The land of sand and sky

Walking till the end of West Sands beach, where the Eden river meets the sea, is a nice week-end activity. When the tide is low, you are rewarded with endless vista of sand and sky.
 

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Autumn children portraits - family photographer in St Andrews

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Special photo session offer in my favourite season. We'll be making golden crowns and playing with rowan berries and throwing leaves. Availability is limited - please get in touch for consultation and more info if you are interested! Did I say these photos will make perfect Christmas gifts? Available October dates are 6th, 7th, 11th and 21st. Photo-sessions take place in St Andrews - you have choice of beautiful beaches or our local woody area Lade Braes, which will be full of golden autumn colours. Please contact me to arrange for free consultation. Browse to see more of my work with families , children and babies . Or click  here to see my featured and published work.
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Summer on the beach

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Published on 6th of October 2023 When I thought about the title for this blog post, summer on the beach was a firm winner. This is where we spent a large chunk of our summer, so it fits well. There was a lot of bathing, splashing, swimming, jumping from the rocks. There was barely any snorkelling this year, and not many waves, Matteo was disappointed. We found the canoe of my husband, that was believed to be gone, and it was a great addition to our sea activities. Although paddling with Mara is tricky, as she wants to hold the paddle too with her little hands. We spent a lot of evenings swimming till the sunset, or watering the rocks and the sand in case of Mara, and even made a night swim once. Apart of our usual beach, we tried several new spots like cala Bianca near Scopello, Monte Cofano (I loved that one, and the nature reserve too, hope we'll visit again in winter to climb the mountain) and Guidaloca. The last one we knew and visited several times before, but it was a nic...
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Very windy evening / Family photographer in St Andrews

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It was windy. So windy that we had to cut it short and run away. The little one did not like the wind, and I totally agree with her opinion. But the few ones we managed to take are wonderful - moody sky, flyaway hair, and all the cuddles! Photographs are copyright of Julia Pagano Photography. Julia Pagano specializes in candid natural light photography of babies, toddlers and families, as well as children portraiture in St Andrews, Cupar and Fife, as well as Dundee.
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The magic of reading during your family photo shoot

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5 reasons to include books and reading in your family photos If you are reading this, you are probably considering a family photo shoot. I know all the different concerns that my clients have before their session. And one of them is - what do we do, how do we get those images with genuine moments and real emotions? During my 7 years doing family photography I've discovered one activity that always works - it's reading books with your kids. There are so many good reasons why integrating books and reading into your lifestyle family photoshoot can bring a touch of magic, warmth, and togetherness, while capturing beautiful and candid moments along the way. Below I'll let you know the top 5.  Let's get started! 1. Reading with your kids is great for those who might feel uncomfortable in front of the camera Because you do what you usually do - you sit down, take a book and read. You don't need to worry what to do with your hands - they are holding a book, or both the boo...
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Two little baby girls - session at home / Family photographer in St Andrews

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  Oh dear. This one - my pure luck. This photograph, so simple yet so real. It's not classically perfect portrait of cute babies in pretty bonnets. But it makes you remember those first weeks with a new baby - tired, desperately needing sleep, somewhat confused and always behind with things - and endlessly happy. There is so much joy when a new baby joins the family - but also lack of sleep, all the feeding and changing diapers, teething, baby sleeping and not sleeping, sour tummy... I can continue for a while, and any mother could. This family has it double. They also have so many gifts and blessings. Full hands - and full hearts, so full with love. This time is short, a fleeting second on the timeline of our life. Your baby changes so fast, learns new things, makes wide gummy smiles, grabs your hair and fingers. You blink, and he or she is already rolling on the tummy. Another blink - and your baby is sitting, then crawling.  Another blink - and he or she is...
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My summer knitting project

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A personal project I've been working on these past weeks. It took a while to figure out the pattern and overall scheme, as I felt like experimenting and could not really settle on a specific model. I wanted something lacy for this simple linen yarn, and the pattern had to be simple enough that I could still read or watch documentaries with kids while knitting. The cardigan is for Maya, who was regularly coming to check my progress and to make sure it's really for her. Oh well :-) I've started the next project as well - in olive green, for autumn maybe, hopefully? I have some ideas for embroidered flowers in the front or around pockets, if I make pockets - should I? This one is also for Maya, and she also is not sure about the pocket issue. Let's see how it goes, and if my starting and never finishing knitting trend will remain true, or if any of these will actually be completed and get to be used. There are other knitting project ideas on my Pinterest board and ot...
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Feel the moments / Family photographer in St Andrews

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How often do we stop and really feel the moment? How often is it even possible, with the busy life around us, phones beeping with notifications, children asking for this and that, dinner that needs to be cooked, email that needs to be answered, laundry that needs to be folded... Yet, there are moments and feelings that matter so much, that they shape and mould us, who we are and what we are. First smiles of your baby. Getting settled in a new home, and making it a home, not just a house with walls and furniture and random accessories. Wiggly little bodies of your children, how they both fit in your lap. Sweet clumsy hugs and kisses. Tickles and giggles. It's short and fleeting. It's full of love.   Photographs are copyright of Julia Pagano Photography. Julia Pagano specializes in candid natural light photography of babies, toddlers and families, as well as children portraiture in St Andrews and Fife, as well as Dundee.
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No War

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Hello. It's been a while, and this is not how I envisaged my return to social media. The world is just not the same since Feb 24th. A planned short break while we were moving and settling in had to be stretched and extended to deal with all the challenges, which now seem so petty and insignificant. And almost every day I think, it's horrible and we've seen it all already, we just need to learn to live with it and carry on somehow, and Ukraine will win - then comes another horrendous piece of news, another blow that steals your breath away, another unthinkable evil. It hurts to see all this destruction, evil and death. I don't want to see Russian tanks in my home town. I don't want to see more people die. No War. Peace for Ukraine.
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What to wear for family photos (2023, spring and summer)

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Outfits guide and tips   Clothes are.. .well, clothes. They are a daily necessity, they reflect our personality. And clothes are crucial for the photos to turn out great - imagine the two children above wearing say stripy leggings and pink Peppa Pig sweatshirt and green dress with pineapple and banana print. Won't be exactly the same, right? So where do we start when dressing your kids or your whole family for a photo shoot? If you are looking for ideas and inspiration, you've come to the right place! We need clothes which are timeless and classic, because these photos will make a memory for a long time. Let’s start with some simple yes and no. No: Bright neon colors Sport t-shirts and leggings Uncomfortable, stiff clothes that you or your kids cannot comfortably move in Clothes with characters and large printed logos (sorry favourite Frozen dress!) Big bold patterns (floral, stripes etc) Everyone wearing same thing (like jeans and white tshirts) Yes: Muted natural earthy c...
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