Of flowers, and children

We went to Botanical Gardens on Sunday. I found this wall still covered with the leaves of last year, and I absolutely wanted to photograph Masha there. Here's what we've got.

As well as lots of flowers, dry and new.

And then there are these three flowers. It takes an effort to get them together and sit quietly, and look at the same direction, oh my.

Piú letti

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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Windy sunny evening - maternity photo session in St Andrews

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So many favourites from this photo session, I had hard time deciding what to include in this blog. It was too sunny, too windy, a bit chilly for Scottish May evening. Natalie was concerned about her hair that wanted to fly away all the time, I was concerned about too strong sunshine despite evening hours, comfortable natural poses for pregnancy photos and a ton of other things I usually think and worry about before I shoot. We met at their home and took some pictures there, chatted and did some silly things. Then we went for a walk and chatted some more, and did more silly things. It was lovely and very relaxed walk, with the wind, the sun, bluebells, beautiful Coastal Path and rocks on East Sands. And the posing - it turned out just fine.
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Photo a day - January and February

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Published on 3rd of March 2023 An update on my 'a photo a day project' has been long overdue, so here it is finally. It's covering January and some of February. Winter in Palermo finally came after New Year, the eternal August was finally over, and it was like, poof, suddenly cold and rainy and not anymore nice outside. No slow transition, no gradual change, it just happened almost overnight and then we could see snow from our terrace on the mountains around the city. Slow days, lots of reading, socks and sweaters, movies and hot chocolate, and getting out on the terrace to soak up the sun - this is how we spent the first weeks of the year. I had hard time to keep up with a photo a day project at first - the January blues and all, bad weather, bad light, short days and I think I photographed everything kids do at home so many times already! I missed some days, or took some photos and did not like them after all. There were new things too, Mara's changing fast, how she i...
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Sand castles on East Sands

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First barefoot beach day (we do not really count those short runs on the sand in February, right :-) Really and seriously, with feet dipping and running on the water - this one is the first. First sand castle of the season. First sand fight of the season and first hand full of sand - this, and sand in the pockets, will stay with us well till November. And I truly do not mind, I love my barefoot beach days as much as these two. Matteo is building a bunker - tunnel covered with sticks and sea-weed, then with sand. Good camouflage, it was hardly different from the rest of the surface around the castle. He tested it after completing the construction - the structure resisted his weight and survived. One very proud engineer. We tried to build the moat too - it did not really work, water was too far. So it was abandoned after a short while. Maya was collecting small rocks and shells to decorate the walls and the big tower. They both carried big rocks to reinforce the wall...
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Low tide on East Sands

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Suddenly the beach gets bigger. Muuuuuch bigger. And suddenly there is so much more to do, treasures to hunt, rocks to climb, sea weed to slide on, water to jump in. And other imaginable games and shenanigans.
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Fine art motherhood photo sessions, and giveaway! - Family photographer in St Andrews

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I have something to celebrate this week. All women do - it's International Women's Day today, and Mother's Day on Sunday. For me it's also 1 year since I made this giant leap of faith, published my photography web-site and decided to give it a try and make my hobby of last 12 years into something more, and share it with the world. So I am doing something very special to celebrate. It's about bond between mother and her child. It's about love, holding hands and messy hugs. It's about laughing together, exploring together, being together. And remembering what it felt like to hold the small hand of your child in your hand, or to lift up your little one and hug and twirl and laugh together. Photograph is one of the few things that can capture this special connection and love. That can help us to remember it and treasure for many more years to come. This is what my fine art motherhood photo sessions are about. And one of them I'd like t...
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The force is strong with this one

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This project has been brewing since a while. We even wanted to write down the ideas, cause Matteo had more of them than fingers on one hand :-) Finally the combination of sunset, being at the right location at the right time, plus the mood was all in place. So yeah, the force is strong with this one. We were rewarded with golden light and pretty sky. The playground nearby destroyed our plans for more silhouette photos. So more might come, if Matteo wants to implement his ideas. For now, this is what we have, plus lots of pretty sky, and sea, and golden cowlick :-)
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How to prepare for newborn photo shoot at home

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There are so many advantages for having your newborn or young baby shoot at home - you do not need to pack everything you might need and more just in case, you and the baby are in the familiar atmosphere, no need to worry about getting older siblings ready and thinking of how to entertain them during the shoot. Having photo session at home is also a deeper insight into your family and your life. So dear new moms, below you'll find some practical tips and suggestions on how to pick outfits, prepare yourself, your baby and your home for the shoot. Dads can read it too :-). 1. Preparing your home We need good light for the shoot - the rooms with big windows would work best. Usually master bedroom and family room are the main locations. To prepare your home for the shoot - some basic cleaning is needed, like made beds, a little tidying and organising (like hiding a laundry pile in a closet). Don't worry if you don't have time to clean everything - life with a newborn is...
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Fife Coastal Path

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Our first walk of the year. Stomping through the mud, and lots of it. Some of us did even manage a bit of mud sliding. The sea had this surreal turquoise color, along with grey moody sky it was beautiful. Lots of dry grass, sticks and bushes, thorns. We did not go down to the beaches, it was too muddy and slippery for it. Next time.
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