Gilbert Extended Family Pictures | Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
I love documenting families as they grow and especially when grand kids start to join the mix. This sweet couple just celebrated their 30 year anniversary and these extended family pictures were the perfect way to commemorate this huge milestone.
Extended family pictures can be a little extra challenging because of all the moving parts. Multiple families, some with small children and somehow you’ve all got to work together to pull off that perfect family picture. Here are a few tips to help you as you plan your session.
1. Choose a central, nearby location
Traveling long distances for family pictures to get that perfect shot is all fine and dandy, unless you’ve got multiple people coming from multiple directions, some who have a tendency to run a little late (I’ve got kids! I understand!), and, of course, the primo photo hour is during rush hour. Reduce everyone’s stress by choosing a central, nearby, easy to access location. The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch worked perfectly for this session because everyone lived in nearby neighborhoods within a 10 minute drive.
2. Plan your wardrobe around simple guidelines
Wardrobe is one of the most important pieces to complete your extended family picture puzzle. Keep it simple by choosing 2-3 neutral toned colors for your pallet and pair it with simple style guidelines and then let everyone choose an outfit that suits their individuality.
For example, if you want to keep it casual let people wear jeans paired with a nice blouse for the girls and a dressier shirt for the boys.
If you’d like things to feel a bit more dressed up let the girls know they should plan on wearing casual dresses and the boys should wear fitted colored pants.
If you’d like to go over the top formal let the boys know they should wear suits or dress shirts with a tie and the girls should wear a formal dress or gown.
Establishing simple guidelines everyone can confidently work within will help coordinating the perfect wardrobe a breeze!
3. Set expectations
Help your family know what to expect by passing along important information from the photographer. For example, I always let me families know that I’ll get the most important images and those involving the youngest children done first while I have their attention. I also let them know that each individual family will have time for their own mini family session and, depending on the number of people, individual shots of each of their children. This will help them stay more relaxed since they will know what to expect and how best to help their family stay focused.
I’d love to work with you! Contact me to book your session! Check out more of my portfolio and stay up to date by following me on Instagram.
