A family holiday doesn’t happen twice. The kids grow, the plans change, and when you get home the only thing left is the photos. The trouble is that they’re usually phone shots into the sun, with someone cropped in half and nobody looking at the same time.
I’m Ramón, a photographer based in Fuerteventura, and I’ve been shooting family photo sessions on the island for years. This guide covers how a family session with me works, where we shoot, how I handle kids, and what you get at the end.
Why Fuerteventura works so well for family photos
The light. The Canarian sun drops slowly and turns everything gold for almost an hour. No fighting hard shadows or blown-out skies. If you want to know why I’m so insistent about timing, I go into detail in the golden hour guide.
The space. On a beach or in the dunes there are no walls, no furniture, no neighbours. Kids can run without anyone telling them to sit still, and that completely changes the kind of photos you end up with.
The backdrops. White sand, turquoise water, dunes, black volcanic rock. Clean and timeless: in fifteen years these photos won’t look dated.
Where we shoot
We choose together, based on how many of you there are, the kids’ ages and what appeals to you. These are the locations that work best with families:
Corralejo sand dunes. My favourite for families with small children. Soft sand, endless space, nothing dangerous. I’ve published a real family session in the dunes so you can see exactly what the results look like.
El Cotillo lagoons. Very shallow, calm water. Perfect if the kids want to get in without giving you a heart attack.
Playa del Moro and the Corralejo coast. Five minutes from town, easy if you’re travelling with a pushchair or with grandparents.
Ajuy. Black cliffs and caves. More dramatic and less typical; great with families of teenagers.
If you want more options, I have a guide to photo locations in Corralejo and another on the best beaches on the island for photos.
How I work with children: no posing
This is the part parents worry about most, and the answer is simple: I don’t ask them to pose. It doesn’t work, and it shows on their faces.
What I do instead is suggest things: run over here, bury your feet, give dad a hug, go and find shells. I stay out of the way and shoot while it happens. The photos people end up loving are always those ones, not the ones where everybody is looking at the camera.
With very young children the session adapts to the child, not the other way round. If we need to stop for ten minutes because someone’s had enough, we stop. There’s no rush.
You don’t need to know how to pose either. I guide you through it: where to put your hands, where to look, how to stand. It’s easier than it sounds.
When: the time of day matters more than the date
We shoot in the hour and a half before sunset, or just after sunrise. It isn’t a whim: at midday the light comes straight down, eyes squint and skin burns out in the photos.
With small kids, sunrise is often better than you’d expect — they’re rested and the beach is empty.
What to wear
Neutral tones and colours that work together across the family: cream, off-white, beige, soft blue, terracotta. Avoid big prints and logos, they take over the frame.
Comfortable clothes that move in the wind, because there’s always a breeze in Fuerteventura. And bare feet: the kids will end up barefoot anyway.
For the full detail, see my guide on what to bring to a beach session and on how to prepare for your session.
What’s included and when you get the photos
A one-hour session gives you between 40 and 70 edited high-resolution photos. I deliver them in a private online gallery 5 to 10 days later, with a full personal-use licence: print them at any size and post them wherever you like.
Sessions start at €40. I work in English and Spanish.
When to book
In summer, at Christmas and over Easter the best dates go weeks in advance. Off season there’s usually availability at a few days’ notice.
Send me your travel dates and how many of you there are (the kids’ ages help me plan) and I’ll confirm availability and a recommended location. If you have questions before deciding, most of them are answered in the FAQ, or you can message me directly and I’ll talk you through it with no obligation.
Want to book your session in Fuerteventura?
Tell me what you have in mind and I will send you a price with no obligation. I reply within 24 hours.