Is a Multi Generational Session Right for You?
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.
The most common session gifted is the extended family session for grandma. This really is the perfect gift for Mother’s Day, Christmas, a milestone birthday or any other occasion you can think of. Every grandma will love the idea of spending time with her children and grandchildren and the images will capture her love for her family. The multi generational family session truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
Because I have so many of these sessions booked over the next few weeks, I figured I would take a minute to blog about what this type of session includes and who it is geared towards.
What Types of Images are Captured?
I have every client complete a questionnaire prior to the session with a list of requested shots. I use that shot list as the frame work of the session, but I am by no means “married’ to that list. I capture the list and beyond during this session. I do not waste a single second of session time to make sure I can get as may images as possible.
Shots I think are really important vary based on family dynamics, but here are some good shots to consider.
The money shot….this is the entire family together. I try to capture this at the top of the session, depending on the kids. I like to get that safe shot right away and then as the session goes on, I will get a few other variations of this shot as well.
Grandparents with grandkids. This is the second most important shot to capture.
The cousins shot. This is often the challenging one, especially if there are young babies and children involved, but it is essential.
Individual family images. I capture each individual family. I do this through out th session as time allows.
Sibling photos. This can be of the grandchildren and of the adult children too. It depends on each family.
Each grandchild alone. Grandmas want photos of their grandbabies. I try to capture a portrait of each grandchild.
Grandma and Grandpa together. When was the last time they were photographed together? I alway make them cuddle up close and love on each other too. Nothing melts my heart more than seeing the love of a long lasting marriage.
Candid in between moments. I try to shoot through the in between moments. A lot of time, I will catch some sweet images of cousins cuddling up, playful moments or just fun images.
Parents with their children. If time allows I try to capture each parent with their child. This depends on the amount of people in the session and the ages of the children.
The list is endless. I base it completely on requests of the family and what I see unfolding before my eyes.
Why Multi Generational?
Although a multi generational photo session is more than a standard family photo session, it is actually more affordable than booking 2-3 regular shoots for each family separately. This is because each individual family shares the cost of the sessions. You are basically getting a mini family session for each family, plus the added bonus of al of the large group photos.
It is also a fun experience to get all of the kids and grandchildren together to make some memories.
Who isn’t the session for?
1) If your goal is to have a wide variety of shots of your family alone. Including each parent with child and lots of candid interactive family images, you may want to do a session alone. I will most definitely capture images of your children and family photos, but the candid moments are based on how many people are involved in the session and time. I literally do not stop taking phtoos the entire session, most of the time it is jumping between families and kids, so it doesn’t always leave time for me to capture those behind the scenes moments.
2). If you have a large amount of babies and toddlers under 3 years old, you may want to hold off. I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve to get kids to be happy and participate in family photos, but with babies and toddlers, there is no guarantees. Especially when there are multiple little ones involved.
3) If you do not like posed images and prefer more natural and relaxed imagery. My specialty is natural and meotiv ephtoography, but let’s face it. When grandma is involved, she wants those traditional all eyes on camera images. Most of the time, this is what everyone in the family is looking for with this type of session. I am not saying that you will not get some relaxed images in your gallery, but my goal is to get the shot list captured for you.
Recent Extended Family Session
This family gifted an extended family photo session to grandma for Christmas. They were a blast to work with. The big cousins were so adorable and so fun. They were so sweet with their baby cousin, who is the cutest little six month old baby. We worked hard to get a smile out of him and I am happy we caught a few smiling moments. He was a trooper and did not cry once during the session. Here are a few of my favorite from this session.
Are you interested in a multi generational session? Contact me for more info.