How To Shoot Beautiful Extended Family Pictures
Tips For an Easy Extended Family Photo Session!
The thought of capturing pictures of a large extended family is terrifying for many, and I know lots of photographers who make it a policy to decline them.
Those who did take them on chewed their nails in the lead-up, sweated buckets during, and cried with relief when it was over. The photographer who was prepared to shoot a group larger than, say 7, was a rare bird indeed!
I used to be one of the former, with a self-imposed rule to never capture extended families, the kind where you have Grandma and Grandpa, their four or so grown children, their respective partners, a dozen-ish grandchildren, and maybe even a dog or two.
But then a day came when a good friend asked me to capture her extended family as a gift for her mother’s 70th birthday. With a smile, I said I’d love to. And then I secretly cried inside a little bit. Holy crap!
Not So Scary
So I did it…and loved it. In fact, they became my favourite kind of sessions, and I ended up doing so many of them that I came to be considered a specialist among my photography peeps!
Read on to learn why I love taking extended family pictures and how I shoot them for a pain-free session that results in a good quality, cohesive gallery…
Heads up…you do need to be a little bit bossy to stay on track and get the combos you need. That way you’ll get it done quickly and before the little ones are over it (crucial!). So if you’re not naturally bossy, fake it.
How To Run an Extended Family Photo Session
I don’t believe you can shoot extended family pictures in a lifestyle manner. There are just too many people, and it would be serious mayhem! It would also make it harder to get all the shots you need, as the family will have lots of combos they expect you to get.
But that doesn’t mean the photos have to be stiffly posed!
I still aim for natural smiles and capturing connections within the framework of organised and consistent setups for each combo. The following covers everything you need to know to run an extended family photo session and get a beautiful, cohesive gallery that the family will love!
1. Create a Run Sheet
When shooting extended family photos, ask the family to give you a list of all the groupings they want. They’ll almost always need some guidance. I frequently had families tell me “oh I only want the one big family shot and one of my parents with the grandchildren”.
First of all, you really don’t want to do this extended family session for two pictures, do you?
Second of all…it’s a logistical nightmare for the family to get that many people together on the same day, at the same time…so encourage them to make the most of it! Make at least these suggestions and ask them to tell you which ones they want, and which shots are their priority:
- Whole family
- Each individual family
- Grandparents
- Grandchildren
- Grandparents with grandchildren
- Grandparents with their adult children
- Each group of siblings
- Each couple
- Adult siblings
- All the adults
- Headshots of each child
Once you confirm the shots they want, write them down in the order you plan to take them (more on that soon).
If you have a preference for muted, neutral tones, that’s ok. Just add interest with a classic pattern.
Who To Focus On
For the large group, always focus on a person near the middle of the frame, and the middle focal plane.
Related: How to Choose Aperture for Large Groups
5. Order Of Photos
This isn’t random. There’s always good reasoning behind my decisions.
I always start the extended family photography session with the whole family shot because that’s the shot families say is their #1 priority. Anything else is a bonus.
This has been the case for every single extended family I’ve ever photographed. So if you lose the kids after that shot, at least you got that one they really, really wanted.
Factor in the priority the family put on each shot. If their top priority was grandparents with the grandchildren, do that shot next.
I also try to get shots that include young children (toddlers especially) out of the way early so I don’t miss their window.
Other than that, all the groupings are done before doing any candid stuff that’s not on the list.
Tip: Don’t assume the youngest family member will have the smallest window. Ask the family if there’s anyone that might be particularly reluctant, and bear it in mind when ordering your shots. In my experience, more often than not…it was Grandpa!
When shooting extended family pictures, ask everyone to make sure they’re touching the person next to them (that always gets laughs). Whether it’s an arm around the shoulder, the waist, head on someone’s shoulder, holding hands, a cuddle from behind. The overall photo will look more relaxed and convey connection.
I tell them not to worry if small children aren’t looking at me. It’s ok for kids to be looking at mum or dad or even kissing them. If you expect to get every single person looking at the camera and smiling at the same time, it will take ALL day and people will get cranky.
As long as they’re interacting with one another or my lens, and not vaguely looking nowhere, the photo will be fabulous!
When I’ve got them all positioned, I check to make sure there are no big blocks of the same colour standing next to one another. I always try to mix it up in terms of colour and patterns.
I also check to make sure I can see every face and if not I’ll ask them to move themselves into a gap. The easiest way to do this is to simply tell them to make sure your head is not behind someone else’s head or you won’t be seen.
Once it looks good, I take a LOT of photos of the extended family. Just focus and shoot, focus and shoot, focus and shoot. I’m talking at least 10 or more. Then I’ll zoom riiiight in on my LCD to ensure I’ve got a LOT of sharp focus photos because there is a 99% chance you will need to head swap to get the perfect whole family shot.
Tip: Learn how to head swap in Photoshop, or be prepared to pay someone to do it.
Then I do the rest of the combos. When I think I’m done with a group, I always check my camera to ensure I got at least one perfect shot (before letting them go!).
So, here’s all that in a nutshell:
- Group them no more than 3 people deep
- Ask women to stand at a 45-degree angle to the lens
- Ensure couples don’t have their back to one another
- Mix up head heights
- Have adults hold small children on their hip
- Ask everyone to connect in some way
- Check the overall look for colour and patterns, mix it up if needed
- Ensure you can see every face
- Take LOTS of photos
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