Insider information on family activities in Zurich, Switzerland // Destination Family photographer in Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland is such a nice place for unforgettable family vacations. The country is like a giant fairytale playground surrounded by snow mountain tops and blue lakes. With its numerous museums, parks, water-based attractions, themed trails educating in a playful way, toboggan runs and hanging bridges for outdoor thrills, Switzerland is a perfect place to spend your family holiday. 

Travelling is the time of joy. Everybody wants to have wonderful photos of the journeys in order to remember this precious time forever, that's why consider investing in a family photo session with a professional family photographer. Family photographer in Zurich will catch the most loveliest moments of your holiday. Happy smiles, spontaneous actions, stunning places, and loving eyes - all of these moments will be captured by the professional photographer. All you will need to do - is just to remain yourself and to spend the best days of your life at ease. As I always say, the best way to take pictures is spontaneously but in a prepared reality. When your children are happy and enjoy themselves, the backdrop is stunning, then everything is ideal for the successful photo shoot.

Here are my favourite places to spend time with children and take awesome pictures:

Summer

Old town is perfect for a nice walk combined with the photo session. Your Switzerland based family photographer will show you most interesting and photogenic places. The local photographer will be happy to recommend you the best route. Zurich Lake is great for swimming, there are a lot of beautiful and nicely equipped public swimming areas, called Badis. If you travel with children, you must visit Strandbad Mythenquai. It's forbidden to take pictures in public swimming recreation zones, but if we just step outside to for a mini photo session, we will enjoy the best natural background!

Another favourite activity of mine and my children's is renting a "pedalo" (water bike), what could be better than a little adventure and a swim in a refreshing water!

Take a boat trip of the Lake of Zurich or rent a bike (Zurich offers free bikes to rent by the way) to explore the city.

Autumn

Autumn in Zurich is usually a mild season with beautiful light and colours of the trees. It's a wonderful time to go to the mountains. If you don't have much time, just visit Jucker Farm in Jona to see pumpkins of all possible sizes and colours, or hike to Uetliberg.

Winter

Exploring Zurich during Christmas time is an unforgettable experience! I would recommend to start the morning with a merry-go-round at Christmas Village in Sechseläutenplatz near the Opera House, while there are not so many people (this place is so great for the family photo session as well!), and finish the day enjoying Christmas atmosphere of Conelli Circus at Bürkliplatz.

What else you need to do:

• Take a ride on Märlitram or Honold Chocolate Tram

• Visit Lindt chocolate factory (it's advisable to buy the tickets beforehand)

• Go to the Zurich Opera

• Go ice-skating

• Watch the lighting of the Lucy lights on the Bahnhofstrasse

• Eat lots of fondue and drink hot chocolate!

getting Christmas tree at the local Christmas tree market? :)

Spring

Zurich is incredibly beautiful in Spring. The cherry trees are blossoming, then come magnolias... The one-of-a-kind to see in Switzerland is to go to Kids' parade during Sechseläuten, a traditional Spring holiday in Zürich. You will see lots of cutest costumes and beautiful flowers. Take a boat trip, visit China Garden and Rietberg Museum, buy the tickets to Zirkus Knie at Sechseläutenplatz.

Visit Lindt chocolate factory to make your own chocolate Easter bunnies (it's advisable to buy the tickets beforehand)

All-year-around activities

Explore local museums and art galleries - Kunsthaus, Landesmuseum, Rietberg Museum (the parks around the last two ones are great for taking pictures!), FIFA museum, Zurich Zoo (don't forget to visit Masoala, the Zurich Jungle in the Zoo), go to Rapperswil and visit Knie Zoo.

Some thoughts on photography services available in Switzerland

You may spent months preparing for your wedding, but the day itself will pass in a heartbeat. You will be able to re-live the joy and romance of it by looking through your wedding album. So don't take chances with your wedding photographer. You need a professional, whose work you admire, who understands your vision and whose style reflects your own. 

