My favourite photos of my family are the ones that make me smile whenever I look at them. Shots of my kids giggling with each other at the park, splashing each other in the sea, or shrieking as my husband chases them around a field. I love the photos because I loved the moments. And as an Edinburgh family photographer, these are the photos I want to give you.
And this is why you’ll love an outdoor family photo shoot. Because you’re not just driving the kids to a studio so you can have their photo taken. You’re taking them on an outdoor adventure where they can be themselves and have fun. You’re giving them lifelong memories of a wonderful experience you shared as a family. And when it’s all over, you’ll have artistic photos of the people you love most, with the beauty of nature as a backdrop.
In all my years as an Edinburgh family photographer, I’ve never had an outdoor family photoshoot that the family didn’t absolutely love. And without exception, the photos always make it onto the walls! But just in case you’re still thinking about sitting your kids on barstools under a light umbrella, here’s 5 reasons why you’ll love having an outdoor family photoshoot.
The best thing about an outdoor family photoshoot is that it’s a wonderful family experience in their own right. You’ll get dressed up, go exploring, joke around, and spend some quality time together as a family surrounded by nature. You can switch off ‘parent mode’ for a while, leave behind homework, housework and bedtime routines and just enjoy each other’s company. It won’t be about taking photos for the sake of photos, it’ll be a fun family adventure you just happen to have photos of.
And it takes the images far beyond just snapshots of what your family looked like on a certain date. You’ll look at them together and say, ‘oh my God, do you remember…?’ or ‘I can’t believe you did that…’. And the bond of that shared experience will bring your family closer together. Of course the photos will be beautiful and artistic. But you won’t love them just because of that. You’ll love them because of all the memories they keep safe.
OK, so let me ask you this. Have you ever seen a child having fun posing for a photo? ‘Say cheese’ smiles and awkward poses should be reserved for school photo day. Kids are happiest when they’re being silly, exploring the world and…well, just being kids.
When you have an outdoor family photoshoot, your children are free to be their fun-loving, inquisitive, adorably mischievous selves. They’re not having their energy-restricted or their imagination tampered. They’re relaxed, happy, and completely free to get swept up in the adventure of it all.
And let me tell you, in photography, there’s no substitute for genuine emotions. You can ask a child to smile or give you a hug for the camera. But nothing compares to real happiness, real laughter, or moments of real love. If you want to capture all the traits you love so much in your child, take them outside and give them space to be themselves.
As an Edinburgh family photographer, I must confess a little bias on this one. But family photos are awesome! They’ll capture a chapter of your family’s journey and bring back waves of nostalgia for years to come. They’ll make you smile whenever you pass them in the hallway. And framed family photos have even been clinically proven to boost your family’s oxytocin levels and make your children more confident! I mean, professional bias aside, that’s all got to count for something, right?
Having an outdoor family photoshoot gives you professional, artistic family photos with the beauty of nature as a backdrop. And the great thing about having an outdoor shoot is you can even choose your clothes and location to match the decor of your home.
While there are definitely some beautiful, homely studios, they’re inherently generic, simply because they have to cater to everyone. And let’s be honest, no scandi-chic studio could ever compare to an autumn woodland.
An outdoor family photoshoot can be literally anywhere. So you can choose somewhere that captures your personalities and feels completely you. It could even be somewhere that’s become part of your life that you’ll always want to remember. Maybe your local woods, a favourite park or a much-loved beach.
Or you can choose somewhere based on the kind of experience you want. Whether it’s bouncing down sand dunes and walking along a beach together, running through woodland paths or just cuddling up in a field at sunset, wherever you choose will give you a totally different experience, and completely different photos. All you have to do is decide what experience would make you happiest, and what kind of photos you’ll want on your walls.
As a mum of three, I know crisp, ironed shirts, pristine clothes and statue-still children are akin to unicorns. Family life is messy, loud, bursting with energy and filled with laughter. Whether it’s the kids teasing each other, eyes rolling at mum’s silly jokes, a wet raspberry on a bare belly or your family walking along a beach hand-in-hand, these are the moments that make your family life so special.
And with outdoor family photoshoots, these are the moments I want to capture for you. So when you look at photos in years to come, they’ll capture all those little pockets of love and joy that make your family so perfectly imperfect, and so uniquely yours.
If you’re looking for a family photographer in Edinburgh and would like to book yourself in for an outdoor family photoshoot, I’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch today to check my availability.