Family photo session in villa Trabia

This session was a special treat for grandfather, 3 generations of the family were involved! I photographed this family before, so preparation and all the discussions before the shoot were easy and smooth. We picked villa Trabia as our venue, because of its easy to reach location, little distances to walk, diversity of backgrounds and last but not least - gorgeous marble benches. In fact, we started the shoot on this bench and we ended it there too! The session took place in April around Easter time, so there was plenty of green around us and it was not too hot, perfect weather to be outside. During preparation consultation it was decided that we do some photos with more quiet activity, as reading or talking, because it is difficult for the grandfather to walk big distances. And then with the younger part of the family we explore a bit around the park.

We started at the beautiful marble bench and did some reading, chatting and hugging photos there. Then I proposed that we walk to the big Ficus trees in the center of the park, where Bianca had fun climbing between the trunks and roots, having some stick battle with her grandmother, more chatting and hugging with both her mom and her grandma. There are several huge Ficus trees in parks and gardens of Palermo, including a truly majestic one in Botanic Gardens, but these two are my favourites. One has roots sticking out of the ground that are big enough for sitting and walking on them, and the trunk of the other is like a little maze, you can go in and out and between. The dense foliage provides good shade, so it's a great spot for photos even on a sunny day. The tree solves both the problem of unflattering shadows on the face, and squinting, perfect!

Bianca loved the maze of the roots and trunks in one of these trees, so I took some great natural photos of her exploring and playing with sticks, at some point also her mom joined in as well. Then went to look for some blooms, and took some photos of Bianca playing and chatting with her grandma. The result was a collection of candid and natural images that show and celebrate love, emotions and connections in this family.

While editing, I went with classic black and white for many images. It really brings forward the emotion in images. Grandparents wished to have an album with most photos, and this is what I got back from them once their album was delivered. It really means the world to me!

Noi, come nonni di Bianca, desideriamo fissare nel tempo tutti i momenti trascorsi insieme con la bambina. Grazie a Julia Pagano e alle bellissime foto da lei scattate a Villa Trabia nel mese di Aprile abbiamo vissuto un’ esperienza gioiosa e originale. Tutte le foto,ora racchiuse in un libro (il quarto che Giulia ha realizzato per noi) vengono da noi guardate con emozione e con piacere. La foto di copertina in bianco e nero, dove Bianca, seduta su un’ antica panchina di pietra scolpita, abbraccia il nonno con intenso affetto, coglie e cristallizza un istante indimenticabile di reciproca tenerezza. Franco e Agnese