A family photoshoot with IVAE Studios in Cancun costs $295 to $895 USD in 2026, priced by length: 35 minutes and 15 edited photos for $295, up to 90 minutes and the complete gallery for $895. Most families choose The Chapter, 60 minutes and 35 edited photos for $475.
My name is Vianey Díaz and I run IVAE Studios in Cancun. I have photographed hundreds of families on this coast, multi-generational reunions at Playa Mujeres, three-year-old twins on the sand at sunset, grandparents seeing their grandchildren in the Caribbean for the first time. I have also seen what families pay for that experience, from $300 resort packages to $4,000 editorial productions. The numbers below are the ones we publish: what a family photoshoot with IVAE Studios in Cancun costs in 2026, in USD, across our six collections.
Direct answer: the six collections in USD
If you are skimming this page for one number, here it is. A family photoshoot with IVAE Studios in Cancun costs $295 to $895 USD in 2026, priced by length. Most families choose The Chapter: 60 minutes, 35 edited photos, $475 USD.
Every collection is photographed at golden hour and delivered edited in a private 4K gallery in 1 to 3 business days, with a first preview inside 24 to 48 hours.
Which collection fits your family
The difference between collections is time, and time is what lets a session breathe. This is how I think about it with families.
Babies and toddlers: 35 to 45 minutes
Very young children give you their best 20 to 30 minutes. The Postcard or The Keepsake fits that window, and starting about an hour before sunset means the softest light arrives while they are still happy.
Most families: 60 minutes
The Chapter is the one most families choose. Sixty minutes covers the whole family, each child with the parents and a few quiet frames of the couple, without rushing anyone.
Several looks or older kids: 75 minutes
The Story gives you 50 photos and time for a change of outfit or a second setting nearby.
Grandparents and the whole group: 90 minutes
Multi-generational trips need time for every combination: grandparents with all the grandchildren, each branch of the family, siblings together. The Editorial delivers 70 photos; The Heirloom delivers everything we photograph, curated.
Adding a session film
Photographs keep how your family looked; a short film keeps how they moved and sounded. There are three formats, each delivered as a vertical 9:16 reel or a horizontal 16:9 film.
- The Editorial Reel, 30 seconds, $295 USD: a piece that reads like a fashion editorial, pure visual rhythm, no narrative.
- The Narrative Reel, 45 seconds, $445 USD, the most chosen: your session turned into a story with an emotional arc.
- The Cinematic Short, 60 seconds, $695 USD: treated as a short film, with creative direction and cinematic editing.
What to budget besides the session
- Your resort’s rules for outside photographers. Tell the resort ahead that you are bringing a photographer. Most register the photographer as your guest for the session window; some charge an outside vendor fee. Ask for the policy and any fee in writing before the date.
- Wardrobe. Coordinating outfits for the whole family is worth planning before the trip. Our outfit guide covers colors and fabrics that work on the beach.
- Hair and makeup. Optional, booked with a local stylist if you want it.
- Locations beyond your resort. A cenote, a boat or some public beaches can need entry fees or permits. We tell you which ones before you book.
Cheap vs editorial: what’s actually visible in the photos
This is the question I get asked most directly. A per-photo resort package and an editorial session both produce digital images of your family on a beach at sunset. What changes? In the actual photographs, four things.
- Skin tone accuracy. A budget session typically applies one global filter to every image in the gallery. An editorial session corrects skin tones individually so a sunburned dad, a fair-skinned baby and a darker-skinned grandparent all read correctly, not all pushed to the same tan-orange average.
- Light direction. A budget photographer often shoots when the resort scheduler is available, which can mean midday light. We schedule the session within the hour before sunset and find the angle where the sun is behind your family rather than in their eyes.
- The images you would actually print. A volume package may hand you hundreds of filtered frames and five you would hang on a wall. Every photo in an edited collection has been chosen and corrected by hand, so the 35 images of The Chapter are 35 you can print.
- Direction tailored to your family. A budget session uses the same poses for every family. An editorial session asks beforehand about your children’s ages, temperaments and family dynamic, then shapes the prompts: “walk toward the water and whisper something funny to your seven-year-old” works far better than “everyone smile at the camera, three, two, one.”
None of this means a budget session is wrong for every family. If you want proof you were on a beach together, a quick resort session does that fine. If you want the framed image that will sit on your mantel for twenty years, it is worth choosing the light, the direction and the editing on purpose.
When to book
- Peak season (December through April, July and August): book several weeks ahead to secure a golden-hour slot. Holiday weeks and spring break fill first.
- Shoulder season (May, June, September, November): shorter lead times usually work, but availability is not guaranteed.
- Hurricane season (June to November, most active in September and October): agree on a written reschedule plan for tropical weather.
The single best thing you can do to make booking easier is share three pieces of information up front: your travel dates, the resort or area you are staying at, and the size and ages of your family. With those three details we can confirm availability and the right collection quickly.
