I love being a Boston extended family photographer! This might actually be an unpopular opinion, but I think they are so much fun. So many combinations, its kind of like giving my clients multiple family sessions bundled into one. While extended family portraits can sometimes feel chaotic, there are some things that you can do to make things a little easier. Here are some tips for both families and photographers, for amazing pictures and successful extended family photo sessions.
Before your extended family photo session
I find it super helpful to have one person who is the main contact person. I will deal directly with this person before the session, and they will share any information (like what to wear or how to prepare) I give them with the rest of the group. On the day of, I’ll ask them to help me coordinate everyone. The more people there are, the harder it will be to learn everyone’s names and who belongs with who, so it really helps to have someone who can assist with this.
Have a loose plan and extended family portrait shot list
As a Boston extended family photographer, I don’t write an actual shot list, but I do have a list in my head and an order that I like to follow. I like to start with the whole group first so we don’t risk one of the kiddos has a meltdown or an accident. This is the money shot and the main reason that most people want to do an extended family session in the first place. I start with this and way overshoot so I hopefully have one with everyone looking and smiling, but at least have plenty of shots to do head swaps if necessary.
After I get this big group shot, I run in and walk down the line getting close ups of everyone in the group. These are usually my favorite shots because they’re more casual, I’m closer to the kiddos to tickle them and say weird things to get them to smile, and adults tend to laugh at me (likely out of pity and embarrassment.)
Now I move on to individual family shots, bringing in the grandparents, then take out the parents for just the grandparents and kids, and then just the kids. I do this with each family, then all of the kids, then all of the kids and the grandparents. Next is usually all of the adult siblings with the grandparents, all the women, and all the men. Last I’ll do couples and individual children, before doing the big group shot one more time. This one is just for fun since we’ve already gotten the shot, but gives them a second option, and usually everyone’s more laid back and casual. And of course, in between all of these I’m getting fun candid shots of the kiddos playing together.
Go with the flow – Boston extended family photographer
Everything I wrote above is just a general outline of what I PLAN to do so that I have a checklist of shots I know that I want, but it doesn’t usually go according to plan. Someone is having a snack or someone is cranky or someone’s running late, so its very important to just go with the flow and keep the session moving. As long as you remember to come back to do all of the combinations, everyone will be happy! And even if someone is crying, keep taking photos lol 🙂
Extended family photos shooting logistics
For the large family shots, I group everyone by family and put the grandparents in the middle. Depending on what everyone is wearing, I try to balance out the colors of clothing so we don’t have groups of light or dark or people blending together. This is definitely a secondary concern but it is something to remember.
When choosing a location, I am careful to pick somewhere that is easy to find, easy to park at, where we can take up a lot of space, and where we don’t have to walk far to get to. I choose somewhere that I know we can stay for the entire session lighting-wise, and that could work whether its sunny or cloudy.
Remember why extended family portraits are so important
For many of the families I work with, half of the families live in different parts of the country (or the world–I just photographed a family that was visiting from Singapore for the first time in years.) Its truly an honor to be documenting these families and giving my clients these memories to save forever. I love being a Boston extended family photographer and couldn’t ask for a better job.
