Photo a day - June

Published on 12th of July 2023

Summer is in full swing now, with beach days and long evenings on the terrace, hiding inside from the heat, getting ready for some travel and holidays, and just having quiet lazy days at home with air conditioner. 

This June was a pleasant surprise, for it spared us the heat. So we spent a lot of evenings on the terrace, playing, reading and watering the plants. Mara has restarted her terrace baths, a favourite summer time activity from last year. We found a large copper basin for her, and got an inflatable pool. She prefers the copper basin! Some days everyone dips their toes, or she bathes her ducks and dinosaurs. One day I found her, and the terrace, covered in geranium blooms, and Mara happily making some potions with them. Geraniums are still recovering, me too - she had a lot of fun though.

We spent fair amount of time on the beach, playing and splashing in rock pools because the water still felt quite fresh. Rock pools are Mara's favourite, as well as running on the beach and finding sandy spots for digging and playing with sand. In June the beach was still full of all the treasures brought in by the storms, driftwood and all kinds of sticks, and even a whole trunk of palm tree! It was interesting to see how the whole geography of the beach has changed during winter, how wind and water have given the beach a new shape, replaced sand with pebbles and in other spots pebbles with sand. There's even a small cape in the middle of the beach now! We'll be spending more time on our usual beach, and trying other beaches here in Sicily, so there'll be many more beach and sea photos hear










 



























 

Like what I do? Get in touch, let's chat about photos of your family!

Get in touch!

Piú letti

Behind the scenes - photo session with kids

Immagine
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...
Leggi l'articolo »

Botanical Garden

Immagine
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 :-)
Leggi l'articolo »

Our trip to Favignana

Immagine
Some impressions from our week on Favignana, a little island west of Sicily. Beach, lunch, nap and more beach, watching sunset by the sea. These are the days. In the mix are also books, some games, football, random ice-cream trips. We are going around the island checking out different swimming places and exploring best rocks for jumping. Our favourite spots so far are Cala Rotonda and Grotta Perciata. On one of the days we skipped afternoon sea and visited the museum in the Tonnara.  Here are more from our island life - mostly beach - adventures. More personal updates More beach photography ...
Leggi l'articolo »

October sunset

Immagine
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.
Leggi l'articolo »

Family photo session in St Andrews, West Sands beach

Immagine
West Sands did not disappoint - beautiful dunes, moody sky, wind. But then, it very seldom does, especially if you do not mind the wind. We met on a beautiful September evening for this photoshoot with Marion and her daughters. Our destination was the very end of the beach, by the Eden estuary and sand dunes. Marion picked some flowers and decorated Keira's curls, girls shared some secrets and treasures found in the sand, wind was playing with Keira's hair. And me - I was observing it all as it unfolded in front of me, and clicking along. I often tell my clients that photo-session is like going for a walk together - this one was no exception. I am a very silent companion on such a walk - I might suggest something interesting if I see beautiful spot or some nature details that would make beautiful background for you. But more often I just follow what's happening and how you enjoy this beautiful walk and your time together. From Marion: " Very relaxed photo shoot ...
Leggi l'articolo »

Splash

Immagine
It was the first official summer splash, starting with the innocent "I just want to try the water" and ending with full-body jump-dive. For some of us more used to warmer climates and seas, it was quite questionable pleasure. Still not to be denied. Rolling in the sand to warm up resulted in kilograms of sand stuck in all the clothes. The game was called cotoletta, for similarity of prepping method of the dish. Kids liked it. The sand we brought home.
Leggi l'articolo »

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

Immagine
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...
Leggi l'articolo »

How to select outfits for family photos at home

Immagine
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...
Leggi l'articolo »

Beautiful days

Immagine
Bright and sunny, with blue sky and blue sea and puffy white clouds. It's like they were specially made for the beach, splashing around and digging in the sand. We love our under the rain walks, but we also love our beach adventures on sunny days, even if they result in someone walking back home wrapped in my sweater instead of his own clothes. Some days we hop on the bicycles and go to West Sands. It's always windy, perfect for flying kites. Maya loves the soft sand there, she's content to dig around or just roll in it and watch how it flows through her fingers. Then there are football games, with shoes often serving as impromptu gates. Or hide and seek in the dunes, if we manage it to the very end of the beach. For swimming it's East Sands for us - we live quite close, so it's easier to carry all the towels, clothes, snacks, picnic lunch, water, toys, goggles, sun cream, book for myself... The list of things they want to take and do can be quite long, so it certai...
Leggi l'articolo »