·       Expertise & style

 You may be searching for a wedding photographer for your wedding that will take place in Switzerland or a professional in destination weddings that will come to the place of your choice, or if you are looking for a family in-home session or for a studio staged photo shoot – in any case, I would recommend to choose a photographer, who is experienced in the area and, what is even more important, whose style resonates with your personality. Photographer’s portfolio speaks better than all the words about the style and expertise, so spend some significant time looking through the pictures. Photographers are creative people and happy to experiment, but even trying something new we will stay true to our personal taste and style. 

·       Packages & hidden costs

Most photographers offer a selection of packages. Packages may vary in coverage, number of photos edited, number of images printed, quality of printed pictures and photo albums, etc. So, before making a decision, be sure to find out what is included in a package and which services are available at extra cost. Check for hidden costs, you may be surprised, but sometimes family and portrait photo packages don’t include digital images, the price of a photo session covers just time and talent of the photographer, while products, either digital files or prints, are purchased separately. It's important that right from the beginning you are absolutely clear on how you are being charged, ask your prospective photographer what their policy is. All my collections include full-resolution digital images with a release for personal use (sharing, printing and posting on social media). If you need the pictures for commercial use, please contact me first. Photographers often use password-protected online galleries that are very convenient for displaying  pictures from the wedding celebration/photo shoot. I would also recommend to check, if you or your guests will have to pay additionally to be able to download the pictures and how much. The nice thing about the online galleries is that you as a wedding couple or family on the portraits can regulate who may have the access to the pictures as well as which exactly pictures you want to have accessible.  

·       Duration of a photo session & coverage

The duration of time when the pictures are taken is certainly a very important factor. Don’t fall for longer coverage all other things being equal, except price, while choosing a family photographer – you don’t need 3 hours of a family photo shoot, since your children will be not willing to cooperate after certain time. At the same time, don't expect a variety of pictures, if you book a one hour photo shoot at one location. As my experience shows, 2 hours is the ideal time, we will be able to change the outfits as well as locations. Regarding wedding photography, you do need at least 6-hour coverage for a wedding session and even more, if you want to have the memories of the different stages of the day. We are all different, think what will have more value for you - portraits of you while getting ready, pictures of your dress, shoes, rings and flower bouquet or rather shots from the dancing floor? Formal portraits of the guests are regarded to be essential part of the wedding photo coverage, but are these pictures really so necessary? Why not to limit the formal group pictures to maximum 1-2 and better assign one hour to couple portraits? If you plan your photographer to be present at the Apero, ask her (or ok, him :) to make portraits of the guests (couples, separate small groups of friends), this will be a nicer memory from the artistic point of view! :)

You can’t get what you want until you know exactly what you are searching for, right? :) So be specific. Also, be prepared to ask right questions for getting comprehensive answers that will help you choose the best photographer for your needs.

Family Photo Shoot in Switzerland: How to Get Prepared?

What do you feel when looking through family photo albums? A blend of sweet nostalgia, gentle sadness and warmth of memories... Family photos seal the most important moments, significant events and small life pleasures in our memory. That’s why family photography is one of the most vibrant types of sessions though featuring some peculiarities. When being with close people, we experience the most sincere and warm emotions, which can turn the pictures to real magic – and a professional family photographer in Switzerland just has to create an appropriate atmosphere, add some entourage and capture right moments.

But how to achieve this in the real world? Any family photographer in Zurich will tell you that a successful photo shoot is a result of photographer and models’ joint work. The process begins long before a photo shoot, when you discuss and search for places, ideas, clothes and other details. But when the big day comes, try to follow these simple recommendations:

Have a good sleep, relax and eat well. These are the key factors for matching with "a sound mind in a sound body" rule, which is especially true for families with small children. Even if you plan to arrange a kind of picnic in the process of shooting, have a snack prior to the photo session.

If your family photographer in Zurich offers to choose morning or evening time for your photo session, consider his opinion - natural light is the most favorable during these hours for shooting outdoor. Besides, your younger kids will be full of energy after a night sleep or nap.

