The Best Outdoor Locations for Family Photography

I don’t know about you but over the weekend I felt for the first time like Spring was in the air! After what has felt like the darkest start to the year, I can finally envisage warm sunny days with my kids in the great outdoors and I cannot wait.

I have a long list of places I want to take my girls exploring as the days get longer and I’m also excited to visit picturesque locations in the northwest and beyond to capture my clients at play with their own children.

Banking artful memories for my clients and helping them to create a beautiful photographic record of their childrens’ childhood is at the heart of what I do. When the weather is good and we have an abundance of natural light to work with, I love nothing more than getting outdoors with my Contax 645, my camera bag full of film and a fun-loving family to photograph!

If you’re planning on investing in professional family photos, then I’ve shortlisted ten outdoor settings to inspire you to start thinking about where you’d like your session to take place. The world is your oyster, so let’s dive in!

10 outdoor location ideas for family photos:

1.     Local Park

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: your local park can be the perfect backdrop for your family photography session. It’s a familiar environment for your child, which will instantly put them at ease. And with lots to entertain them in between shots, a relaxed photo shoot in a playground is an ideal option with younger children.

If this will be your first professional family photo session or you’re nervous about how your children will take to the photography experience, then there really is no need to over-complicate things by selecting a far-flung location. Choosing a local park you visit regularly can be a lovely way to record honest memories of your day to day family life and whilst it may not seem like the most adventurous choice I can assure you I’ve captured some of the most charming photographs of children at play at their local play area!

2.     Beach

Running down the dunes, building sandcastles, splashing at the water’s edge... what’s not to love about family photographs at the beach?

The space this natural environment affords means children can run free and explore on their own terms. With opportunities for beautiful wide landscape shots and more intimate moments of exploration - searching for shells or making footprints in the sand - you’ll walk away with a wide variety of photographs to choose from!

What’s more, it’s free, ideal for bringing your dog along too, and offers great light for medium-format film.

As a family photographer based in Cheshire, I have a few favourite coastal locations for family photos in the North West. If you’re local to me be sure to check those out!

3.     Gardens

Those who know me well will tell you that the garden is my happy place. There is so much evidence to support how time spent in green spaces is good for our health and wellbeing and I for one know that an hour in the garden will never fail to get me out of a funk!

So it goes without saying that I am always thrilled when a client suggests taking photographs in a beautiful garden. Whether it’s a formal botanical garden or their own garden at home, photographing a family in a garden setting always feels really aligned to the gentle pace of my picture-making process. I love capturing young children as they notice the most beautiful details of nature within a garden, from tiny insects to the perfect climbing tree!

I’m very lucky to live a short walk away from one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the North West and it’s without a doubt one of my favourite spots to photograph my own children communing with nature. Take a look at this series of summer family portraits at Ness Botanic Gardens and you’ll get an insight into why I love it there so much.

4.     Woodland

Family friends will know that my parents have enjoyed the same walk through the woods along the bank of the river Dee from Eccleston every Sunday morning for around 30 years! That might sound rather unadventurous, but they love watching the subtle change of seasons week to week and always look forward to their ritual coffee and cake afterwards.

I have a whole catalogue of pictures taken along this trail dating back to my own childhood with my brother and our various family dogs on this weekly family outing, so I have a deep affection for this beautiful place and love to take my clients there to make their own family photographs.

At the peak of summer when the full tree canopy casts a deep shade on the ground below, woodland settings can actually be a bit dark for film. For me a woodland is the perfect location for family photographs in Spring when the trees are in bud and the ground is covered in humble, pretty flowers such as snowdrops, primrose and bluebells.

With plenty to explore, woodlands offer a great natural playground for a family photo session. There are trails to follow, sticks to collect and wild flowers to identify. The family dog is always welcome to join in the fun too!

5.     Strawberry Fields

Could there be a more wholesome location for your family photos than a strawberry field in June? The open fields mean there is plenty of natural light to play with and those pops of red amongst the lush green leaves just look so delicious on colour film. Throw in a happy toddler and you’ve got the makings of a timeless photograph that will have you smiling ear to ear every time you look at it!

Any location that is innately beautiful and also offers little people an activity to hold their interest is a win in my book. Strawberry picking is something the whole family can get involved in; giving plenty of scope for a lovely blend of candid moments of connection as you gather your harvest together, as well as gorgeous lifestyle portraits in a picturesque summer setting.

6.     Wildflower Meadows

In the past century, the UK has reportedly lost a staggering 97% of its wildflower meadows, which I find absolutely heartbreaking.

