Short answer: Our six regular outdoor spots in northern Sydney are Lane Cove National Park, Fagan Park at Galston, Bicentennial Park in Lane Cove, Kissing Point Park at Putney, Boronia Park in Hunters Hill and the bush tracks off North Epping. All are within about 25 minutes of our Epping studio.
We shoot most of our portrait work indoors, so when a family asks to go outside we want the location to earn it. These six do. Each has been used more than once, which is the only recommendation we trust — a place that photographed well on a still Tuesday can be unusable on a windy Saturday.
A note on permits, before the list
This part gets skipped by a lot of photographers and it should not be.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service requires a licence for commercial filming and photography in national parks, and Lane Cove National Park is one. Most councils in northern Sydney — Hornsby, Ryde, Lane Cove, Hunters Hill — also have a commercial photography permit process for their reserves, with fees and conditions that vary by council and change from time to time.
That paperwork is the photographer’s job, not yours. But it is worth asking any studio you are considering whether they hold the relevant permit, because the alternative is being moved on by a ranger halfway through your session. Check the current NPWS and council pages for the fees rather than trusting a number in a blog post, including this one.
Lane Cove National Park
The Lane Cove River runs through it, with picnic flats, tall gums and casuarinas leaning over the water. It is the most photogenic of the six and the most regulated.
Go early. Mid-morning light filters through the canopy in a way that suits skin, and by early afternoon the contrast between bright gaps and deep shade becomes a fight. There are several vehicle entrances, including from Lady Game Drive, and a vehicle entry fee applies — bring a card. Parking is sealed and close to the picnic areas, which matters if you are carrying a pram.
Best for: families who want bushland and water in the same frame. Worst for: anyone in a hurry, since walking between two good spots eats fifteen minutes.
Fagan Park, Galston
Off Arcadia Road in Galston, in the Hornsby shire. It is big — formal garden beds, enormous open lawns, mature trees and the old Netherby homestead area. A family with four kids can run around it without anyone getting bored.
Parking is on site and free, and there is plenty of it, which is unusual. Late afternoon is the pick: the lawns face west and the low sun rakes across them beautifully. It is about 25 minutes from Epping and the drive up through Dural is genuinely pleasant, so it is the one we suggest when a family wants to make a morning of it.
Best for: variety in one location. Worst for: summer middays, when the open lawns have no shade at all.
Bicentennial Park, Lane Cove
Open playing fields with bushland around the edges, in Lane Cove North. It is not spectacular and that is the point — it is simple, close, and reliable when you want the family to be the subject rather than the scenery.
The wide grass means we can put a long lens on and throw the background completely out of focus, which gives a clean look that photographs more like a studio than a park. Weekday afternoons are quiet. Weekend mornings belong to junior sport, so avoid those entirely. Street parking nearby, and a short walk in.
Best for: clean, uncluttered family portraits ten minutes from the studio. Worst for: Saturday mornings in winter.
Kissing Point Park, Putney
On the Parramatta River in the City of Ryde, with a grassy waterfront, big shade trees, a playground and a wharf. This is our sunset location.
Because the water sits to the west and south-west, the light at the end of the day comes across the river rather than through trees, and you get that warm, low, soft wash on faces with the river glittering behind. Arrive about an hour before sunset. Parking is on the surrounding streets and fills up on warm evenings, so allow ten minutes for it.
Best for: golden-hour water backdrops. Worst for: windy days, when the river breeze ruins hair in about four seconds.
Boronia Park, Hunters Hill
Sporting ovals on top, with bushland dropping away towards the Lane Cove River below. Two different looks in one place — open green above, closed and leafy below — and it is rarely crowded outside sport hours.
The tree line along the edge of the ovals gives a long stretch of even shade in the late afternoon, which is the easiest light in this entire list to photograph in. Parking is on the street around the reserve. The bush tracks are steep in places, so it is a poor choice with a pram or a grandparent who is not steady on their feet.
Best for: older kids and teenagers who can walk. Worst for: prams and limited mobility.
The North Epping bush tracks
The tracks running out of North Epping towards the creek lines are our local option, and we use them mostly because they are five minutes from the studio. Tall eucalypts, sandstone, leaf litter, no crowds.
They suit smaller groups — two adults and a couple of kids. The paths are narrow and the light is dappled, so it is a location for close, warm, intimate frames rather than a wide family line-up. Morning, before the sun gets high enough to punch holes through the canopy. Park on the residential streets at the track heads and please be considerate about driveways.
Best for: a short, quiet session close to Epping. Worst for: large extended family groups — for those we would move you into the studio, which we explain in our guide to three-generation portraits.
Comparing the six
| Location | Best time | Parking | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lane Cove National Park | Mid-morning | Sealed, on site, entry fee | Bush and water together |
| Fagan Park, Galston | Late afternoon | Free, on site, plentiful | Big families, lots of variety |
| Bicentennial Park, Lane Cove | Weekday afternoon | Street, short walk | Simple, clean portraits |
| Kissing Point Park, Putney | Hour before sunset | Street, fills up | Golden hour on the river |
| Boronia Park, Hunters Hill | Late afternoon | Street around the reserve | Walkers, teenagers |
| North Epping tracks | Morning | Residential streets | Small groups, close frames |
How do I choose a location for my kind of family?