Manage your time. Often, mothers are so engaged in getting the whole family ready for a session, that they have no time left for their own hairstyle and makeup. Don’t try to put this away for later, as at the last moment some emergencies may happen preventing mother from brushing up. Make sure that you have enough time for yourself, since mother is usually the glue of the family.

Take some time to cheer up a daddy. As an experienced family photographer in Switzerland, I learnt that in most cases the initiative of arranging a family photo shoot belongs to a wife and mother, while men tend to take such ideas with suspicion. Do try to convince your spouse and father that for a successful family photo shoot you need more that just his presence, but his love, support and an ingenuous smile :)

Travel photography

What are distinctive features of travel photography, allowing marking it out from other genres? First of all, let’s define travel photography as a genre that tells about a country through describing its nature, people, way of life, traditions, history, culture and other things associated with the country. So, according to the definition, travel photography can’t be separated from many other genres, since it comprises their features. Sometimes travel photography is landscape photography, sometimes it is a portrait or street photography. That is, travel photos can be taken in almost any genre, except for staged, studio and advertising photography. You may not believe it, but even wedding photographer in Switzerland can take travel photos, when shooting a destination wedding!

Let’s delve into peculiarities of travel photography genres.

• Landscape photography covers views of nature and, as a rule, avoids getting people into the frame. Rural and urban landscapes are the options, showing static, both day and night life of a city or a village. The key word is "static", since dynamic urban life is a focus of street photography.

• Street photography is usually a dynamic photo showing scenes of people’s life in their urban environment. Sometimes, street photography touches on architectural photography (in its aesthetical aspect), though it doesn’t limited to taking pictures of only architectural scenes. Often, street photography tries to deliver rhythm of a city: in some cities it is steady, while in others it is just flying. And yes, street photos are often night photos (night photography deals with outdoor photo shoots between dusk and dawn).

• Portrait is an integral part of travel photography, showing personalities of people living in a country and often delivering other important information, like features of social life, customs and so on. But this is more typical of scenic photography that is focused on people’s lifestyle and activities.

As you can see, travel photography really embraces many genres and one of them to mention is lifestyle photography. If you are a lifestyle photographer in Switzerland, you can create travel photos during your regular sessions taking pictures of people, surrounding landscapes or daily life scenes.

Tips for amateur family photographers :)

If you are a beginner photographer and interested in photographing kids, here are some tips from an experienced family photographer in Zurich on how to treat children during family photo shoot session.

Keep Children Active and Engaged

Children love to change types of activity and get bored of monotonous plays rather quickly. So, a good family photographer is always prepared to offer several places and games at option for a photo shoot session. To keep children engaged, it is desirable to change activity every 10-15 minutes.

Make Sure That Children Feel Comfortable

Children need energy for playing games with you. Thus, prior to taking pictures, make sure that children are not hungry or tired. Even the best family photographer in Zurich won’t get good images if children experience physical discomfort.

Avoid Taking Pictures under Direct Sunlight

When having an outdoor family photo shoot session, try to take pictures of children in shaded places, so that they wouldn’t squint at the bright sunlight. The most beautiful and attractive thing in children portraits is their eyes. A professional family photographer in Switzerland will do his best to make the eyes clearly visible on pictures. If there is no shadow and you are forced to take pictures in the sun, don’t hurry and let children's eyes get used to bright lighting. However, you can create some shadow by putting a bucket hat or some kind of a hat with a peak on a child or by asking someone to hold a towel over children while you are shooting.

Keep Some Distance

Try using a lens with a larger focal length - you can move away from a scene and shoot from afar. This will help children to forget about your camera and to feel at ease, while you will get live pictures with a really natural touch. Generally, children under 5 should be photographed in a way that they don’t know that you’re shooting, while when it comes to older children it is better to get them involved in the game of shooting. For example, a good family photographer in Zurich will pretend that he is playing for real, while shooting just for fun.

Promise Reward after Shooting

Don’t stuff children with sweets during the photo shoot session. They will be chewing throughout the session, dreaming only about how to eat all the sweets. This can badly affect the images and even ruin your ideas about the photo shoot. Instead, promise some pleasant rewards after a family photo session, but don’t make much focus on this.