I don’t know about you, but every year as the weather warms up, I always get massively excited about summer and everything it brings, especially when it comes to family photoshoots amongst all the stunning flower displays that are doting the Essex countryside at that time of the year.
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CAPTURE BEAUTIFUL FAMILY IMAGES IN THESE ESSEX LOCATIONS
As a self professed winter lover, my pure joy at the first sight of warm weather is rather difficult to admit - after all what’s not to love about winter, the season famous for Christmas, cosy atmosphere and what feels like official permission from the universe to stay at home and be lazy without that nagging fear of missing out that you have when the weather is nice. Hot chocolate, movie marathons, at-home family photoshoots with babies wrapped up in cosy layers… anyways, all of that deserves its own blogpost. But let’s admit it (even winter lovers like me) - by the time March rolls around, most of us are already well tired of the endless grey skies and having to wear a million layers every time we leave the house.
So it hardly comes as a surprise that we all welcome the renewal of life that summer brings - the beautiful Magnolia tree blooms that are lining the streets everywhere in Essex, bunches of happiness-inducing daffodils with their bright yellow pop of colour, crocuses showing their delicate heads from the ground. While since our mini garden reno I can now call myself a hobby gardener, it’s the photographer in me that’s truly singing with joy at the sight of nature waking up after its long sleep. As soon as the weather reaches 15 degrees, I’m already daydreaming about family photoshoots amongst the beautiful flower displays in Essex. This is why today I’m sharing with you three of my favourite flower locations for photosessions.
3 ESSEX LOCATIONS FOR FAMILY PHOTOSHOOTS AMONGST THE FLOWERS
I discovered RHS Garden Hyde Hall by pure chance and after our first visit, we immediately became members as we loved it so much! Over the last year, we’ve visited many times over different seasons and it’s always beautiful. Of course, Hyde Hall being a Royal Horticultural Society Garden means stunning flower displays are to be expected, but I’m always amazed at how beautifully they’ve planted the garden for year-round interest.
Recently we went there for their Giant Easter egg hunt and the garden was blooming with beautiful tulips and other early spring plants. In early summer, the garden is in its full glory with its breathtaking rose garden, fragrant lavenders and other colour-rich summer flowers. I simply couldn’t resist planning a photoshoot amongst the dramatic blues and purples of one of their displays.
Another favourite spot of mine for family photoshoots in the Essex RHS garden is the meadow right next to it. Especially after particularly dry and sunny days, the grass gets tinted in this beautiful yellow-green that not only catches natural light beautifully, but it also creates the perfect backdrop for emotive photography.
Hylands House is a Grade II listed public park which means that it combines the beauty of historic parkland and a stunning villa that can be hired for weddings and other celebrations. It has vast green spaces, a cafe, a second hand bookshop and a lovely playground. However, what I love most about going to Hylands House are the formal Victorian Gardens with their beautiful flower displays.
We recently visited Hylands House during a warm early spring day and it was absolutely incredible seeing all the effort that’s been put into the beautiful flower beds. It immediately got me thinking about doing a family photoshoot there.
An interesting tidbit - Weald Country Park is one of our preferred local nature areas as a family for weekend walks. With its vast open spaces, deer enclosure, contemporary wooden playgrounds perfect for families with children, meadows and lakes (well, just the one really but it’s large and has ducks and swans) it can provide a ton of fun in the fresh air for nature-oriented people.
Weald Country Park is one of my favourite places for family photography year-round as it has beautiful backdrops and rolling hills which provide a lovely setting for photoshoots. However, rather than its stunning backdrops, Weald Country Park’s presence in this particular blogpost has more to do with a flower display it’s very famous for - the bluebells.
Bluebells are meadow plants with delicate blue flowers which bloom from late March to early May - it varies every year. They are one of the last spring flowers to appear before the leaves on woodland trees close up the sunlight to the forest meadows below them. Bluebell walks have become somewhat of a tradition and every year, there are lots of families organising weekend outings to places famous for them specifically to see them in full bloom. When flowering, they cover the ground beautifully and create this “enchanted” forest atmosphere which is very hard to describe - it’s not to be missed!
Along with a beautiful backdrop for nature walks and a point of interest for nature lovers, bluebells provide a lovely opportunity for family photoshoots amongst them. When there’s a clear vision and a corresponding concept behind the photo session, they can provide that little bit of background interest (but without taking away from the main point of the photos - capturing those genuine moments and emotions between a family) that can lead to truly breathtaking photographs.
3 ESSEX FAMILY PHOTOSHOOT PLACES FOR FLOWER ENTHUSIASTS
When looking for places to take some lovely photos of your family in Essex, check out these parks and pay them a visit.
Interested in seeing more photographs of my family photoshoots? Check out this blogpost from an impromptu mini Autumn session I did of my son back in November:
If you’re looking for an Essex family photographer, take a look at my Portfolio here and contact me to start chatting about your ideal photoshoot.
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Zee Gunchev is an Essex family photographer with years of experience in the lifestyle photography area. She focuses on capturing genuine moments in soft, dreamy tones and natural light to be savoured for years to come. Her timeless images and effortless style are chosen by many Essex families to document important milestones and life stages.
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