I have a long list of locations in Edinburgh for family photographs, and last weekend I found a new perfect spot.
Somewhere only about 15 minutes’ drive away from me that I think will be absolutely perfect for family photography in Edinburgh, and boy was I excited!
When I came across the place by accident, I couldn’t decide whether I was more excited because I could …
- take my clients there to get the most beautiful shots of them in fabulous, natural surroundings
- take my dad and his dog Fergus there when they come down from Invernes-shire to visit us
- take my own children there to mess about
- or that I could just BE there, myself …
To get away from streets, buildings, pavements, houses, cars.
Because I like that. I like that very, very much.
And that’s why you’ll see that most of my images – see my portfolio here – have trees, fields, sky, or hills in them as backgrounds.
Out in the sticks
Now, if you’re wanting edgy, urban, “street” photographs, I’m probably not the photographer for you. Draping people artfully against stone walls or arranging their feet on concrete isn’t my thing.
However, I do venture into the very centre of town now and again to photograph clients, as you can see from this session I did for one of Edinburgh’s premier bagpipers, but where I’m happiest is in the sticks.
We have great sticks in Edinburgh!
And the brilliant thing about in Edinburgh is that we have these wee pockets of “sticks” everywhere! We really don’t have to go far to find them. Like this session I did for a family up Calton Hill …
If you didn’t recognise the monuments at the top of Calton Hill, you’d never know this was taken slap, bang, in the middle of a city, now, would you? It’s certainly in the middle of town, but you’re far away from the streets and the houses up there.
And what about this?
Lauriston Castle in Cramond is currently one of my favourite locations, and that’s in Edinburgh too, but it’s so quiet there you feel as if you’re in the countryside.
Where do you like to go?
There are just so many great places to go here! And it’s SO important that when you go to a professional photographer for your family or children’s photographs, you choose a location that reflects your family and the kind of things you all like.
What sort of places are you happiest hanging out in? Think about the things that inspire you, consider places that are personally very meaningful, or the things you like doing or the places you like going in your spare time.
What do you like to do?
Is your normal Saturday routine to go and have lunch out somewhere? Or do you love to go for early morning walks with the dog? That’s what your session should be about.
Or perhaps you prefer the beach down in East Lothian, or riding your bikes, or a picnic up Arthur’s Seat? Or even playing with the children in your back garden? Let’s go for it!
Things to consider when deciding where to go for photographs
Some locations suit different types of photography sessions, however. For example, if you’ve got wee children, we’ll probably need somewhere with loads of space for them to run about and go daft, and interesting things for them to look at and play on to keep boredom from setting in.
Big parks or trips to the beach are great for this, but if you have a very young child who can’t yet walk an in-home session could be just the thing.
And if it’s just your and your other half, or perhaps you and other adults or older children, there are loads more options.
Personalised for you
I’ve got plenty of great locations I can suggest we go to, but your photography session is about YOU. So if there’s somewhere particular you have in mind, let me know, yes? And we’ll talk about how we can create something beautiful and unique to you.
Or perhaps you’d like to try out the new location I’ve just found, the one in my video? Tell me on Facebook, do you think it would be a place you’d like to go, either for photographs or maybe simply just to walk your dog or take the children? What do you think of it?