Let’s Talk About Extended Family Portraits!
What Is An Extended Family Portrait Session?
Summer is the season for extended family portraits, and it’s such a highlight of my business. I started offering extended family sessions five years ago, and it’s quickly become a steady part of my client work. What is an extended family session, you might ask…Families hire me to photograph multiple generations at one session time. This allows me to capture the unique bonds and dynamics of grandparents, cousins, adult siblings, and many other combinations. These sessions are busy and fast-paced, yet designed in a way to capture the whole group as well as the individual families within.
Summer is the Season for Multigeneration Photos…
July and August, in particular, seem to be the months that families get together. Adding family photos to a family get-together is a great way to remember a special time together. As a kid, my family had a reunion every July, and I wish we had photos of the whole group! Summer is a gorgeous time of year in Vermont, and because families are often in vacation mode, it’s a relaxed time to get photos taken together. This is also the time of year many families travel to Vermont and it can be a great opportunity to capture families that don’t live nearby.
Let’s Talk About The Session Flow
I always start out photographing the whole group. This ensures we get that treasured family portrait right off the bat. Before we split off into individual groups, I take the chance to lighten things up a bit. This is when those playful and happy smiles my clients love come out. I also take this opportunity to capture some candid moments. From there, each individual family will take a turn being photographed, leaving them each with a handful of updated family photos. From there, I photograph grandparents and grandchildren, adult siblings, couples, and any other requested combinations.
What Is Included?
Similar to my regular family sessions, these sessions include the digital files and a print credit towards professional quality prints. It is important to me that my clients walk away with both some printed images, as well as access to the digital files. Due to the number of people in these sessions, extended family clients can expect a minimum of 40 images to choose from. Financially, these sessions are a nice option, as there is often more than one family contributing to the cost of the session.
Where do These Sessions Take Place?
Many of my extended family sessions take place at locations that are unique and special to each individual group. Sessions often take place at grandparents homes, vacation homes, or wherever families are gathering. In the past, I have met families at state parks or summer getaway locations such as Basin Harbor or Trapp Family Lodge. I am also happy to discuss location options as part of the session booking process.
Is my family a good fit?
One of the most wonderful things about extended family sessions is that each one is unique. Just like families, there is no norm. Extended family sessions are a great fit for those who see each other regularly, who don’t get the chance to visit often, or whose family dynamics have changed and been added to over time. While I hope it is true with all of my sessions, there is something extra special about the photos these sessions capture. Having multi-generations behind my lens definitely creates treasured memories for years to come.
I hope you enjoying seeing some of my past extended family sessions and thank you for stopping by my blog today!
