Book a Family Photoshoot
in Marseille

This happens all the time, and our family photographers are prepared for it. The secret is that the best family photos don't come from asking kids to pose — they come from play. Your photographer will turn the session into a game: racing along the beach at Biarritz, feeding ducks in Annecy, hunting for gargoyles on Paris' old churches, storming the towers of Carcassonne. Tantrums and shy phases get waited out with a break and a pain au chocolat, and sessions are scheduled around naps and meals. Even a session that feels chaotic in the moment produces wonderful genuine images — often better than the ones where everyone behaved.

There's no wrong age — each stage photographs differently and beautifully. Babies bring quiet, tender close-ups; toddlers bring motion and hilarious candid moments; school-age kids love the adventure of exploring châteaux and beaches on camera; teens relax once they realise nobody is forcing stiff poses. Multi-generation shoots with grandparents are among the most treasured bookings we see, especially on family reunion trips to Provence or the Loire. The one practical tip: with children under five, book morning sessions when energy and light are both at their best. Your Photo France photographer adapts the pace and games to the ages in your group.

Aim for a coordinated palette rather than identical outfits: two or three soft colors that everyone wears in their own way. Creams, soft blues, sage and sand tones look wonderful against Paris' pale stone, Provence's ochre walls and the Atlantic's grey-green sea. Skip big logos, characters and neon shades. Dress kids in clothes they can move and play in — the session will involve running, climbing steps and sitting on beaches or lawns. Bring a change of clothes for little ones (French fountains and beaches are irresistible) and comfortable shoes for cobbled lanes. Your photographer will send simple styling tips for your specific location and season when you book.

Professional photoshoots in Marseille start from €310. Packages vary by duration and the number of edited photos — from an hour around the Vieux-Port and Le Panier to a longer session that adds the Notre-Dame de la Garde terrace or a calanque at the end of the day.

The Vieux-Port with the mirrored ceiling of the Ombrière, the ochre lanes and painted stairways of Le Panier, the black lace footbridges of the MuCEM into Fort Saint-Jean, the terrace of Notre-Dame de la Garde for harbour and islands in one frame, and the Vallon des Auffes — a tiny fishing cove of coloured boats under a road bridge — at sunset. Add a calanque if the session has half a day.

Yes, with one planning step first. Sormiou and Morgiou are the calanques you can drive close to, and their access roads are restricted in high summer; En-Vau and Sugiton are reached on foot or by boat, and in the warm months the national park runs a free booking system for the busiest of them and closes the massif entirely on high fire-risk days. So the honest answer is: check the day's access before fixing the time, allow a real walk on white rock in shoes that grip, and bring water. Your photographer will know the current rules and pick the cove that fits your morning.