I just want to start by saying how much I love extended family photo sessions.  I think they are SO important in documenting your family’s legacy and  dynamics, and are a great way to be able to look at back your family years from now and see how things have grown and changed.

When I was younger, we had our extended family photos taken at Proex Portrait Studio back in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s.  It was one photo, everyone looking at the camera…pretty sure we were on bleachers or something because there were so many of us.  I still have my print from that session, and I love looking back at it.  Things have changed so much, both in my own extended family and how these types of sessions are photographed now.  Portrait sessions in general have evolved from those studio days, and as much as I love capturing one large group photo with everyone looking at the camera, my favorite thing to do is photograph the more fun, candid, real photos of your family.  The laughs.  The inside jokes.  The roughhousing.  I’m here for all of it.

Wondering how extended family photo sessions with me work?  Before the session, we’ll chat about who will be there and the different members in each family, and I’ll take note of any specific groups of family members you’d like photographed.  We’ll talk about wardrobe planning, and how to get everyone to have a cohesive look that will photograph well together without being overly matching.  The day of the session, I’ll typically start with a large group photo with everyone looking – this tends to be the big framed photo that everyone wants for their wall.  Then I get the more candid, fun photos, and break things down in to smaller groups and each individual family.

After the session, clients typically either want some sort of album, a large wall piece or a wall gallery.  I absolutely love designing these for my clients, and I love that they will be able to enjoy these photos for many years.  It’s really important to me to only offer the highest quality product, so anything designed and ordered through me is going to last for generations.  If we create an album together, each family can have one to enjoy and look back on as their family grows and changes, and a wall gallery can bring a smile to your face on a daily basis.

I have photographed a lot of extended family photo sessions, but this was a recent favorite.  Sharing some highlights from this session below.