More from Favignana - our sea holidays on the island


We are back from Favignana. Here's a bit more about our week there.
Back in Palermo, sorting laundry and photos and packing for our next adventure.























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I luoghi migliori a Palermo per fotografare la tua famiglia

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Ville storiche e parchi di Palermo Dove faremo la nostra sessione fotografica è una delle domande più frequenti che ricevo dai miei clienti. Da un lato, è bello farlo in un luogo che abbia una qualche importanza e significato per voi, come un parco che frequentate, dove tuo figlio ha un posto preferito per nascondersi o il suo 'albero da scalare. Ma forse stai cercando qualcosa di nuovo, perchè il vostro parco preferito è chiuso per lavori di manutenzione o semplicemente non è adatto come location per uno shooting fotografico perché è piccolo o presenta altri problemi. Quando si sceglie una location per le foto di famiglia, ci sono diverse cose da considerare: quanto è grande il luogo, se offre diversità di sfondi e possibili attività, ma anche quanto sia facile da raggiungere, o va evitato in alcuni orari perchè troppo affollato. In questo articolo, parlerò dei miei parchi e giardini preferiti di Palermo che sono perfetti per una sessione fotografica di famiglia. Villa Trabia  è u...
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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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Her. And my personal photo challenge for 2017.

This was our special photo project for 2017, hers and mine. We were supposed to do a portrait a week. It was interesting, useful and a challenge in more than one way. Some weeks we did more, than we had weeks of doing nothing. Sometimes we both were excited, later we both hated it -  each of us for different reasons. Yet we are proud with results. Here are my favourites, and some of them I am getting printed. Quite large :-) 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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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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Photo a day - January

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Published on 13th of February 2024 This January has been... different. It should've been great, we had a trip planned for New Year, my brother was expected to visit with his family, Mara and Matteo have their birthdays in January too. It turned out not quite what we planned and expected. The trip to Sila had to be cut short because everyone got ill, which turned out to be Covid, which as a consequence affected also Mara's birthday and made the time with my brother and his family a bit less fun too. On the other hand, it felt like my body and my mind needed this slow time after busy and stressful December, there was a lot to reflect about, a lot of rest and quiet. It's ironic that Covid became the answer to this, oh well. The January photos reflect this slow time too - we stayed at home or visited grandma's garden to collect oranges and to play, we baked and built pillow forts, planted bulbs for spring, read books and baked some more. Cookies and muffins are usually what...
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How to select outfits for family photos at home

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Dressing your family for photos is often challenging, and even more so when the photo session takes place at your home. At home sessions usually are reserved for newborns and babies, but there are so many reasons for doing at home shoot with kids of any age! Everybody feels more comfortable at home, you don't need to worry about carrying extra clothes or shoes in case someone gets messy and needs a change. You have all your favourite books and activities right at hand. Having photo session at home is also a deeper insight into your family and your life. Choose colours that you like looking at, because they will remain on the photos for a long time. Start with picking your palette of 3-4 general tones - for instance greys, pastels and earth tones etc. Then select clothes which fit with the chosen colour palette. Everybody should not wear the same colours, and as you've started with a common palette, outfits would coordinate together beautifully. When deciding about...
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Forest walks

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Forest walks with a toddler are quite an exercise. Especially with an added bonus of a camera :-) What's involved? Jumping in the mud and trying to jump in the river. Collecting sticks. Collecting leaves. Walking in a wrong direction. Falling. Standing up. Stopping. Turning around. Then there is possible game of peekaboo. And of course trying to escape, especially when mom is taking pictures of some flowers and escape involves jump in the river :-)
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Family photos in Tentsmuir forest

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Beautiful summer evening in Tentsmuir forest. This family wanted their photos in a green space, not on the beach, so Tentsmuir seemed to be the best option. It is one of my favourite spots around St Andrews and offers a wonderful mix of scenery - forest, dunes and the beach. Plus, plenty of space to run, things to do and explore for two active boys. And this is what we did on a warm summer evening a few weeks ago.  I love to capture families in their element, talking and having fun together, without posing or direction. This was easy to achieve here, as our photo session was about a walk in the forest, with a variety of activities captured - balancing on logs and climbing trees, stick and pinecones fight, piggyback rides, races and who has the biggest stick competitions. Of course, some cuddles, tickles and stories were thrown in the mix, and flowers the youngest boy has found for his mom and put in her hair. The result was a collection of beautiful, natural, at times funny, emotio...
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