By far, most of the portrait sessions we do are outside. Kids love it outside, being able to run about, explore and get into all sorts of adventures.
There are so many options, especially around the Bayside area for great family and children portraits. Before each session I love to find out more about places that are special to you, where you go to enjoy time together and most of the time we can build a session around that spot.
While I have a heap of fantastic spots I can recommend, the ones that work best for your family are the ones go to and enjoy.
Here are some of my favourite types of locations.
Long Grass
Plonking kids and families down in some long grass always gets some fantastic shots. Of course, this isn’t for those who get hay fever! There are a few long grassy areas around Bayside and heaps in Tasmania, the shot below was actually shot on the side of a road.
The Beach
Of course, being mostly Bayside based, the beach is one of the most popular locations. It’s also one of the most diverse locations with the beach itself, the cliffs and rocks and also the trails that lead down to the beach are all great spots. Plus kids can get up to all kinds of fun from sand castle building, tree climbing, running, spinning and even splashing.
And one of the best times of day to photograph at the beach is just after the sun has set. The soft colours always look amazing and if you get a great sunset, it’s even better.
The Park
Your favourite park you always a great go to is a location. Again lots of areas to explore, play, find flowers to smell or sticks to collect. (What is it with boys and sticks?)
A little note on playgrounds, they are fun to photograph and you do get some great shots. If we are going to do this we leave this to the end of the session because trying to get a kid off a slide can be a very stressful process for everyone involved. Plus if the playground is busy there, out of respect for the other families there I can’t photograph if kids are going to be present in the background of photos, plus who wants photos of someone else’s kids hung on the wall?
The Bush
The bush is number 2 after the beach for exploitability. Many nature bush reserves are set up well with walking tracks giving great locations, plus just off tracks are even better locations. It also has the bonus to enjoy the sports and activities you do in those areas too, like mountain biking for example.
Again, heaps of great spots around Bayside to explore.
Nature Reserves
A step up from just normal bush areas is proper nature reserves. A whole heap of available scenery and backdrops. This is always great for the older family who want something more for the wall, getting an image that is your family in the landscape is always brilliant and looks phenomenal on the wall.
