I get so many enquiries about these sessions every year, so this blog post is seriously over due! Here are the main reasons people consider a big extended family photo shoot:
:: Parents round milestone birthdays and\/or anniversaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
:: Family members living abroad are coming home to visit.
:: Family members is about to move abroad and\/or kids are getting old and about to leave for Uni\/work\/travel.
:: Sometimes there are sad reasons behind these, like a heartbreaking medical diagnosis. If this is you, I\u2019m dreadfully sorry for your situation, and while I can\u2019t do much to help, I\u2019m here for any conversations around what you might need. Always happy to work around suitable locations and venues if people are struggling to walk or need wheelchair access etc.
Maybe you are the family who is really good at getting everyone together, and this is absolutely something that feels achievable, but maybe it feels huge? Let\u2019s have a look at the PROs and CONs to help you work our what would suit you best.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PROs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n :: You get that rare portraits with EVERYONE (that hardly anyone gets). The one that will stay up on your parents wall and never be replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n :: You get great pictures of your parents, and when did that last happen? We go around completely taking for granted that parents are here forever, somehow we don\u2019t prioritise getting good pictures of them, they are almost invisible on our \u201cto photograph\u201d list, it\u2019s just full of our kids, holidays and big events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n :: The individual family units get family pictures too. So you, your partner and your kids will get time for your family pictures, as will the other units. We can get the grandparents with all the grand kids, all the kids together and of course we still get individual portraits of the kids. CONs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n :: It can feel impossible to organise! If you haven\u2019t got that gathering happening due to a celebration, then getting everyone on board can be hard. People think their kids swimming lessons and football practise are important, but I\u2019m here to tell you there is far more longevity in skipping one of those to get these rare big family pictures, :: You do typically end up with more \u201cofficial\u201d somewhat posed pictures and less loose in-between moments because everyone will be keen to get their preferred combination of people. Time will go crazy fast, and their just isn\u2019t that down time where kids ease into something and I can just hang back and capture them being sweet in the moment, because I\u2019m constantly photographing someone and not able to be watching everyone at the same time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think yay or nay??<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next time you are all together, maybe bring a photographer along? Meet an hour before that meal starts? Make it into a picnic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, I have done this for many(!) years, I can roll with those family members, I very often get told a little \u201cheads up\u201d before these sessions and it all turns out great\u2026 I don\u2019t mind if you go for this big extended family option or you just bring your parents to your own session, but do make sure you get your parents in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 80th birthday celebration at a venue<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Extended family session at home, including a film<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not many families manage to make this happen. It isn\u2019t the easy option, we often live far apart from each other, lots (all?) families have someone awkward who can\u2019t conform or commit to the idea\u2026 but for those unique families that bring the idea to life, it can be really magical I get so many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n I get so many enquiries about these sessions every year, so this blog post is seriously over due! Here are the main reasons people consider a big extended family photo shoot: :: Family members living abroad is coming home to visit. PROs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n :: You get that rare portraits with EVERYONE (that hardly anyone gets). The one that will stay up on your parents wall and never be replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n :: You get great pictures of your parents, and when did that last happen? We go around completely taking for granted that parents are here forever, somehow we don\u2019t prioritise getting good pictures of them, they are almost invisible on our \u201cto photograph\u201d list, it\u2019s just full of our kids, holidays and big events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n :: The individual family units get family pictures too. So you, your partner and your kids will get time for your family pictures, as will the other units. We can get the grandparents with all the grand kids, all the kids together and of course we still get individual portraits of the kids. CONs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n :: It can feel impossible to organise! If you haven\u2019t got that gathering happening due to a celebration, then getting everyone on board can be hard. People think their kids swimming lessons and football practise are important, but I\u2019m here to tell you there is far more longevity in skipping one of those to get these rare big family pictures, :: You do typically end up with more \u201cofficial\u201d somewhat posed pictures and less loose in-between moments because everyone will be keen to get their preferred combination of people. Time will go crazy fast, and their just isn\u2019t that down time where kids ease into something and I can just hang back and capture them being sweet in the moment, because I\u2019m constantly photographing someone and not able to be watching everyone at the same time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think yay or nay??<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next time you are all together, maybe bring a photographer along? Meet an hour before that meal starts? Make it into a picnic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, I have done this for many(!) years, I can roll with those family members, I very often get told a little \u201cheads up\u201d before these sessions and it all turns out great\u2026 I don\u2019t mind if you go for this big extended family option or you just bring your parents to your own session, but do make sure you get your parents in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 80th birthday celebration at a venue<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
:: It\u2019s a great, and sort of easy, present for your parents.
:: Perfect to add onto that vent where you will all be together anyway.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are in a family with that awkward person who will simply just not conform and go along with this, I highly recommend you plough ahead with your own mini session, or go right ahead with a session just for your family and your parents, do not let that one awkward sibling prevent you from having amazing memories. I do this for a living and I never managed to make this happen in my own family, my brother simply will not comply! Same on my husbands side, we tried it and just couldn\u2019t make it happen so we went ahead just us and his parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
:: This one can feel embarrassing, but it happens often! Maybe there are partners in the family that you worry might not stay around (those young relationships can be turbulent), it\u2019s totally ok \u2013 just tell me in advance, we laugh about it and we just take some different combinations. You are not bad for thinking this, and your family is not the only one in this situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\nExample galleries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How would you like yours to look?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Feel free to reach out with all your questions and all your ideas.<\/a>
I offer extended family photography in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Not many families manage to make this happen. It isn\u2019t the easy option, we often live far apart from each other, lots (all?) families have someone award who can\u2019t conform or commit to the idea\u2026 but for those unique families that bring the idea to life, it can be really magical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
:: Parents round milestone birthdays and\/or anniversaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
:: Family members is about to move abroad and\/or kids are getting old and about to leave for Uni\/work\/travel.
:: Sometimes there are sad reasons behind these, like a heartbreaking medical diagnosis. If this is you, I\u2019m dreadfully sorry for your situation, and while I can\u2019t do much to help, I\u2019m here for any conversations around what you might need. Always happy to work around suitable locations and venues if people are struggling to walk or need wheelchair access etc.
Maybe you are the family who is really good at getting everyone together, and this is absolutely something that feels achievable, but maybe it feels huge? Let\u2019s have a look at the PROs and CONs to help you work our what would suit you best.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
:: It\u2019s a great, and sort of easy, present for your parents.
:: Perfect to add onto that vent where you will all be together anyway.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are in a family with that awkward person who will simply just not conform and go along with this, I highly recommend you plough ahead with your own mini session, or go right ahead with a session just for your family and your parents, do not let that one awkward sibling prevent you from having amazing memories. I do this for a living and I never managed to make this happen in my own family, my brother simply will not comply! Same on my husbands side, we tried it and just couldn\u2019t make it happen so we went ahead just us and his parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
:: This one can feel embarrassing, but it happens often! Maybe there are partners in the family that you worry might not stay around (those young relationships can be turbulent), it\u2019s totally ok \u2013 just tell me in advance, we laugh about it and we just take some different combinations. You are not bad for thinking this, and your family is not the only one in this situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\nExample galleries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n