PhotoLabuan Bajo · Flores, East Nusa Tenggara

Family photoshoot · Labuan Bajo

In short

A family photoshoot in Labuan Bajo costs from $180 for 30 minutes and includes 15+ edited photos within 48–72 hours. The easy version is Pede beach in town, with no boat; the island version is Kanawa’s beach and jetty on a family boat day, where the boat, the photographer’s seat and the landing fee are extra.

Starting from: $180
Duration: 30 min
Edited photos: 15+

Why here

Why choose Family photoshoot in Labuan Bajo?

Komodo is sold as an adventure: a boat at four in the morning, a steep stairway in the heat, dragons behind a ranger’s stick. Small children do not fit that script, and a family session that tries to force it ends with tired kids on Padar’s steps. So we plan around them instead. In town, Pede beach south of the harbour has calm water, flat sand and a view across the bay to the islands, with no boat and nothing to climb. If your family is doing a boat day anyway, Kanawa Island is the gentle stop — a sheltered beach, shallow water and a wooden jetty over reef so clear that children can spot starfish from the planks. Thirty minutes is about the length of a young child’s patience, which is exactly why the format works here.

How the shoot is planned

What does the shoot in Labuan Bajo look like?

The route

On Pede beach we start with the part children like: running at the waterline, digging, being lifted out of the shallows. Those ten minutes are where the real expressions come from, and they buy the patience for the next five — one group portrait on the sand with the bay behind, everyone looking at one point, done quickly. Then pairs: a parent with each child, grandparents if they are with you, and a walk away from the camera along the curve of the beach. On a Kanawa day the order changes. The boat lands at the jetty, and we shoot along the planks first, with the island ahead and the reef visible under you, before the beach fills; then the shallow water, where toddlers can sit and splash safely; and if anyone has energy left, the short steep path behind the beach gives a family frame over the reef flats. Snacks and water come with us; breaks are built in, not apologised for.

The timing

For Pede, early morning is kindest: soft light, a cool beach and children who have just eaten. The beach looks west across the bay, so it also works in the last hour before sunset if your children nap in the afternoon — expect a busier beach then. Kanawa is a mid-morning stop, when the sun is high enough to make the water clear and turquoise but before the midday heat. Season matters more with children than with adults: April to June brings the calmest crossings, while July and August, which match school holidays, often bring a stiff southerly wind and choppy water between the islands. December to March is green and quiet, but squalls can cancel boat days, so keep the town beach as your fallback.

What’s included

What does the package include?

The Family photoshoot package in Labuan Bajo covers: 15+ edited photos; One location near your stay — a beach, a garden or your villa; Start time planned around naps and the heat; Group portraits plus unposed moments of play; Private online gallery within 48–72 hours. Nothing is added to the price after the shoot. Permits worth knowing about: Padar Island viewpoint — Komodo National Park entry plus a Padar trekking fee, paid in Labuan Bajo or at the jetty; drone use needs a separate park permit; Pink Beach, Komodo Island — covered by the national park entry; boat access only; Komodo dragons at Loh Buaya, Rinca — park entry plus a mandatory ranger guide, paid at the ranger station; Kanawa Island — landing fee for day visitors, paid at the jetty; Sylvia Hill — small entry or parking fee; Phinisi deck at anchor — we shoot aboard your chartered boat; the charter itself is not included.

Book online

Portfolio

Family photoshoot in Labuan Bajo

Frames from recent shoots, to plan yours against.

Before you book

FAQ — Family photoshoot in Labuan Bajo

Is Padar realistic with young children?

With school-age children who walk well, yes, though it means a pre-dawn start and a steep, shadeless stairway. With toddlers it is hard work for the parents carrying them, and a photo session at the top rarely survives it. We usually suggest that families do Padar as a sightseeing stop with phone pictures and keep the session for a beach where the children are at their best.

How long is the boat ride to Kanawa, and is it rough?

About forty minutes from town, mostly through sheltered water, which is why it is the usual first island for families. In July and August wind can make the crossing bumpy, so bring motion-sickness remedies for anyone prone to it and give them before boarding. If the sea looks wrong on the morning, we switch to Pede beach and keep the same price.

Grandparents are coming. Is there a flat, easy option?

Pede beach is the one: a short walk from the road onto flat sand, with shade nearby for whoever wants to sit between frames. Avoid the hill viewpoints, whose paths are short but loose, and Padar entirely. For a three-generation group portrait, add an extra hour at $100 so nobody is rushed.

Can we add a drone shot of the family on the beach?

Often, with the drone add-on at $150, but the location decides. Komodo Airport sits right beside the town, and parts of the waterfront fall inside its restricted airspace; Kanawa lies in the national park, which has its own drone permit. We check your chosen spot before you pay for the add-on and say plainly if it cannot fly.

Same shoot elsewhere