Making the Most of Your Extended Family Photos
An Indianapolis Photographer’s Guide for Successfully Stress-Free Extended Family Pictures
Towards the end of every year, as the holidays approach, I receive a slew of inquiries for extended family pictures. I absolutely adore that people are aiming to take advantage of everyone being in one place at one time; which for many is a luxury in of itself. That limited time together is so very precious and I am beyond honored when I get invited to join in and capture that togetherness. Since extended family photography is something not everyone gets to experience often (or more than once), read all about the most important things I’ve learned while photographing families for over the last decade when it comes to group family photos.
The 7 Keys for Having a Great Group Family Photography Session
The following seven tips are the keys to ensuring an enjoyable + stress free time spent with your extended loved ones in front of the camera. Professional family portraits can even be a memorable bonding activity when approached with these thoughts in mind!
Schedule in Advance
This is especially important if you’re looking to take advantage of the holiday time when you’ll all be together already. These dates tend to get scooped up quickly as many families have this same idea since it is a more convenient way to schedule on the family’s side which is not always the case for your photographer. There are benefits to making the effort to schedule a session outside of the holiday rush; you can have more weather options throughout the year, avoid adding more stress in an already busy time, and even use the photoshoot as an excuse to get everyone together again when you might normally get the pleasure of seeing one another!
If you’re able to opt for this idea of scheduling for another time in the year you’ll still want to allow your family members along with yourself plenty of time to plan. Usually this process includes having to align multiple diverse schedules, decide on locations, and of course coordinating outfits. Gifting yourself more time with a set date ahead ensures less stress leading into the session.
Have Any Specific Requests Ready
Often families will have a pose that grows into a tradition over the years. Or perhaps there’s a childhood photo that you’re all hoping to recreate. Any specific shot you have in mind is always good to communicate to your photographer beforehand and during the scheduling process. If it’s important to you and your crew you want to make sure the photographer is aware and able to accommodate.
Most professional family photographers will be sure to capture all the various groupings of family members so don’t worry about curating any detailed lists — but do share if there are one or two sentimental notes, priority focuses of your time together, or specific photographs you’d like to see captured during your shoot.
Share Your Chosen Photographer’s Style + Approach with Everyone
There are a lot of wonderful family photographers, especially in the Indianapolis area! Assuming you’re the lucky family member spearheading this whole planning process then it’s up to you to pass along all related information to the rest of the party that will be present day of photographing. Every photographer has their own approach to documenting your family; for some that’s strictly posed portraiture and for others it’s embracing the candids even as far as being strictly documentary only. To best equip everyone for the day ahead try sharing your selected photographer’s Instagram, website and what made you decide they were the one for your group!
Simplify the Color Palette
Choosing a simple color palette for your extended family photos doesn’t mean limiting it down to two colors like we’ve often seen in the past (navy and white, denim and black, etc.) Instead what makes for an uncomplicated wardrobe coordination is choosing a color arrangement made up of a few different colors all belonging to a specific color scheme. Think jewel tones or pastels, warm tones versus cool tones, or even a spectrum of neutrals and earth tones. Another great rule of thumb is allowing each family pod to have one person with a pattern while the others pull solid colors from that piece that still align with the selected overall color palette. This ensures there’s not an overabundance of patterns all clashing against one another and creates a more interesting harmony amongst the group.
Make Plans for After, Never Before
Having everyone altogether in the same city when you’re normally spread all over will definitely tempt you to pack the visit with plans. You might think that burning some of the kiddos energy before a session is a good idea; however I have found that it generally leads to more of a tired and cranky result. Don’t worry about your little ones being too energetic - in fact this is a great way for their personalities to shine through. If you know you want to make a full day of your time together I would suggest scheduling your photos for first thing in the morning which will free up the rest of your day for anything you may have on the agenda.
If Time Allows Include an Activity During Your Session
Opting for a longer session can grant you the luxury of getting all the typical family shots and still allow time to have plenty of candids captured. From my photographer perspective, I love to knock out the standard few posed groupings and then open it up to unlimited play and exploration. Making time towards the end of the session to include an activity just further showcases your family and how they enjoy spending time with one another. For some families this looks like busting out a game of cards and for others it may be wheelbarrow races.
Be Playful, Have Fun, + Soak Up the Experience of Togetherness!
Each one of you have carved out precious time to spend together, creating evidence of all the special bonds between each of you. Decide to show up and commit to being present during the entirety of the session. One day the pictures taken will serve as lovely anchors to these precious present moments.
What to Expect when Scheduling with Heartstring Heirlooms for Your Group Family Photos
When you choose to work with Loreal of Heartstring Heirlooms you can expect help on the front end while planning. Aiding with tasks like location scouting and wardrobe selection furthers the stress-free experience. During the actual shoot she strives to capture all the various groupings of different family members both organically and with gentle direction. Doing so towards the beginning then allows her to switch gears into documenting beautiful candids as your family indulges in time well spent together. She’s also been known to even help the adults capture the updated linkedin photo when requested. Book your extended family session with Heartstring Heirlooms today!