Imagine a medieval village on a hill in the middle of Valdelsa, overlooking the Tuscan countryside, just few minutes away from San Gimignano. Imagine an afternoon in July, the sunset golden light, the rolling hills called crete senesi and the dusty roads, lined with cypress trees on the sides. Finally, imagine an American family on holiday in Tuscany who decides to treasure a memory made of images of the happy days spent discovering this lovely Italian region.
Adam, Karla and their five years old daughter Carys, were staying at the Castello di Casole, so they asked me to suggest a place in the surroundings for their family photo shoot. We went through many options, including San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Florence, Siena and Certaldo Alta. Three medieval villages full of the charme for which Tuscany is famous all around the world, made of narrow lanes lined with red bricks buildings and adorned with delicious doors, arched windows, plants and flowers in every corner.
I proposed them to divide the photo shoot into two parts: one in Certaldo Alta, the village that gave birth to Boccaccio, and another on the rolling hills of Chianti during the golden hour. Here Carys had fun running on the slopes and picking flowers, giving me the chance to photograph her in all her sweetness.
Family photo shoots are a beautiful part of my work as a photographer. They have that component of spontaneity and intimacy that minimizes my work as a director and leaves room for my eye and my sensitivity to capture the most authentic moments, the most real smiles and the most instinctive hugs.
Family photographer Tuscany
Family photo shoot on the rolling hills of Chianti, near San Gimignano, Florence, Siena, Pienza and Volterra