She is 5!

Maya is 5 today! 5 years of adventures and giggles and running after this little girl of mine.



Maya at 5 loves to dance and wear dresses, beach and Christmas, to eat ice-cream and to watch Peppa Pig. Her best play (and mischief of course) buddy is her brother, she has a bad day at school when there's painting. She is passionately avoiding any green leaves in her food (like parsley or spinach - big no no). Her next big project is to learn to ride 2 wheels bicycle. And her birthday cake request is chocolate with raspberries and pink frosting - so I am signing off for the day to work on that, and balloons, and surprizes, and yes there's also ice-cream stashed in the freezer :-)

This is her official birthday portrait. By special request - with glitter. Lots and lots of it!


Piú letti

Family photoshoot | Fife Coastal path, St Andrews

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Here's a beautiful throwback to last summer, when we went for a walk on Coastal with adorable baby Sam. Summer sun makes beautiful days, but is often too strong for nice photos - we waited for a cloudy day and planned for an early afternoon so that there's no conflict with meals or nap time. I try to be as flexible as possible with babies and do the photo session around their eating and sleeping routine. Long summer days help a lot here. Family photos on St Andrews|Fife Coastal path It's a great short walk that provides a lot of diverse backgrounds for photos - the path itself with greenery around, nice small beaches which are usually empty. This was the first professional photoshoot for Sam, and he did so well! His outfit was perfect - granddad shirt with seagulls pattern was especially fitting for the beach. Pale neutral clothes with some brighter colour accents was a perfect fit for the whole family. I'm often asked for advise what to wear for family photos, and the ...
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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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Outdoor family portraits on the beach - summer in Scotland

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I love small beaches off Coastal Path, just a short walk from East Sands, and I used them a number of times already for family photo sessions. There are barely other people here, so you have the whole space to yourself. No need to worry about your kids getting a bit wild and disturbing the others, or that you have to wait and check that nobody else gets in accidentally in your family photos. There is also beautiful variety of natural textures and backgrounds - sand, water and rocks, greenery of the path on the way to the beach.  This family shoot was the last one in 'baby's first year package' we did with Francina and her twins, Lily and Elanor. As we already knew each other, and the kids were comfortable with me too - no ice-breaking was needed. In fact, we started taking photos already on the way to the beach! The family session is a good example of variety of photos I try to take. Everybody found something interesting to do on the little beach, yet it was ea...
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5 simple and practical tips how to take better pictures of your kids/children photographer in St Andrews

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It's something I've been working on for the past couple of weeks, and I am very excited to share it. A guide with 5 simple and very practical tips how to take better pictures of your children. They are not technical - it does not matter what kind of camera you photograph with. The tips will work also if your camera is in your phone. Curious? To get the guide and more interesting infos, practical tips and inspiration  - please fill in this form:  Please fill in * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name
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"Work in love business" / Family photographer in St Andrews

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Every family is beautiful. Every family has its story. This one, I was humbled and honoured to witness all this love. I read recently that family photographers work in love business. It did not exactly make sense to me. Now I understand. I cannot thank you enough for this, Anna.   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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Many faces, one girl

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Here is a small part of our photographic adventures with my daughter. One could think there are just so many ways to photograph the same face - yet, every time something new appears.
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How to select outfits for family photos - autumn and winter

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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 leggins and pink Peppa Pig sweatshirt and blue and red Spider Man  t-shirt. Won't be exactly the same, right? Choose colours that you like looking at, because they will remain on the photos for a long time. Pick up to 4 main colours which coordinate. Everybody should not wear same colours, but the colours should look good together. Consider location where your photo-session will take place - your outfits should match the location without making you blend in with the environment. For instance, wearing all yellow outfit in yellow autumn forest may not be the best idea :-) Colours should not be bright - it is distracting in the photos, we want the focus to be you and your beautiful smiles! Suggested colours for autumn - shades of brown and burgundy, shades of blue. Suggested ...
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In search of snow / Family Photographer in St.Andrews

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We did not have much snow this winter. We usually do not get much snow here at all, which may be surprising considering how far up north we are. But the truth is, winters in St Andrews are mild. We wanted some snow adventure and real winter experience, even as a short break. This desire took us to Glenshee. It was beginning of March, but we were lucky to find some snow patches, good enough for sledges. And small snowman. And snowballs. And of course snow lollipops. Result - some hours of driving and a bit getting lost, even with navigator - or despite :-) Couple of children who got car sick. Fair amount of fighting over how three children share two sledges. Couple hours of fun on the slopes. Five pairs of soaked shoes and socks. And this true sportswoman, who bravely pulled sledge up the slope for the next ride. All on her own. Photographs are copyright of Julia Pagano Photography. Julia Pagano specializes in candid natural light photography of babies, toddlers ...
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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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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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