Tx. We didn't get to go on any family trip this summer. I have my full-time work and summer classes. My husband is also busy with his work and renovating a house. Because the covid cases in Texas have been increasing, so we also didn't plan on going anywhere. We were both pretty overworked this summer so this sudden last-minute getaway idea just came into my husband's head. Besides the date, we literally picked the location and booked the hotel the day of. Luckily we were able to book Best Western Plus (8502 Seawall Blvd, Galveston, TX 77554) at the west beachside of Galveston a and we scored an ocean view room with a balcony view. The past few times I went to Galveston is to photograph weddings. I didn't like Galveston because every time I was here the weather is either gloomy or raining. Galveston doesn't have the nicest beaches and adding the gloomy/raining weather, making the city even more dreary weary all over the place.
Perhaps because we really need a getaway or perhaps is the sunshine + nice weather, this time around I enjoyed what Galveston has to offer. The kids love the waves and the sand. What are the fun things to do in Galveston? Let see...we spent the first day at the beach and the second day walking in Strand Historic District (downtown?), boarding the Elissa at the Galveston historic seaport. We skipped Moody Garden Aquarium and Rainforest Pyramid and Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier. My kids are 2 and 5, so spending $50/adult and $40/child may not be ideal for us. Another thing for Pleasure Pier is you have to pay for entrance admission even if we don't do any rides. I saw there is a Groupon for Galveston Naval Museum if anyone is interested. I also heard Stewart beach and east beach are pretty nice too. Perhaps when my kids are older we will visit all those cool places next time for family activities. Lastly, Seawall Blvd is a nice drive, especially during sunset and nighttime (the moon is clear and decent size during the time we drove through at night).
I think one thing I really enjoy about this trip is I was able to capture my kids having fun using my professional camera, lol. My gear of choice for my own family photos is the iPhone. It is light and I don't need to think about the setting. However, this time I took my camera because I want to make another family film. I used a 50mm f/1.8 lens for the photos and the videos because it is the lightest to carry around. It was a pretty good choice. As you can see, it is a little bit different from our usual color editing. I have a light washout vintage tone and a rich golden tone (for sunset pics). I called this style "go with the flow", LOL. Enjoy the photos and I will put up the family film soon (much more complicated and time-consuming than editing photos!)