There are nature reserves all over the country trying to redress the balance and it’s so important to show our little ones why these places are so vital, providing essential homes and food to sustain wildlife. Insects thrive, birds feed and small animals find shelter in species-rich grassland, woodland and mire environments.

There is so much for children to notice in these rich natural environments in summertime and so much opportunity to bank beautiful memories in photographs! It’s a joy to capture sweet portraits of childhood amongst a carpet of pastel Spring flowers in a woodland or against the vibrant colours of a wildflower meadow in the heat of summer.

By visiting nature reserves not only can we support their cause and educate our children about the natural world in a fun and engaging way, we can also take the opportunity to capture beautiful family photographs!

One such place in the North West that I’m keen to visit and scope out for photographs is Swettenham Valley, but a quick google will reveal your nearest wildflower meadow nature reserves.

7.     Apple Orchard

I really enjoy rooting my photographs in their season wherever possible and so orchards are one of my favourite family portrait locations for late Summer! With trees to climb and fruit to pick, there are few outdoor settings more wholesome for a family portrait session than a British apple orchard.

As a photographer who shoots exclusively on film, I’m restricted to the ISO of my chosen film stock and so I’m always paying close attention to the light levels. As we shift from Summer to Autumn, the days often offer a dreamy natural light for film. On a sunny afternoon the spacing of the trees allows plenty of soft light to filter through and the shape of the golden leaves creates a beautiful dappled effect.  

8.     Coastal Town

A stroll along the prom, a scoot along the front and a chippy tea post-session... what could be better for your family photo shoot than your nearest coastal town?

I grew up in Parkgate, a west-facing village on the Dee estuary with epic sunsets and the UK’s best fish and chip shop (in my humble opinion!). Living on the Wirral Cheshire border, I’m blessed to have easy access to plenty of coastal towns and villages on the peninsula and also into North Wales and up to Lancashire.

Capturing a sense of place in my photographs is as important as capturing the season and there’s something so inspiring about a traditional British seaside town. It speaks to me of simpler, slower times. The sweeping Victorian architecture of a seafront bordering a long stretch of beach can make a really elegant backdrop for family photographs. From traditional piers, to ice cream shops and arcades there is usually wide variety of backdrops to inspire a great family photograph!

9.     Abroad

I feel so fortunate to have been invited to take photos of families in France and Italy. One of my favourites was this beautiful family portrait session in Burgundy with a gorgeous family of five who were on vacation from Washington State.

It often falls to Mum to capture the family memories whilst on holiday (Dad if you’re reading this and you’re the family photographer then I apologise and take my hat off to you!), so inevitably she’s not actually IN many of the photographs.

Booking a family portrait session whilst you’re on a family holiday has many benefits:

• It takes the pressure of parents to record the moment by outsourcing to a professional.

• Parents get to jump in the frame too, meaning you can capture photographs of the whole family together.

• The pace is slow and children are usually loving having their parents’ undivided attention, so everyone is feeling more relaxed.

• If you’re somewhere warm and sunny, you can count on the weather and schedule your session for that elusive “golden hour” that is so often hidden behind the clouds back at home!

• Whether it be lavender fields in Provence, rolling hills in Tuscany or sandy beaches in the Maldives (we can dream right?!) you can bank family memories in a different landscape that tells a story of where you are in the world.

With all of these factors at play there is a high probability you’ll capture a photograph of the entire family which you’ll want to print onto an enormous frame and hang in pride of place in your home to remind you of that happy family adventure every day.

10.  Mountains

Finally I’m finishing on a high! If you love the idea of wide open spaces where Mother Nature is showcased in all her glory, let’s get on our walking boots and take a hike for your family photos!

With North Wales on the doorstep there are endless paths and trails to explore, which offer the most stunning landscape locations. If you like a good waterfall, why not have your family photos taken at Aber Falls? If you think your little ones would enjoy hunting for nymphs, trolls and fairies, why not head to The Fairy Glen - Ffos Noddyn - in Conwy?

My favourite family walk in the north-west is Moel Famau, which is gentle enough to do with young kids. But if you have older children and hiking something you love to do as a family, I’d love to join you for an outward bound adventure and record those memories for you on medium format film.

I love to travel to meaningful locations both in the UK and abroad for my photography clients, so do get in touch if you’d like to discuss capturing your family’s story on film somewhere that means something to you.

Based in the North West like me? Then have a read of my top 10 family photography locations near Chester, featuring my favourite spots from Wrexham to West Kirby!