3 tips for your next extended family photoshoot

Extended family photoshoots are a great way to document your growing family including grown children + grandkids. As an extended family photographer in Utah County, I’ve created a list to make the most of your next family session.

Choose a color pallet

Choose a color pallet + share it with everyone. When scheduling an extended family photoshoot, it’s important to choose one person to communicate with the photographer and the rest of the family. This person can work with the photographer to decide on a beautiful color pallet that the rest of the family can follow. For this extended family photoshoot, the Young family choose to go classy in black and white. This color pallet compliments the aesthetic of the Utah State Capitol perfectly. If you’re looking for more inspiration for what to wear, click here to find my what to wear guide.

Create a shot list

Decide on a shot list for your extended family photoshoot. Decide what images are the most important for you to capture. A few of the images that I capture at each extended family photoshoot are the entire family, grandparents with all grandkids, grandma with granddaughters, grandpa with grandsons, grandparents with children and children’s spouses, grandparents with grown children, grandparents alone, just the grandkids + a portrait of each family group. As you can imagine, this list takes quite a bit of time to go through. I plan about 90 minutes for each extended family photoshoot.

Choose a location for your extended family photoshoot

Choose a location for your session. When choosing a location for your session , there are a few things to keep in mind. Your location needs to be accessible to all family members + mindful of limited mobility. For many grandparents, climbing mountains to take photos just isn’t doable, so keep that in mind. Your location needs to accommodate your group. Extended family photoshoots usually have many people, so make sure your location has wide open spaces, like the Utah State Capitol. Also, be mindful of the weather. We choose to shoot indoors because the Young family has so many little children that wouldn’t tolerate the below freezing temperatures of Utah in the winter. Click here to find my location guide.

Click here to see other extended family sessions. Ready to work with me? Click here to contact me!