It was that time of year again where I get to head out for a bit of a Family Photoshoot with the Shaw Family! This time we head out to the lovely little Fountain Valley Reserve, just off South Road in Happy Valley.
It’s fun that Miranda and Jake shooce to head to different spots each year to get a bit of variety in their yearly family photos! Last year we were in a pine forest, and the time prior, another small park in Happy Valley.
This time their choice was the Fountain Valley reserve which at this time of year boasts a bubbling brook streaming through some delightful weeping willows and lots of long, lush grass. I had a lot of fun at their Fountain valley Reserve Family Shoot! The light in the morning was beautiful combined with the natural beauty of the place made my job pretty simple!
It was nice to meet up with Cristina and Matthew again after having shot their engagement photos what seems like eons ago – well before this website was developed! We head out for a Himeji Gardens family shoot on Adelaide’s South Terrace with their grandparents. The weather was great, and everyone was all smiles – the only issue was how busy the gardens were!
I’d never seen the Himeji gardens so busy! It seemed like everyone was out just enjoying the weather – which was fair enough! But it meant that I had to get a bit creative when it came to the angles I was using – and a touch of photoshop – to make sure there was no one in the background of these family photos.
It was a little frustrating, as other times I had head out for a Himeji Gardens family shoot, I had no such issues and I could use all of the ‘money shots’ that the gardens are famous for. But it turned out ok as Cristine and Matthew were keen to take as many phtos as possible – but Grandpa and Yaya ran out of steam rather quickly.
The main goal was to get a few shots together as a family so I think we achieved that!
Nowadays, almost everyone’s phone is equipped with a decent camera. People take photos of one another and of themselves at any old time of the day. Candid photos are nice to browse through every now and then. However, having proper family portraits taken by a professional are excellent keepsakes that you can look back on and pass on to your children and grandchildren.
Tips For Taking Keepsake Family Photos
If you want to capture milestones, take advantage of loved ones being in the same location, or you simply want to immortalize the present moment for future generations, here are few tips you can use to create beautiful family photos:
Hadley and her family
Dress using a similar theme
One way to elevate your family photos from the ordinary candid shots to encourage everyone to dress up a little more than usual. Decide on a color palette that you can all agree on. Be careful to choose muted, non-distracting colors that will flatter everyone’s skin tones. You don’t need to dress up in costumes or wacky attire, but rather give everyone some loose guidelines like wearing denim, or outfits in predominantly cream or light blue colors.
Family photographer Adelaide
Go natural
You and your family’s future generations will look back on your photos and will want to know all about you. Make it a point to look like yourselves, wearing your usual style of clothing and only a light layer of makeup. Avoid trying a new hairstyle in the week or a few days prior to your portrait session. You might end up with something you regret, and the way you look in that moment will be immortalized forever.
Little Family 🙂
Choose a photographer you are comfortable with
Professionals experienced in taking family photos will put you and your group at ease during your photography session. You may want to choose someone who has experience working with very small children, so they know how to get a good shot even with a fidgety baby in the group. The right kind of photographer will also be able to calm your nerves and elicit laughs and smiles from everyone in the group during the shoot. Be sure to have a chat with your photographer before you agree on services so you can see if they are the right fit for you.
Fussing family
Use levels
Make the photo visually interesting by providing a set-up that has two to three “levels’ all the participants can take turns shifting around on. Put a lower layer, with young children sitting on the floor or grass. Seated in the middle, you can have the head of the family, parents, or any grandparents holding infants. Finally, your top layer can consist of older children and adults standing around the rest of the family.
Duncan Family
Include those who can’t be there
If you have loved ones who can’t be physically present for the photo, there are still ways you can include them in the portrait.
For family members who have passed away, some people like to hold on to a framed photo of them, or even photoshop them in. Others wear a special dress, hat, or accessory that represents their family member. Even if they aren’t present to pose for the photo with you, there are still ways you can pay tribute to them and make them feel they are part of the memory.
Family together
If you are wondering when the best time for family photography is, the answer is: right now. Your children will grow up in a flash, your parents are advancing in age, and commitments may take you or your loved ones far and away from each other. Don’t worry about picking out fancy outfits or posing in front of a fanciful set. Find the right photographer and take your portraits now, so you can keep your memories for a lifetime.
Are you looking for family photography services in Adelaide? We’d be happy to help you capture your family’s special moments. Contact us to learn more and have a chat!
I head out to the delightful Veale Gardens on south terrace recently to meet this loving mother and her two sons who had asked me to conduct a simple little Adelaide parklands family phtoshoot with them!
We began in the small carpark behind the Pavillion Restaurant, which alowed us to start with the gum trees and have a more Australiana backdrop to their first photos. As the weather hadn’t been fantastic lately, there was plenty of puddles to use, while the greens were lovely and lush throughout.
We then head over the hill, walking along the man-made river that courses throughout the Veale Gardens and using some of the vantage points I know have worked throguhout my many years of using this same area for portraits while covering weddings.
The aim of this Adelaide Parklands family photoshoot was to simply capture some nice family photos for Mum to put up on the wall, in particular some individual portraits of her boys, while also having a bit of fun together, and I think our little walk about the park ceratinly achieved that!
Family photo on driveway of veale Gardens
Family photo between gum trees in Veale Gardens
Family photo leaning next to tree
Individual portrait of young man near tree
Portrait of lady leaning on tree
Fun family photo of Mum leaning on tree with sons hiding behind
Full length portrait of man near tree
Portrait of two men standing in Veale Gardens
Adelaide Parklands slice of life portrait
Mum with sons family portrait in front of puddle
Family portrait in the Adelaide Parklands
Brothers leaning on a tree together
Mum sitting with brothers during their Adelaide Parklands photoshoot
I was recently asked to head out for a quick little Somerton Park Family Photoshoot to commemorate the 90th birthday of a family member. It seemed that everyone present had all grown up in the area, but had all moved on with their lives interstaate, so it was lovely to see and hear that most had travelled back to Adelaide for this momentous occasion!
The original plan was to head out to the beach from the bed and breakfast that the family had organised on the Somerton park foreshore, but it was soon realised that getting down there and back up again might be a bit tricky for the older members of the group, so we head to John Miller Reserve to make use of the grassy area there.
I was told that what the family wanted was some very simple shots of each of the gathered groups of the family, nothing too fancy – just wanted some family photos to mark the occasion.
So after spending a little time in the park, I realised that there wasnt much in the way of nice backdrops there other than a few spindley little trees, a chainlink fence and the surrounding roads and houses, so we went for a short walk to a road that was lined with some pretty beach trees that provided some shade and a nicer backdrop. It was here that we had a few other members of the group literally jump off their plane and meet us here.
After using both the middle of the road for big group shots, and then nearby a tree on the footpath for couples and individual portraits, we left the birthday girl at the top of the Somerton Park beach cliff and head down to the beach to finish up.
The beach’s tide was very high so there was some neat sand bars made within the water which we made use of by climbing over one of the sand bag brides that were put there to fight erosion. On the sand bar we took a few more couple photos and small groups, with a little more fun thrown in – at one point I asked the couple to push each ver – and boy did she lean into the push! 🙂
It was a delightful little family celebration that I was glad to be a part of! Happy birthday to the young birthday girl, and I hope you enjoy the family photos from your Somerton Park Family Photoshoot!
Somerton Park Family Photoshoot
Hugging couple in Somerton Park
Smiling couple on the grass at a park
Smiling couple on the grass at a park in Somerton Park
