Wanting Beach Photography Advice

We're headed out tomorrow morning for Myrtle Beach!! (Lord willing, we'll pull together and finish our packing and cleaning and errand running and laundry and-- well, you get the picture.)

Speaking of pictures, Sarah suggested having a family photo done while we're there. (Not professionally, but good shots.) Let me set the stage so you can maybe offer tips accordingly, if necessary.

Our friends, the Grants, will be there and they take good pics. Their condo is on the 9th floor 10 minutes from ours. Ours is on the first floor. Any tips or ideas, given those various heights, for picture-taking?

What makes for a good family photo--esp at the beach?

Also, I'd love for you to suggest

• great scenes and angles,
• tips for photographing sunrises and sunsets over the water (keep in mind I have little technical knowledge, so need camera settings told to me!)
• terrifically "scrapbookable vacation shots." Not that I'm against the "here's the kids at the putt-putt," "here's the kids at the ice cream shoppe" kind, but I'd like to know some "wow,never thought of that!" ideas. Artsy images!
  
  Our condo is oceanfront so I have a balcony to shoot from! (We snagged a deal by booking late in the season. I've never had oceanfront lodging, so this'll be a real treat. Can't wait to have my devotions on the balcony as the sun rises.)
  
  And to tack on to this:
  
  Please pray that
  -Ben will feel better. He threw up during the night. He is our second vehicle driver tomorrow.
  -We connect with our grown children even though they'll have friends along.
  -Renee and I get some girl time together, kid-free,hubby-free.
  -Paul and I will have time together. Kid-free, friend-free, time.
  -Logistics will be snagless, or better yet--if not snagless, our attitudes will be good.
  -Good weather.
  -Safety and health (I have a sore throat and cough. Joel's had a wee cold.)
  -God will speak hope and healing to certain aspects of our family life.
  -The kids will be refreshed.
  -Paul gets a lot of relaxation--mind, body, soul.
  - Paul's spirit will be renewed. He has carried some burdens far too long.
  -We'll look for--and seize--opportunities to share the love of Jesus among ourselves and to strangers besides.
  
  Okay, so there you have it. The light "need advice" paragraph on photos and the serious "need prayer" paragraph about life at the moment.