Extended Family Portrait Session Prep Guide

An extended family portrait session is a wonderful way to document special moments with loved ones you might not see very often. Our extended family sessions are just a little bit different than our classic family portrait sessions. Here are some tips to help you prepare for an extended family portrait session with CTW Photography.

Extended family is an add-on to our classic portrait session rate. “Extended” covers a pretty wide range as far as what family members and how many. We usually apply it to groups of six or more if those being photographed are outside the immediate family (for example, a family of four, plus two grandparents, would be an extended family session). These sessions can also include cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and/or family friends.

With a wide variety of family members to photograph, we will have many potential combinations — we try to capture individual families within the larger group and any other combinations that you would like (like all the cousins together with grandpa and grandma!). Letting us know ahead of time if you have a specific list of combinations is always helpful. It’s so important to us that we have plenty of time to capture all of these moments. For this reason, we only offer extended family sessions as Classic Collections, 45-60 minutes (or longer — let us know if you would like more than one hour of coverage).

Extended family sessions are available at both the standard rate with one photographer and the premium rate with two photographers. Premium rate sessions are great for capturing in-between candid moments and alternate angles.

Your session can be inside or outside; it will depend on the time of day, the weather and what you want to capture in your session. Indoor sessions can take place at any time of day. For outdoor sessions, we’ll be aiming for either the first or last hours of daylight. Taking pictures close to sunrise or sunset means we get to work with soft, gorgeous light. If your session is downtown or another spot with plenty of buildings, we have more flexibility with the session time. Be mindful of the fact that some outdoor locations will not have a restroom available.

If you have a location in mind, let us know! We have our favorite spots that we can recommend based on the time and weather, but we’re always willing to check out a new setting, especially if it carries some significance for your family.

First and foremost, choose outfits that make you feel good and comfortable! That feeling of confidence will show through in your photos. Dress appropriately for the weather; it’s especially hard for kids to give authentic smiles if they are feeling way too hot or too cold. Props (sentimental toys, furniture you’d like to use, a quilt to sit on) are welcome but not required.

Don’t be afraid of vibrant colors, textures and patterns like florals and plaid. Do avoid pinstripes and logos. We recommend that you go for coordinating colors amongst your family members rather than matching. You don’t all need to wear khakis and blue sweaters! A mix of textures and colors that “go together” rather than match makes for fun and stunning photos. Remember to include shoes when you’re considering the overall look and coordination of your outfits; your feet will definitely be in some of the photos.

If you are hoping to change outfits for some variety, we recommend no more than two outfits so we can be efficient with the time we have together. For additional outfits you might like to bring, keep the location in mind. If we’re at a park with no restroom handy, switching from one sweater to another and changing up your accessories will be much easier than an entire outfit change. Dressing in layers will help.

Our sessions are all inclusive! You will receive: 1-2 amazing portrait photographers, custom editing and processing of your images, a password-protected online proofing gallery, digital images with a personal use print release, and optional social media sneak peeks.

When it comes to photographing children, you can expect us to say or do silly things to get real smiles. Adults, for the posed shots, just keep looking at the camera and smiling while all that craziness is going on. Otherwise, follow our direction, play with the kids and just have fun! For the times that you aren’t in the picture, you can stand back and let us interact with the kids so they’re looking right at us and not distracted. If we need some help, we’ll let you know.

With younger children especially, we’re happy to let kids run around a bit between posed shots. Letting them be little goes a long way in helping them warm up and we love capturing those candid moments. Our True Lifestyle sessions are built around the idea of letting kids be little and embracing the fun and magic of playtime as a family.

Above all else, we want you to enjoy yourselves during your extended family portrait session. We’ll do our part to make sure you look amazing and will give you directions as needed. For the most part, you can relax and do what feels natural; if we need to make adjustments, we’ll let you know. Just have fun! Trust us: the “we’re actually having fun” smiles are always the best ones.