FAQs

Each session costs $89 and includes:

• A 5 minute group photo session with Santa, taken by a professional photographer.

• 5 high res digital files, emailed within 5 business days in a personalised online photo gallery.

• A very Aussie Christmas themed set on the beach.

• We'll guide you through a serious of different photo combinations (see home page), or you can let the photographer know what 5 photos you'd like.

• Allow 15 minutes for your session to account for registration, getting into position on set and the actual photo session. Come prepared with a few ideas if you want something specific, otherwise we’ll direct you to get the best pics for your group.

Please note that your photos are for private use only. If you’d like to use them for commercial reasons, please contact us in advance so we can make arrangements.

Our 2024 Santa photo locations all take place on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Dog-friendly sessions are available at North Curl Curl and Bayview, and 'human only' sessions at South Curl Curl and Narrabeen.

We also have Premium Sessions at the beautiful Quarantine Beach at the Q Station. As this is in Sydney Harbour National Park, it is a human-only session - no dogs.

• Select the BOOK NOW tab above to find dates and times for both dog-friendly and no-dog sessions for 2024.

• Select an available date and time and complete the booking form.

• Choose your payment type. We accept Paypal, Visa, MasterCard or Amex (via Stripe).

• Once your payment has gone through, you will receive an instant booking confirmation via email from hello@santaonthebeachpics.com.au. Check your spam if not received within 10 minutes.

• Your email confirmation has a link to all the information you’ll need on the day including where to find us, parking info, what to bring etc.

• Look out for a reminder SMS the day before your session and don’t forget to show up!

For the best experience, we recommend up to 8 ‘bodies’ (humans + dogs) per session. If you have a larger group you’d like to accommodate, please book a double session to allow enough time to get the best pics.

At least one adult should be present per dog. It is the owners responsibility to ensure the dog is on a leash and under control at all times. We suggest bringing a few treats, plus lots of water to help keep them comfortable and happy during the photo.

We sure are!

We’re excited to lauch our premium sessions as the iconic Q Station in Manly this year. Sessions are 10 minutes and include the standard 5 minutes Santa on the Beach session, plus a 5 minute mini family shoot. You’ll receive a minimum of 15 photos from your shoot, delivered in an online personalised gallery.

Premium sessions take place between 4-7.30pm on Thurs 5, Fri 6, Fri 13 and Sat 14 December and include discounts to enjoy staying and dining at the Q Station.

Sessions are limited so book early to avoid missing out.

When you book online, you’ll receive an instant booking confirmation email with your booked date, time and location. The email will include a link to find out additional information, such as maps, parking details, local amenities, what to bring/wear and exactly where you’ll find Santa.

Weather has been one of the trickiest things to navigate! Summer weather can be wildly unpredictable, and over the years we have experienced extreme winds, heatwaves, cold snaps, torrential rain and pretty much anything else you can imagine running an outdoor business.

In 2024, we’ve factored in wet weather weekends in case we need to cancel a session due to bad weather, and the last bookings of each day is at 12.15pm to avoid the afternoon winds and sun glare.

We go ahead in most conditions, however if there is persistent heavy rain, high winds or thunderstorms we will cancel the session and offer an alternate date (if possible) or provide a full refund. In this case, we’ll notify everyone who is booked in via email and update our social media + website. If you choose to not show up due to weather but the session is going ahead, you will forfeit your booking - no refunds will be offered.

We accept Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard or Amex) via Stripe and PayPal. All bookings must be pre-paid via our secure online payment system, which is SSL encrypted for additional security. If you’d prefer to pay by direct debit, please contact us for details. All sessions must be pre-paid - we do not accept cash on the day.

Reschedules: All our sessions book up quickly, so reschedules are not always available. If there is availability, you can reschedule free of charge up to 48 hours before your booked session. This can be done via the red button on your booking confirmation email.

Cancellations: All cancellations incur a $15 processing fee. You can cancel your booking via the red button on your booking confirmation email. Please note:

• If you cancel more than 7 days out from your booked session, you will receive a full refund less the processing fee.

• If you cancel within 2 to 7 days of your booked session, you will receive a 50% refund less the processing fee.

• There are no refunds for cancellations within 48 hours of your booked session, or for no shows on the day. Sessions will go ahead regardless of weather, unless conditions are extreme.

Transfers: To avoid any processing or cancellation fees, you are welcome to transfer your booking to another person, free of charge. To transfer your booking, email hello@santaonthebeachpics.com.au with the new person’s contact details including name, email and phone number and we’ll update your booking details. You can then get your friend to transfer the money to you directly, or gift it to them for Christmas.

Please allow up to 5 days for post production and delivery of your 5 photos. Photos will be delivered in a personalised online gallery, where you can download both low and high res pics for sharing and/or printing.

Our photo platform includes the option to order professional quality prints, Christmas cards and frames directly from the platform. When you receive your gallery, head to the ‘shop’ to see pricing and options.

You can also take your downloaded images to local printing places such as Officeworks, Kmart and online sites such as Snapfish, but the quality can vary a lot!

Absolutely! We want you to have fun and love the photos we take. We will give you up to 3 different group combos/action packed ideas for your photos, but if you have a specific photo that you want us to take, just let us know on the day. Check out Santa on the Beach Pics on Instagram for example photos from past years.

As you can imagine, we photograph hundred of families over the just a few short weeks leading up to Christmas.

Whilst every care is taken to avoid people, dogs and other ‘extras’, the nature of the beaches (especially on a sunny Summer’s day) means it’s very challenging to get an empty background within a 5 minute time slot.

To keep the turnaround time fast, we do not photoshop or digitally alter individual images. Simple colour correction or a little crop is usually all that’s needed to make your images beautiful.

If you feel that your images need a little more attention for your perfect Christmas image, we are happy to help at an additional charge of $25 for the first image and $15 for each additional. We can remove people from the background or do simple work such as blemish removal as required. To organise this, please contact us with details of the photo you’d like digitally altered and we will be in touch with options.

There are also plenty of apps and programs (such as Canva) that allow you to make simple edits to your photos too.

We sure can.

Contact us and let us know your group size, preferred location/dates/times and where you’re from and we will get back to you with a custom quote.