Mother’s Day was this past weekend and it is always a busy time here in the photography industry. I often have clients who purchase photo sessions for the special mom in their life. Whether it be a husband gifting a session to his wife or a child gifting a session to their mom, the gift of a photo session is one that the entire family will cherish.\

It’s no secret that the Spring is a highly desired time to take family portraits. This time of year is one of new life, growth, and possibility. Although you are likely to be out a about more, family schedules aren’t jam packed yet. If you are not sure about what time of year is best for your family photos, keep reading to see why Spring is one of the best times to schedule a portrait session.

One of the most popular sessions I offer is the extended family photo session. People often book these sessions as a gift for a grandparent, for a family reunion or simply to just update their family photos. A photo session is a great way to document the bond your family shares. However, what exactly is an extended photo session?

A favorite client of mine recently booked me for a photo session including the grandparents. Coincidentally, the session took place on grandparents day, which is September 12th. It was a special session for this family because the grandparents were in the states visiting from Germany, so it was the perfect opportunity to capture professional photos with the extended family. I was thrilled to capture this session, not only because I love working with this family, but also because I love photographing grandparents. I figured I would use this session as an opportunity to blog about why I feel including grandparents in your family photos is so important.

I don’t know about you, but time surely seems to be flying by these days. Maybe it’s because I’m a mom of two active girls, who seem to be growing at the speed of light, or perhaps it is because my own parents are getting older. Whatever it is, I can’t help but reflect on my own childhood and how important my grandparents, parents and siblings were to me. I loved spending time with them and I wish I had professional photos that documented my time with them.

I know life is busy, but I can’t encourage you enough to prioritize extended family portraits. Years from now, you will be so very grateful that you made a point to get everyone together for a large family session. It is more than worth the effort, and I guarantee you’ll love every minute of it.

I receive tons of inquiries for multi generational family sessions. I photograph many of these large group sessions. They are really special sessions for the families and, often times, are gifted to grandparents for special occasions. This is a special gift that the entire family can appreciate.

As you can imagine, working with large groups like this involves a large degree of planning, flexibility and an open mind. It also requires lots of additional time, both during the session and in particular when it comes to editing these sessions, especially when the session involves multiple children of young ages.

Although we have plenty of photos taken of our own children and family, most people do not have updated family photos that includes their extended family members. In fact, most of us only have the rigid posed photos that were taken at the last family wedding. As your dynamic changes, it is important to get photos taken that show the unique bond that exists within your extended family.

Large group family photo sessions are a lot of fun to capture, but they do require some strategic planning and coordinating, especially if there are young cousins involved. To capture the images one is hoping for, I send out a questionnaire prior to your session, which will help me learn who I am photographing and the age of the children. It will also help me learn your goals for the sessions, groupings and types of images you are looking for and other pertinent details. This will help me to plan my time with you properly and time is of the essence with a beach sunset photo session.

When I get asked to do a family session that includes grandparents, I always know that the session will be special. I know how important the bond between grandparent and grandchild is and I love to photograph their special bond. A photo session that includes grandma and grandpa is a great gift for the holidays or any occasion and it is one that not only the grandparent will cherish, but you will too.

I had a blast photographing this family last year in West Hampton. During that session, my client announced to the rest of her family that she was pregnant and expecting her second child. It was so fun to capture their reaction to the happy news. It was so great to hear that they wanted to do another shoot and this time include the newest member of the family.

The family is from Oyster Bay, so they decided that they wanted to shoot at The Planting Fields Arboretum, a place at which they spend a lot of time. This location is not only gorgeous, but holds meaning to them as well., so it was the perfect spot for their family session, which would include all of the siblings, grandparents and grandchildren.

When I get asked to do a large group family session, I always get excited. These sessions are filled with energy and laughter. I also love to photograph these because I get the opportunity to document grandparents and their grandchildren together, which is always such a special bond to capture. These sessions are a great gift to give to grandparents for the upcoming holidays and it is one that not only the grandparent will cherish, but you will too.

One of my favorite clients contacted me about a last minute extended family session. Her brother in law was visiting from Hawaii and she wanted to take this opportunity to capture the whole entire family together. It was also the first time they were meeting the newest baby of the family, so it was an extra special visit.

Grandparents are an integral part of your children’s life. For most children, the bond between grandparent and grandchild is strong and like no other. The love a grandparent has for a grandchild is unparalleled and it is unbiased. It is so very important to capture that bond and preserve those memories for your children. An extended family session is the perfect way to do so because you get images that capture the connection between your parents and your children.

I recently photographed this sweet group on Veteran’s Day. It was an unseasonably warm day and I was thankful for it because the days preceding this session were bitterly cold. Mom chose a location close to her home and I was happy to oblige her because I absolutely love to photograph families in new and unique locations.

I think the greatest gift that you can give to any grandparent is the gift of a large group family session. This gift is one that the grandparent will cherish for a lifetime and so will the entire family. My client contacted me in the early Spring inquiring about a group family session. She and her sister wanted to gift the session to her mother as a Mother’s Day gift. The session was to include her parents, both of their spouses and their toddler aged children. Although they are from Nassau County and the surrounding areas, they chose Westhampton beach as their location because they spend a lot of time as a family out there.

The holiday season is upon us and so are family gatherings. The holidays are a time to connect with our loved ones. Most importantly, the holidays are a time to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for and for most of you, I am sure your loved ones are on the top of that list.

Even though our parents and siblings are such a central part of our lives, we don’t have photos that document that bond. Sure, we get pictures of our children each year, which don’t get me wrong, is of the utmost importance, but when was the last time you had a photo taken with your mom or sibling? For most of us , it may have been at a wedding or other function during which time we quickly snapped an iPhone photo. Now, the cell phone capture is great to have, but does it really capture the essence of your family? For those of you who have been thinking about having your family photographed, the holidays are a perfect time to finally do so because the family is all together at this time of year.

When my client contacted me a few months ago and asked if I would be willing to travel to Fire Island for a large family session with her in laws, I immediately said yes. Because I live in Long Beach and spend my time on the beaches here, I don't really travel over to Fire Island much anymore. In fact, the last time I visited was a few years ago on a girl's overnight trip to Ocean Beach. 

Because my client's father in law would be visiting from Hawaii to spend some time with his grandchildren, she wanted to book an extended session that included not only her own children, but her sister in law's family and of course, the special visitor, her father in law.  

My season of Spring family photography sessions is in full swing and I am loving every second of it. It is so refreshing to be outdoors again and most of the families I have photographs so far have been so fun loving and energetic. 

The beautiful sisters in this session gifted their mother a surprise  extended family session . I was thrilled and honored that they chose me to document this special moment for them.  I photographing larger families because there is always a fun energy and unique dynamic to these sessions and, of course, I absolutely adore capturing grandparents interacting with their grandchildren.