Start with the least photogenic fact about your family, usually the youngest member, and work outwards. These are suggestions from the list above, matched to situations we see often.
- A baby who sleeps in a pram and a toddler who runs: Fagan Park. Flat, free parking close by, and room for the toddler to be a toddler.
- Teenagers who will not stand still for long: a place with something to walk through. Boronia Park suits kids who can handle a slope and will happily walk between spots.
- Grandparents coming too: prefer level ground and close parking. Lane Cove National Park has sealed parking close to the picnic areas, whereas the steep tracks at Boronia are the wrong call.
- A family of three or four who want something quiet and close: the North Epping tracks.
- A family who all love the water: Kissing Point at the right hour.
- A family that dislikes fuss and wants the images to feel clean: Bicentennial Park on a weekday afternoon.
If two options fit, choose the one closer to your home. A forty-minute drive with a hungry child produces a different child at arrival than a ten-minute one, and that child is the one in the photographs.
What does an outdoor session actually involve?
Here is a rough sketch, and it will vary with the weather and your kids. We meet at an agreed spot near the car park, so nobody wanders around a big park hunting for us. A few minutes go on saying hello and letting the children look around before any camera comes out, which is the most useful five minutes of the session.
The group frames come first while everyone is neat and in a good mood, because a hair-brushed, freshly fed family is the best version you will have all hour. We then break into smaller pairings: parents together, each parent with each child, siblings. By this stage children are usually ready to stop being posed, so the second half is looser and moving: walking, playing, running towards us.
We keep a decision in mind throughout about where the light is. It might mean moving fifty metres because the sun has dropped behind a tree, or turning everyone around so the light comes from the side. You will notice us quietly changing the plan, and that is normal; it is why we like to see a place in advance.
If a child melts down, we stop and let it pass. A snack at the car is a tool we use; so is simply sitting on the grass for five minutes. A calm family at the end of the session beats an extra batch of frames from a fractious one.
What should we bring to the park?
Less than you think, and in one bag. Water for everyone, a small snack that does not stain, a hairbrush, tissues, a spare top for any child who will inevitably spill something, and a light layer for the shade. A picnic rug is useful for waiting grandparents and for the break you will take at the half-way mark.
Shoes matter outdoors in a way that is not so true in a studio. Wear shoes you can walk in over bumpy ground, and let the children wear what they will actually run in. Heels sink into lawn, which is a problem at Fagan Park in particular.
Leave bulky toys in the car. A single familiar toy for a toddler is fine, but a pile of them turns the session into a game that the camera will never win.
Finally, check the wind, not just the rain. A gusty evening at a waterfront can make hair and dresses unmanageable, and you can see it coming in the hourly forecast the night before.
- Location picked for the youngest child, not the prettiest view
- Meeting spot agreed, usually the car park, and a phone number shared
- Children fed and rested before leaving home
- One bag only: water, snack, hairbrush, tissues, spare top, light layer
- Shoes chosen for uneven ground
- Hourly wind and rain forecast checked the night before
- Grandparents’ parking and walking distance thought through
- Rug in the boot for breaks
If you are heading to Kissing Point, look at the wind forecast for the hour before sunset on the evening before; the river breeze is the one thing that can undo a session there, and a twenty-minute shift in plan is far easier to arrange the night before than from the car park.
Common questions
What happens if it rains?
We move the session. Sydney weather in spring and autumn changes inside an hour, so we make the call the afternoon before and again on the morning. Light rain is sometimes fine under a canopy at Lane Cove, but a park session in real rain is miserable for everyone and the pictures show it.
Can we choose a park that is not on this list?
Yes, especially if it means something to your family — the oval where your kids play, the reserve at the end of your street. Tell us the address and we will visit it beforehand to work out where the light lands and whether a permit applies before we commit to it.
Is outdoors better than the studio for family photos?
Neither is better. Outdoors gives you Sydney bushland and warmth in the picture; the studio gives you controlled light, no wind and no weather risk. We set out the honest trade in studio versus outdoor family photos.
Which of the six is best with a toddler?
Fagan Park. There is room to let a two-year-old run, the parking is right there, and a wandering toddler on open lawn still photographs well. Kissing Point is a close second because the playground buys you a bribe at the end.
How far in advance do we need to book an outdoor session?
Three to four weeks for autumn and spring, which are the two seasons that actually work outdoors in Sydney. Summer sessions have to run early or late to avoid the heat, and those slots are limited.
Choosing between them
Pick on the practical thing first — how far you are willing to drive, whether there is a pram, and what time of day your youngest is at their best. The look of the place comes second, because all six of these photograph well in the right hour.
If you tell us your suburb and the ages of your kids, we will name the one we would pick and say why. Email info@tzportraits.com, or if you would rather see the studio first, we are in Epping and happy to show you around before you decide to go outside at all.
Portraits in and around Epping
Our studio is in Epping, and we photograph across Sydney.
