Special Extended Family Session | Kirkwood Family Photographer

Extended family sessions are always so special. Bringing several generations of a family together in the same place at the same time can be challenging but the result is always worth it. I recently had a former client reach out to me to let me know that she was interested in having me photograph her extended family. Of course, I was honored.

Special New Addition

This family had a lot to commemorate and wanted some photos so they could treasure these memories forever. One of the many reasons for this session was the newest addition. This little one and his family live out of town and were coming to visit so everyone could meet him.

Special Location

Another detail that made this session so unique was the location. My client and her family wanted the photos taken in front of their family home where her parents still lived. I loved this person touch to their session.

Extended Family Sessions vs. Regular Family Sessions

When I shoot an extended family session my first priority to make sure I get photos of the entire family together. Depending on the size of the group, this may be harder than it looks. In the case of this family, it was a relatively painless process. One of the kiddos wasn’t as keen to have their photo taken but nothing I haven’t encountered many, many times.

After getting a large group shot, I break the group up and get photos of individual families. I am not usually able to get tons of variety for each family but I do make sure to get at least one shot of each.

Lastly, if there is time (and patience on the part of the participants), I try to get an individual photo of each kiddo. Kids change so much that yearly (or twice yearly) photos are important.

Have you had an extended family session? Does the thought of it make you start sweating? While I know it sounds daunting, I don’t think there is anything more important than preserving memories for our future generations.