If you’re a fan of eating cling film wrapped sandwiches and drinking tea out of a flask, rejoice, for this week is National Picnic Week! As you might expect, National Picnic Week, which runs June 13^th-21^st is all about encouraging us to dine al fresco in order to appreciate the very finest food and views the UK has to offer. Younger picnickers are apparently in decline - only 29 per cent of 18-24 year-olds say they’re picnic fans compared to 41 per cent of over 25s – according to a recent survey.

With this in mind, why not plan a family picnic this weekend to keep the tradition alive and kicking? As well as being an affordable trip out for the family, picnics provide plenty of photo opportunities that produce images that are perfect for transferring to canvas. Think about it: there’s all of that delicious food, fun activities and luscious landscapes to snap too.

We’re big Picnic fans here at Parrot Print HQ, so we’ve put together a few snippets of advice to help you make the most of your next picnic trip...

Pack for picnic success

Your usual focus for picnic packing might be ensuring you don’t end up with soggy sandwiches and there is most definitely something to be said for selecting the best boxes for keeping your sarnies, scotch eggs and pork pies at there best. If you want to make the most of photography opportunities you’ll need to think about packing the correct camera kit too – think tripod, spare batteries, perhaps a piece of card to reflect light and maybe a small umbrella in case things turn rainy too. Next, think about potential styling opportunities. If you’re going to focus on some outdoor food photography you’ll want to take attractive picnic ware with you along with your most stylish picnic blanket. As ever, you might find other things such as wilder flowers that will help you frame your photo when you get there. Picnics aren’t just about the food though – you may also want to pack equipment for activities – a few bats and balls are the start of a great game of tennis and some fantastic family action photos! You’ll find a downloadable scavenger hunt on the National Picnic Week website, which might provide you with some wildlife photo inspiration too!

Choose a scenic spot

We’re incredibly lucky to have some beautiful picnic spots right across the UK and in celebration of National Picnic Week lots of enthusiasts have been putting together their own must-visit lists for picnic spots with views to die for. You can find Visit Britain’s recommendations for 10 picnic spots here. If you like to be beside the seaside when you reach into your picnic hamper, you’ll need to check out this article, which lists the best coastal spots for picnicking.  Want some advice from the experts? The National Trust have weighed in with their favourite

The National Trust has also weighed in with their favourite al fresco food spots. It’s also worth noting that they’ll be holding their own picnicking celebration – The Big Beach Picnic – at coastal spots across the UK on July 4^th, which gives you another great excuse to head out with your cool box and camera!

What do you pack in your picnic box and where’s your favourite picnic spot? Comment below or join in the conversation over on Twitter.