I’m not going to lie to you. Extended family photo sessions used to freak me out. I was scarred from my wedding photography days when you would get the list of family photographs wanted after the ceremony. An important documentation of family history, yes! I agree! But to a photographer who has been given a 15 minute time slot to do 50 different family groups … oh and if you go over time it is cutting into the last of the light and the only creative time you get to spend photographing the couple …
So I bought that negativity over into my extended family photo sessions. And that was wrong, it should have stayed back there! Back in the shadows of my wedding photography days.
Extended family photo sessions now get me buzzed. How awesome that you are all together in one place to have these photographs taken. How amazing to have this time documented together to remind you of this moment in your family history.
These extended family photography sessions are structured a little differently to my usual family photo sessions as there are more people to document. But they are still just as relaxed, and there are always more candid moments to photograph. The focus for me is the same as any session – I want to document your connections, the relationships within your families.
Here are some samples from a photo session on the hottest day of the year. That’s right folks, the heat is coming back soon I promise, it can’t be long now.
