Jolly Summer Highlights | A Personal Post

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that summer is about to hightail it out the door faster than you can say, “See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya!”

And what a summer it’s been! I’d even go so far as to say it was probably one of my favourite summers ever! If you were to ask me why though, I’m not sure I’d be able to pinpoint any one thing or aspect of our leisurely summer break that made it so darn enjoyable. I think it was a combination of good weather, spending a lot of time outdoors (I’m still paler than Casper the Friendly Ghost), road trips, exploring Sweden, hanging with friends and family, and several celebrations. Both of my children, my husband, and my dog have their birthdays in summer, and it’s also our wedding anniversary! Phew! Have you any idea how much time I spent baking for all these occasions in our unnaturally hot kitchen?!

It was also this summer that I finally realised something about myself that I have long since suspected… I am SO NOT a beach person!! Oh Lord, I tried, I really did. I went to several beaches with my family to see if there might be a beach person inside me screaming to get out. I threw myself on a towel, or in a beach chair and tried to enjoy the sweltering, sandy experience. After all, everyone else on the beach seemed to be having a blast. I did notice that not everyone, however, had skin that was sizzling faster than a flank steak on the barbie. Sunblock be damned, the sun was hell-bent on scorching me. So no, there is not a pool-side holiday in my future. Ever. I will not die looking like a forlorn lobster.

Right now, the kids are back at school and it feels like the summer holidays are officially over. That doesn’t mean the fun is over though, right? You gotta create fun memories whenever you can. Yesterday a friend and I went for a walk, sat on a big boulder, and had tea and homemade banana bread that I’d brought along. We chatted and laughed as we watched the sun dip lower in the magenta sky. Eager for the fun to continue, we’ve already planned a night out on Friday. I think we all need a little more fun in our life, don’t you?

Peace and love xoxo

Drottningholms Slott Family Photo Session | Familjefotograf Stockholm

Well, it looks like someone got a bit carried away with her summer holiday and completely neglected her blog! :)

How are you all? And by that, I mean all five people who actually see/read my blog posts, haha!! :) I hope you have had a jolly good summer. In case I haven’t already said, I am very good at relaxing and as a result of relaxing a LOT this summer, it’s been a bit of a struggle getting back into the swing of things! Here I am though, finally writing a long overdue blog post :)

This gorgeous Drottningholms slott family photo session is from June and as you can see by the blue sky, we had glorious weather (apparently the word ‘glorious’ is extremely old-fashioned, but I’m rather fond of it, so I’ll continue to use it!). Luckily, we met quite early in the morning before that uber strong summer sun got too high in the sky, and worked extremely fast (hello, rapidly-moving two-year-old!). I love how the mom styled this session. I always tell my families that hats look great in photos (see below for evidence), so I’m very happy she took my advice :)

This family not only ordered prints for dotting around their home but also ordered a great big framed family portrait, which they could not wait to hang up and display. It truly is an honour to work with so many families and help create these photography legacies for them :)

If you would like to book an end of summer/autumn/winter family portrait session, now is the time to book. I take a limited number of bookings per month in order to give all my clients the best experience and all the attention they deserve. You can get in touch via the Contact page above or mail sandra@sandrajolly.com.

Peace and love xoxo

Maternity and Family Session at Drottningholms Slott | Stockholm Family Photographer

I’d never done a family photo session at Drottningholms Slott in Stockholm before. I tend to shoot more in quieter places in the country or by the water, so I was very relieved when we got to the castle early one June morning and saw that we had the place almost to ourselves!

This mom wanted relaxed and natural family photos and a couple of bump images. And that’s exactly what she got! Her little boy is shy, so she didn’t mind that he wasn’t smiling all the time. In fact, she loved the more serious pictures and has ordered prints of them! Like I always say, small children have LOTS of different moods. They don’t HAVE to smile in every photo! Why not capture more of their expressions than just smiling?

To book a Jolly family session, please mail sandra@sandrajolly.com or to the Contact page above. I look forward to hearing from you!

Peace and love xoxo :)

A Summer Evening's Walk in Sweden | Barnfotograf Stockholm

Sweden is really beautiful in the summer. It provides the perfect backdrop to photographs, especially with the gorgeous, soft evening light. Today, June 21st, the sun doesn’t set until 22:06 here in Stockholm, and sunrise was at 03:31. That’s a whole lot of daylight, right?! For evening photo sessions at this time of year, the temperature is usually warm and the light is just yummy! Once I start shooting on these summer evenings, it’s hard to stop!

I should also mention that around this time of year, clients often ask me to their summer homes to do relaxed outdoor family sessions, which are always great fun :) It’s the perfect time to document your family when they can kick off their shoes and just hang out in the garden of their summer-house, maybe enjoying some fresh watermelon.

If you would like to book a summer session, it’s best to book as soon as possible, before I take my summer leave. Mail sandra@sandrajolly.com to learn more or just go to the Contact page above.

Peace and love xoxo