I’m continuing my ‘Location Location’ blog series with one of my absolute favourites, and somewhere I take Alex very often, Garsons Pick-Your-Own Farm in Esher. Ever since my son was born, I was anticipating the day I’d take him picking strawberries and apples at Garsons. It is such a fun, educational, and healthy thing to do, I can’t think of a better way of spending your morning than picking fresh fruit and eating it virtually off the field.
And of course, it is perfect for picture-taking! I would encourage anyone bored with a usual family photograph in a local park to get their baskets and go pick some apples, strawberries or even pumpkins, and have some great photos taken in the meantime. The kids (and the parents) will get so absorbed in the new, fun, activity, there will be little nerves and apprehension about their picture being taken.
Below is my collection of photographs from Garsons taken over last year, both with just my iPhone and with my “big girl” camera. I can’t wait to go there again this year!
Location Profile: Garsons PYO
Where: My local Garsons PYO is in Esher, just a few minutes away from the A3 and the A307.
Getting there: The easiest is to drive, or by public transport you’d need a taxi ride from Hersham or Esher stations. More detailed information can be found here.
Entrance fees: There is no entrance fee, you just pay for what you pick!
Best time to go: Spring, Summer and Autumn are the best times – check Garson’s crop calendar to see what’s available for picking and when.
Why go there: It’s fun, it’s educational (children learn where the food comes from) and it’s healthy.
Make a day of it: You can easily spend several hours just picking fruit and veg, but if that’s not enough there’s also a cafe, a garden center and a large gift shop.
ABOUT ‘LOCATION, LOCATION’
‘Location, Location’ is a series of blog posts where I show you some of my favourite locations to shoot at, and hopefully will inspire you to go try something new for your family portraits. If you always have them taken at home – why not try an urban session? If you always do them in a park, why not go to the seaside? Depending on the age of your children, I will be able to recommend a cool location with the best ratio of minimal hassle, maximum cooperation from the kids and the best photographs we can get.