Family portraits on West Sands, St Andrews

girl with marram grass and purple flowers in the background

family drawing on sand West Sands beach with St Andrews in the background,


Always windy and always beautiful West Sands. Especially with moody dramatic sky as we had on this summer evening when we met for family photos with Carolanne and her kids. I suggest evening time for photo-sessions so that we have the best light - strong midday sunshine is not good for portraits.

As always on nice days, there were some people around - walking dogs and jumping in the water and playing. West Sands is huge, so we easily have found a spot for ourselves.


The family is moving away from St Andrews, so they wanted some nice professional photos to remember their time here, and West Sands is one of their favourite places. It was beautiful warm summer day - perfect combination.



Outdoor family photo session is never about posing - it's about doing things you like in your favourite place. So many options and enough space or all of it - walking on the beach, collecting shells, playing in the shallow waves and splashing, playing with sand and making sand clouds and just letting your kids to be their silly selves and show their adorable quirks. Beautiful views of West Sands provide the perfect background for the family adventures.

And these beautiful photographs will remind about their time in St Andrews on their favourite beach. Here are some of my favourites from this shoot.


family walking on the beach West Sands St Andrews, candid family photo

mother and child playing in shallow water on West Sands beach St Andrews



child playing with sand and throwing it high
  


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Piú letti

Botanical Garden

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I was not planning to photograph today. I've counted yesterday, there are 16 sessions I have to edit. But it was a lovely sunny day, which was a major point because I've started recently experimenting with direction of light in my photos, and I need sun for it. So I was looking for a nice place where I could take some pictures and have sun behind the children. We ended up in Botanical Garden after school. The good point, I found this place. The bad point, we were too late, the sun was behind the trees already. Another bad point, these children run away and always in different directions, and never listen, and I had nothing to bribe them with (Matteo at least :-). Another bad point, the battery in the camera was dying. So all the major disaster factors present and accounted for :-) And then I come home and upload the photos and whoa. I am the only one who knows how dirty her knees are on the picture at the top :-)
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October sunset

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The sun sits low on the sky, creating gorgeous long shadows. Which I like. A lot. So here we are on a warm October evening. Playing rock-paper-scissors, carrying around first golden leaves, stumbling but still running in the sun patches, and having some serious sister-brother conversations.
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Autumn in St Andrews - family photos

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 Autumn is solidly settling in, with its gorgeous colours, cosy blankets and sweaters, rains, and this special something in the air. At home, we watch more movies, bake more pies, walk on the leaves and listen to their crunchy-crunch under our boots, and I want to soak in all these colours around us - I love autumn! It can be risky to have a photo session this time of the year, the weather becomes so unpredictable. But it's well worth the risk, because the light in autumn is often golden and magical, and you have all these gorgeous colours around you. I can be more flexible with my schedule so we can work around the sunshine. Favourite spots around St Andrews for autumn family photos. Of course Lade Braes and Botanic Gardens - if you want all these gorgeous colours and nature details! Outdoor walks in autumn are so much fin, kids up to their knees in the leaves, or hunting for autumn treasures together, making piles of leaves for jumping, weaving crowns, hide and seek - you name it...
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Tentsmuir forest

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We do not roam the woods oft enough. We like beaches, true - all year around. We live 10 min walk away from one. Still it's not an excuse enough to ignore the woods, something to work on. We finally made it to Tentsmuir on a crisp October day. We roamed the dunes, ended up on the beach (again :-), and made our way back to the trees. It was full of autumn smells, yellow leaves, mushrooms, golden trees and the quiet.   It was full of tree climbing, treasure hunting, stick collecting and stick walking, mushroom watching, path running, log walking and all the fun.  To be continued - for I made too many nice photos to squeeze in one post :-)
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Botanical Gardens. Boys' style

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A walk in Botanical Gardens of St Andrews with a little boy. Forget about appreciating creative landscape design, enjoying alpine terraces and the pond, admiring cacti collection and finding all the spring flowers. This is about run, hide, find something interesting, invent games and more run. Some good finds. What can we do with them? A boat? I am a bit skeptical here. Nope, did not swim the right way. Some major engineering work to do. For some other story :-)
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Behind the scenes - photo session with kids

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I'm showing, and telling, something different today. Some behind the scenes moments, what and how things happen during a photo session with kids. I had help of 4 beautiful children, and it all took place in Capo Gallo (Mondello side).  Before the shoot we had a little chat with parents to prepare - to discuss how things will go, what clothes to wear, and what their kids like to do outside. So we had a little plan of their usual and favourite activities, plus I also prepared some ideas for games and things to do. I was a bit nervous - mostly because of communication and language issues. My Italian is pretty decent when it comes to conversation, it's writing that's the problem - but photo shoot is always an intense and emotional experience when you have to keep track of what's happening, if everyone is feeling ok and enjoying it, if we're moving ahead and getting some photos, if we need some new ideas and activities or just need to move to a new spot, if my camera set...
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First spring story - discovery

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Discovery it was, of spring at its very beginning. New bright colours appearing in the midst of still brown forest, and smells, trees and young leaves to touch. And run, run and feel the wind and sun in your face. Still cold, but undeniably brighter and well, springier :-).
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