Planning your family pictorial? Don’t worry! We’ve invited stylist Donna Gonzalez-Lim to share her secret spots for that picture-perfect family portrait. Get the inside scoop here!
Did you just welcome a new addition to your family? Is your eldest turning 7, or 3, or 4? Do we need any reason besides celebrating our family and documenting it beautifully? Not at all! This picture will indeed paint a thousand words when you hang it up your wall or share it with friends. Let us help you in one of the things you need to check off when planning a family pictorial–the venue.
What do you need to take into consideration when choosing a venue? Since this entails the whole family, comfort and convenience is paramount. You will have your kids in tow and you will have to have their needs and limitations in mind. Especially with babies and toddlers, thinking of their moods and personalities should be considered on top of your theme and look that you want to accomplish too. Hopefully our compiled list and anecdotes would be helpful when planning your next family pictorial.
1. Your own backyard
The best part of this is convenience. Having their nursery a few steps away would certainly come in handy for feedings or breaks in between. It also helps with the camera shy ones to be in a place that they know and are comfortable in. If you have a piece of garden in your home (or your in laws) you can utilize this spot. Family pictorials often translate to fun and playful set styling which really just require any open space that has good lighting.
Photo: Shutterpanda Photography / Styling: Joie de Vivre and Flourish and Frills
2. Neighborhood Park
Just like shooting in your own garden, your neighborhood park will just do as well in terms of a blank canvas perfect for set styling the outdoors. Plus points to added elements like a playground and benches amongst the trees. Shooting here usually just needs a letter to your admin or an endorsement letter from a friend.
Photo: Delightful Little Darlings / Venue: Valle Verde 1 / Styling: Joie de Vivre and Flourish and Frills / Shoot: Stylish Sweetness
Photo: Nicolas Photo and Video / Styling: Joie de Vivre and Flourish and Frills
3. UP Diliman
If you have kids (or a friend) enrolled at UP Diliman, take advantage and use their grounds to do your shoot for free! They usually charge per hour for outsiders. It boasts of forest grounds and open fields complete with the “talahib” effect. Again, layer up with the sunscreen and insect repellant! Be also ready to do your changes in the car. Do pack your water and snacks with you and maybe carry around a mat or a portable chair for when you need to rest in between takes.
Photo: Delightful Little Darlings / Styling: Joie de Vivre
4. Sta. Elena Fun Farm, Laguna
Why not turn your pictorial to a fun activity with the kids? Have a photographer capture candid moments of your children riding horses and carabaos, petting rabbits, and feeding the chickens. The farm boasts lots of other activities too! They do not have a restaurant though so do pack your own food and drinks, and maybe even set up a picnic which would look great in photos too!
Photo: Shutterpanda Photography / Shoot: Charming Countryside
Contact: (0920) 913-1349
Rate: Starts at PhP 6,000 for 4 hours.
5. Pinto Art Gallery, Antipolo
A go-to place for pictorials–and for a good reason too. This place has grown so much since I first stepped foot in it last 2010 for my own engagement shoot, and they still continue to expand to this day. It is one big masterpiece, with every nook having so much to offer.
Photo: Myio Okamoto and Shutterpanda Photography / Styling: Joie de Vivre and Flourish and Frills
Contact No: (02) 697-1015
Rate: Starts at PhP 7,500
How about a carnival scene? Enjoy the backdrop of the carousel, ferris wheel, and the colorful game booths with giant stuffed animals! All this together with a cool breeze and view of Taal Lake! Their package has a lot of inclusions so do contact them for more details.
Photo: Sky Ranch
Contact No: (02) 857-0100 loc 1450
Rates: PhP 10,000 for 8 hours
7. Your favorite beach
If you are a family of sea lovers why not do your pictorial by the beach? You cannot go wrong with the sun, sand and sea! Bring colorful inflatables, sand tools, and mats and you guys are all set! It can also be something as chic and stylish as this photo below! P.S. – Don’t forget to lather on some sunscreen!
Photo: Metrophoto / Styling: Mike Alvares and Tipping Point Collective / Shoot: Galloping by the Sea
8. Out of the Country
Watch out for your favorite photographers’ schedules, as they post when they are out of the country and opening slots for pictorials too! Maybe your next vacation coincides with theirs. Take this opportunity to have that scenic backdrop away from home. It will surely be unforgettable. Take this Central Park shoot, perhaps!
Photo: Happy Folks Studio / Shoot: Mr. Fall Cutiepie
Now that the venue is all set, what are you waiting for? Plan that family pictorial that has been put on hold for months! Enjoy!