We absolutely love shooting at Delta Park, and would love to share with you here the ins and outs of the benefits of a session at this gorgeous Johannesburg park.

1. Trust us

The RDP team has been documenting family sessions since early 2015 - and has shot hundreds and hundreds of sessions in that time (never mind the countless kids parties, adult birthday parties, head shot sessions and product and corporate shoots we've done!). We'd like to think our experience counts for something, hehe!

The reason we love shooting at Delta so much is that we know that it WORKS! We know the best spots, year round, to guarantee you the best possible photos.

This also means that we can guide you straight to these spots, all within a 500 metre range of your car (in case we need to run back for nappies or similar), and we can have a quick and fun session!

2. Seasons

Robyn has spent a lot of time at this park - going for walks and runs throughout the week, and then shooting there over the weekend, which means she keep a keen eye trained on the changes that happen within the year - and she knows the exact times to take advantage of the cosmos just before Autumn:

Or the changing colours mid-Autumn:

Or the bright green hues of summer:

And even the chilly hues of mid winter:

3. Proximity

First up, the park is pretty centrally located in Johannesburg.

Second up, as previously mentioned, we always make sure that our meeting spot is as close as possible to our shooting spot, meaning that it's not necessary to push prams and carry bags through large sections of the park. Once again, our main aim is make the shoot as accessible and easy as possible!

Third up, as we know the park so well, we know exactly where and when the light is going to going to stream through the trees at the exact angle to get the perfect sunset shot. We know just where to stand to capture that gorgeous golden haze in the morning that will fill your photos with a warm glow. And we know all these spots so well, that we can easily guide us through a session quickly and painlessly.

4. Props

Speaking of prams and bags and such, we strongly suggest that you leave everything in the car! Maybe just a small bag of refreshments and a change of clothes if you'd like.

And we definitely don't need any props.

We find that kids in nature is one of my best things ever - every leaf, every blade of grass is something to marvel at! There are ducks to discover, flowers to smell, and if we're desperate for something to do we'll throw in some cuddles and tickles and hugs!

Nice and easy :)

5. Wardrobe Choices

Again, we're sticking with the nice and easy theme to this blog post - shooting in a park brings out an awesomely casual side to dressing, one in which easy fabrics and cuts totally fit in! Have a read through this post which is packed with tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your family photo shoot session; and this post which is filled with ideas on what to wear.

Worried about where you'll get changed? As with all of my wardrobe tips, we find the changes are best kept simple as well - most of our images are going to be primarily head and shoulders, so it's definitely not necessary to bring changes of shoes or pants along. Something as simple as changing a jersey, sweater or scarf is the best bet. And then there's a lovely patch of long grass which will allow for moderate privacy for changes.

6. Country Vibes

Delta for us is the chance to escape the thrum of the city - without even having to leave. After a long day of emails and admin it is our favourite thing to meet up with friends for a stroll around the park, or better yet, grab my camera and snap some pics of a lovely family, just hanging out in the grass, making memories.

7. Security

Safety is a factor with any outdoor location in Johannesburg, and we're very happy to say that we've never had an issue at Delta. The park is patrolled by security, and since the regular Saturday morning Park Run started a few years back it's been amazing to see just how many people are now making use of the park - early mornings and evenings there is a buzz of cyclists, runners and dog walkers in the park! It's just lovely!

That said, we do still live in Joburg, we would advise leaving your valuables & handbags in the car or better yet, at home. And once again, the less bags the better. Your photographer will pitch up with just one camera and one lens, no extra gear required for these fun and easy going shoots!

8. Client Satisfaction

It's amazing how often my clients exclaim in wonder as to the new section of the park that we show them during our session - and just how often they pledge to come back with the kids for walks and picnics on another occasion! We even recently had a family who just plain and simply refused to leave at the end of our photo shoot, and happily trotted back into the park to continue their breakfast picnic down by the dam! This kind of stuff makes us SO HAPPY.

We love being able to share a part of this gorgeous city with my fellow Joburgers, and have them love it as much as we do.

PLEASE NOTE:

We are exceedingly happy to shoot at other locations around Johannesburg, we do charge a small travel fee for distances over a certain range as time spent in our cars takes us away from other work.

We can absolutely shoot at your family home as well, please do consider the following for home shoots:

- your home is ideal for shooting in if you have big rooms, high ceilings and large windows

- the more natural light the better

- homes with thatch roofs, low ceilings and small windows are going to be rather darker and harder to achieve the same effect in

- if you have a large garden with LOTS of trees and greenery we can definitely make use of your garden space

We would absolutely LOVE for you to read over this blog post before heading to your family session - it has ALL the information you need to get the most out of your family shoot.

We can't wait for our photo session!

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