Family Photoshoot at Mövenpick Resort Phu Quoc

There's something about the west coast of Phu Quoc in the evening that makes every session feel like a gift. I had a one-hour shoot at Mövenpick Resort Waverly with a wonderful family from the UK - two parents and three lively boys - and from the very first frame to the last, the whole thing was pure joy.

Ong Lang Beach and the Golden Hour

Mövenpick Resort Waverly sits on Ong Lang Beach, on the north-western shore of Phu Quoc. For photography, this matters more than it might seem. The west coast faces the open sea directly - which means the sun sets right into the water. When the clouds are in a generous mood, the sky in golden hour turns into something almost theatrical: deep amber and burnt peach bleeding across the horizon, with warm shimmering reflections stretching all the way to the shore. No filter, no studio trick gets anywhere close to that light. I schedule all my evening sessions here around 5 PM for exactly this reason - and on this particular evening, the sky delivered.

How the Session Came Together

We started at the playground. There's a rope climbing dome tucked between tall, swaying coconut palms, and all three boys were scrambling up it before I'd even lifted my camera. I positioned myself low and shot upward through the ropes - the dense green canopy filling the background, the boys framed by the structure above them. Capturing kids in motion at the right moment takes both anticipation and the right equipment; the Canon 1DX handles fast, unpredictable movement with the kind of precision that means you don't miss the shot. One of the boys migrated to the pink slide nearby, and the expression on his face mid-slide is one of my favourite frames from the whole afternoon.

From the playground we crossed onto the wide resort lawns. Mövenpick has croquet set up on the grass, and we made the most of it - not as a background prop, but as something the family actually played for a few minutes. When people are genuinely absorbed in something, their faces open up and their bodies stop performing. My role in those moments is to read where the light is falling, choose the angle that flatters the scene, and wait for the right instant to press the shutter.

For the wider family shots on the lawn, I use a simple technique that works every time: I ask everyone to hold hands and just walk toward me - no other direction. The long avenue of palms stretching into the distance gives the frame natural depth, and when a family moves together, pulling and laughing and bumping into each other, the result is something alive rather than arranged.

A few minutes just for the couple - in the hammock beneath the trees. I composed tightly to keep the background uncluttered and let the late-afternoon light come in from one side. There's a particular ease that settles over people in a hammock; they stop thinking about the camera and start talking to each other. Those are the frames I always look forward to.

Then down to the beach. The shoreline at Mövenpick is generously wide - a broad sweep of pale, fine sand with the palms set well back from the water, giving the whole space an open, uncluttered feel. We worked through individual portraits of the boys, a few sibling shots by the waterline, and then the whole family together: first the classic portrait on the sand, then the version where everyone jumps at the same time and no one lands together. That one always ends in laughter.

The final frames belonged to the parents alone. Walking along the water's edge, hand in hand, with the last of the light dissolving into the sea behind them. I keep this kind of shot for the very end of every beach session - the wait is always worth it.

How the Editing Works

After the session, every photo goes through a light colour grade and is uploaded to a private online gallery. From there, the family browses the full collection and selects their 30 favourites - or 60 for a two-hour session. Those chosen images then go through detailed retouching: stray people removed from backgrounds, distracting elements cleaned up, every frame polished so the final result looks effortless.

"Great thank you!" - Dr. Peta Gardam, United Kingdom

Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc packs a remarkable variety of settings into one space - playground, open tropical lawns, hammocks, thatched pavilions, and a long stretch of beach, all within easy walking distance of each other. For a one-hour session, this means we can move between four or five genuinely different backdrops without anyone getting tired or rushed. It's one of the most photographer-friendly resort grounds on the island. The resort is located at Cua Duong Village in Phu Quoc.

About the Location

Session Details

If you're staying at Mövenpick or anywhere else along the western shore of Phu Quoc, get in touch and we'll arrange a session right on your hotel's grounds.

Photoshoot Location: Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc

Address: Group 01, Ong Lang Hamlet, Cua Duong Village, Phu Quoc, 92500, Vietnam

Photographer: Natali Stelmakh

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