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.   

Most of the time my clients warn me during our pre consultation that they feel like the session is going to be chaotic because of the amount of children involved, but I never feel that way. In fact, I actually really enjoy the energy that the children bring and I love to be able to document the large family dynamic. Every family truly is unique and brings their own personality to the session. 

Because there are so many people and groupings to be photographed, these family sessions tend to be a bit more posed than my traditional family sessions, but I always find a way to sneak in some natural and candid images, which always end up being my favorite images and most of the time, my clients tend to love them too.

I had never been to this particular section of Fire Island. Once I stepped foot off of the ferry, I felt that I was transported into a world of peace and serenity. I immediately noticed all of the lush greens, florals and textures that surrounded Dunewood and I knew that they would allow me the opportunity to get some diverse images. The ocean and the bay are just a few feet apart and that meant I would be able to photograph the family in an array of lighting conditions.

We started on the ocean and there was a beautiful and soft golden glow from the sun. We had some fun photographing the whole family together and then we took some formal portraits of the kids. We also made sure to take plenty of pictures of grandpa with his grandchildren. It took me only a few minutes to see that the kids all adore him and he is a pillar of the family.

We then headed over to the bay and took more photos of the cousins as well as individual family photos. My favorite images from this part of the session are of the kids playing in the bay, which was so calm and warm! There was a stunning pink and golden glow glistening on the water from the setting sun that was simply magical.  We ended the session with a few more images of grandpa with his grandchildren on the lifeguard chair, which was by the request of the kids.  

It was such a great night and I have so many favorites from the session, but here are a few of the highlights.  

If you would like more information about my family sessions, contact me.