Over the last few years, Joseph and I have shot almost as many extended family portrait sessions as single family sessions. As kids grow up and have families of their own, it can become difficult to bring the entire family together. It’s truly a special occasion when children and their families are able to reunite with their parents and sometimes grandparents. One of the most heartbreaking things we hear is that a family member passed away before they could get together to take photos. That’s why Joseph and I have done our very best to make sure families have those precious memories captured.
Most of our extended family portrait sessions take place around the holidays. This family, however, came together for a wedding! When Betty first reached out to me about taking their family portraits the day before their son’s wedding, I was a little confused. Isn’t that what the wedding photographer is supposed to do? But then I thought about the kinds of group photos Joseph and I usually take at weddings. We typically spend about 45 minutes taking photos of the bride and groom’s family and friends, but those photos understandably center around the bride and groom. Extended family sessions center around the mother and father and their growing family. Betty’s idea to have an extended family portrait session before the wedding was brilliant!
This family did an amazing job at coordinating colors! I always recommend selecting complementary colors rather than matching colors. I also recommend wearing solid colors for the most part. That makes it less likely for outfits to clash. You can see that the few patterns in the group worked great because most of the group was wearing solid colors.
Joseph and I felt so blessed to have the opportunity to capture this family’s portraits! Some of them traveled across several state lines to be there and we could see how happy they were to all be together. We truly hope the wedding went well and that all of them travelled home safely.
A couple of weeks before their session, I sent the mom a family portrait session questionnaire. This helps me get to know the family ahead of time. I found out that one of the kids liked Pokemon and one liked Daniel Tiger. On the day of their family portrait session, I “hired” my daughter to bounce a stuffed tiger and Pikachu on my head to get the kids to look at me. It worked!
These boys are a great example of what to wear at a family portrait session! All of the boys are wearing complimentary colors. The striped shirt looks great coupled with the solid colored shirts, and the suspenders are an adorable touch. The boys all look great together but they also look like individuals. I couldn’t have picked better outfits myself!
