Extended family sessions are the ones people put off the longest. Coordinating schedules across two families, keeping kids of wildly different ages happy, and somehow getting everyone to look in the same direction at least once — it sounds like a lot. And honestly? It is. But it's also completely worth it.
This session brought together two families including four adults, and seven kids ranging from two to twenty-one. Toddlers, school-age kids, teenagers, and a young adult — every stage of childhood represented in one session. We shot outdoors in the soft evening light, the kids ran wild, and nobody was perfectly behaved the entire time. The images are some of my favourites I've taken this year.
Here's what I want parents considering an extended family session to know:
The chaos is part of it. A two-year-old is not going to stand still and smile on command. A teenager is not going to look thrilled about being there for a little bit. And that is absolutely fine. The candid moments, the kids mid-run, the adults laughing at something that went slightly wrong. Those are the images you'll actually love looking back at.
You don't need to coordinate perfectly. Same colour family, comfortable clothes, nothing too busy. That's genuinely all it takes. The location and the light do the rest.
Different ages make for better photos. A big age gap across kids creates natural moments. Older ones looking after younger ones, teenagers caught off guard being sweet, toddlers stealing every frame without even trying.
If you've been waiting for the right time to get the whole family together, there isn't a perfect moment coming. Book the session, show up, and let the afternoon unfold.
