Making time for professional family holiday photos 

Melanie and her family are from Singapore. They got in touch before their family vacation to Switzerland and we planned a very Swiss mountain photo shoot near Villars-sur-Ollon. It was important to Melanie to have a professional photographer with local knowledge. This way, she could make the most of the limited time the rest of her family were willing to devote to the photo shoot. We chatted about what they were most looking forward to seeing in Switzerland. It quickly became clear that the mountains and nature were something everyone was excited about, so I suggested a beautiful local spot for a morning’s photo session. 

The hills were alive 

When Melanie and her family arrived at the location I had selected for their alpine vacation photos, she had a surprise in store for me. Both mum and daughter had decided to dress up for the mountains and they looked fabulous. The mix of playful girls and boisterous boys made for a unique combination. As I got to know them a little more over the session, it seemed to sum up their family perfectly. 

We started with some easy family shots, getting to know one another and for me to find out how they would interact on camera. There was a wonderful spirit of play, fun and everyone really gave me their best for the session. I took smaller groups out, making the most of Melanie’s fabulous outfits and letting the boys play fight. There was one wonderful moment during sibling pictures when Melanie’s eldest just lifted his little sister onto his shoulders.  

With so much energy and joy, I decided to play with the Sound of Music feel of Melanie’s styling. By this stage in the photo shoot, I knew that they would be happy to play, and it was just us and the mountains. We spun around and were treated to a song from Melanie’s little girl. They might be a little cheesy, but I love these pictures. They sum up the joy of visiting a new place, acting out things you might have read or seen on TV. Taking a family vacation with such fun and joy was wonderful to capture in photos. 

Top tips for booking family vacation photos 

Melanie got in touch with me about a month before their holiday in Switzerland from Singapore. This gave us time to plan and I was able to suggest a couple of locations. We planned to have a backup day in case of bad weather, and the family made time in their travel plans. To make the most of the drive up the mountain, I gave Melanie lots of ideas for things to do in the area. Knowing the ages of her children also helped me advise which walks, restaurants and other activities might be of interest. 

Booking in advance also allows you to avoid currency or credit card fees as it means you can bring cash to the session. I do offer payment by Paypal and Stripe but the high fees on these mean cash is much cheaper. Melanie chose a Files collection so that she could download her images back home in Singapore. I can also ship worldwide if you want a special family vacation photo album. 

For holiday photos in Switzerland, I offer three digital photo collections. For something a little more special, I also have a choice of albums, canvases, and prints. If you would like to book a family or holiday photoshoot, please get in touch for collection pricing and availability.