The story that was begging to be told

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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9 essential tips for taking great photos of your kids on the beach

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A lot of Sicilian summer is about the sea - it's a place to escape the heat, to relax and have fun on the beach with your kids, be it splashing, swimming, collecting shells or digging in the sand, reading or even napping! As parents, we often find ourselves reaching for our cameras or smartphones, eager to capture these moments and memories of the summer.  However, there are quite some challenges when it comes to getting beautiful photos on the beach - the biggest are strong sunlight, crowded space, kids moving all the time. During my 7+ years as a family photographer, I took hundreds of photos of clients and my own kids on the beaches in both Scotland and in Sicily. I've learnt and discovered a lot, what to do, and what not to do, to get beautiful kids' photos on the beach. Here are my top 9 tips and tricks, that will help you to elevate your beach snapshots to beautiful photographs. It's about essentials, nothing technical, and will work both for your phone and camera...
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Photo a day - July

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Published on 12th of August 2022     Some recent photos from my 'a photo a day' project. I've been struggling a bit these past weeks to keep going, it's been too hot. Apart of sea breaks, we are mostly staying home and surviving thanks to air conditioning. Some days I look at the camera and think, it's all has been done already, I photographed this spot X times and kids or Mara doing this or something very similar another XX times. Then I see kids doing something, and inspiration hits again. When I look at the images together, its a reward in itself.  So what we've been up to - we got some new plants for the terrace, everything's been growing and blooming, our tomato plants are doing good too. And cacti, these also do very well. We get a nice breeze on the terrace in the evenings, so everyone is coming out when the day cools off a bit. Dinners are happening outside on the terrace too. Mara is very eager to help watering, but she often ends up either spilling...
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Photo a day - May and June

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Published on 25th of June 2022     Here's the next portion of photos from my personal 'a photo a day' project. I'm still photographing at home a lot, especially now as the days get hotter. Then there is the sea, and there will be a lot of it in the coming weeks. And our terrace garden. We started it in April and March, when we planted some tomato and basil seeds. Then we planted some more tomatoes and also peppers. We got mint, and geraniums, and a lemon tree, and an olive tree, and a whole collection of cacti and succulents. Our terrace is east-facing, so we get lots and lots of sun - we'll see how it all will fare in the coming hot months. I guess cacti and succulents should at least do well - I hope so! Like what I do? Get in touch, let's chat about photos of your family! Get in touch!
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Orange garden

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 Orange garden and a baby who likes all things citrus. Peel included. Especially when you can pick your own fruit! There are other fun things to try. Like chomping on some sticks. Or own dirty fingers :-) What to say, it was fun. And she still does it, I mean tries to eat orange with the peel :-)
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Summer garden - photoshoot with a little girl | Palermo, Sicily

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Adventures of a little girl in summer garden. Palermo, Sicily. There is a story behind this photograph. It happened almost completely accidentally. Bianca was playing with her friend and having fun, till her friend left. She was disappointed. She walked away and sat alone just to show us how upset she was. But it only lasted a few short seconds before she went back to play. And I noticed something in her expression. It was a bit lonely and a bit sad, very personal. There was something really catching in it. The type of expression that lets you know everything about a person in a single glance. When her mom saw it, she could not stop commenting on this one photo because she was so excited. The picture shows the character, the special face of this little girl. And in certain sense you could say it was luck, I had no idea it was going to happen. But the magic of pictures is just that - when you capture something so spontaneous that you could never imagine it and it all comes down...
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5 fun games for natural family photos on the beach / family photo shoot on West Sands

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I'm often asked, what do we do during our photo shoot, and what do we need to bring with us?  The answer to the first one is - do you have a favourite activity, or something you usually do when outside? No worries if not, or if every walk is a new adventure (our family walks are often like this, so I understand!).  Here's a list of 5 simple activities and games for the beach that kids love (and adults too!), and that result in great natural photos. We did most of it during this family photo session on West Sands with little Noah and his baby brother. Most of these activities don't require any additional toys or equipment, which is great if you plan to walk and move around, and don't feel like dragging with you bags of toys and stuff. The few things I always have for a walk on the beach, and suggest to my clients are water, wipes and change of clothes. Treasure hunting Shells, rocks and sea glass are the obvious choice for this. Can also be funny-looking seaweed, sticks ...
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It begins to look a lot like Christmas!

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Published on 9th of December 2022     It does! We have our big tree up, a small tree that Mara keeps carrying back and forth, a cactus, and an advent calendar.  What does a cactus have to do with Christmas? Once upon a time we had a big cactus. At Christmas time, Matteo has decided that the cactus also deserves some Christmas cheer and decorated it with some small toys. Since then there always was a Christmas cactus in Pagano family. Then it was time to move, the cactus found a new home. And in our new home in Palermo, Pagano family has got a new cactus. It was small, but it was loved well and grew big during the summer, and got its own share of Christmas cheer! This post is going to be quite different from the rest. I wanted to have something festive also on my blog, but I've just started taking photos, so not much to post yet. I've decided that this post will grow and I'll be adding things and little stories as I am adding new photos, and I will wrap up by Christmas. ...
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3 reasons to have your family photos in Villa Giulia park

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Villa Giulia is a park in historic center of Palermo. It has its origins in 18th century and is remarkable for its perfect square shape with diagonal alleys dividing the park in different sections. Marble statues and fountains, a sundial, shady alleys and open spaces, and wide variety of trees and shrubbery make it a popular spot both with locals and tourists.  If you'd like your family photos to have lush green background with a touch of special Sicilian atmosphere, this park definitely should be considered. It ticks all the boxes - plenty of space, nice surroundings, easy access, lots of options for things to do during your photo shoot to get natural and emotional images (anyway we don't do posed photos on the benches or next to flowering shrubs!).  Here are my top 3 reasons why villa Giulia is a great location for family photo sessions. Reason 1  Lots of space and diversity. The park has an alley with Ficus trees, a little bamboo forest, a hill with cacti and succulen...
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Our little secret

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  I've been keeping a little secret, which is not so little anymore :). Like what I do? Get in touch, let's chat about photos of your family! Get in touch!
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