A new beginning


It's spring, everything is coming back to life. It's time of new beginnings.

So it will be also a new beginning for this blog. I will be posting my favourites from my customers' sessions, and also some of my personal work. So you can get a better idea what a family, or baby, or newborn session with me would be like. And our families will appreciate me posting more pictures of our children too, win-win!


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, Fife, and around.

Piú letti

A bit of magic

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 I have a secret. It is about magic, so do not tell anybody! It is a very magical trick! We got this idea with Matteo to fill a hat with autumn leaves and play around. This is what we've got :-)
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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