The Joy of Extended Family Photoshoots | Cornwall, UK
Extended family photoshoots in Cornwall
When your family is coming together for a holiday in Cornwall or it’s a special occasion (birthday, new arrival etc), it’s a super idea to book a photographer!
Most modern families are spread far and wide across the country - and even the globe - so it’s really special to have the whole clan present! I’ve photographed extended families of 3-4 generations, and even though it can be a bit chaotic, there is nothing more wonderful than everyone coming together.
It’s a special occasion
Sometimes it’s a family gathering to mark a big milestone, like a 70th birthday. It could just be a rare chance to have grandparents captured with their grandchildren, or cousins all together if they don’t live locally.
You might all live in Cornwall but fancy photos with your children and both sets of grandparents - no special occasion required!
Extended family sessions - Posing…
You probably have in mind that you would like some really relaxed, unposed photos just of everyone together.
“Natural” shots…
Because to be honest, you squirm at the thought of having a camera pointed at you and really don’t want to feel like you’re being photographed.
This is mentioned in most of the enquiries I receive. But when the time comes, nobody really knows what to do themselves! So to save you the awkwardness of having to pretend I’m not there, I direct and pose you all quite a lot, until everyone is warmed up and moments are happening by themselves.
Really, extended family photoshoots require way more posing than any of my other shoots, because there so many people. But don’t worry, I try to work quickly through the torturous big group shots, and take plenty more candid shots of smaller groupings which are easier and more informal, although I will whizz through some more formally posed grouping shots too. This is just to ensure that you have photos of everyone together, which I can’t always get during the relaxed ‘between’ shots.
Things to know about my extended family sessions
They take longer
During your extended family session I try to get photos of each person, or at least each relationship and the different smaller families and groupings. Often there is a lot going on, and it takes a while to work through everyone - these sessions can take around 2 hours, or twice as long as an average family session.
Your gallery will be big!
Yup - all those photos we worked so long to take will result in a larger gallery than a small, standard family session. There will be a lot of photos to look through and choose from, which is why all extended family sessions end up buying my top package so that they can have all of the images.
Because of the number of shots, this works out as excellent value and everyone in the family get to have their favourite shots from the shoot.
Top package includes the full gallery as digital images plus some keepsake prints
What everyone wears matters
Co-ordinating everyone shouldn’t be too hard, and a bit of effort will really make a huge difference to your photos. I know it’s likely that there will be a at least one person not as keen about this idea but if you keep it easy they should be ok!
Best advice is to choose no more than 2 colours, plus 1 neutral - example: beige, navy and white. Or grey, mustard and cream. It can be whatever you like but if everyone sticks to clothing that is in this palette you’ll all look great together!!
Earthy tones always win in my opinion. Women wearing long flowy dresses or skirts is also highly recommended!
Rule of thumb is to keep it simple. Avoid logos on shirts, or graphics. Even plaid checks can overwhelm and clash. If you have patterns make them small rather than big bold ones.
Make sure everyone knows to wear something sensible on their feet whether we will be on the beach or countryside.
Working with me
I don’t come from a large family, and I am a bit of an introvert, so I sometimes find the dynamic of big families a bit scary to begin with! But by the end it’s always great to spend time with grown siblings, grandparents, children - the whole gang of you! I love editing the images, immersed in many warm memories of our session.
I am friendly and cheerful, and very intuitive which helps when reading body language and figuring out how to get the best out of everyone (as much as I can in the short time I have, anyway!!). During your session I will do my best to connect with whoever I am photographing, and to make sure I capture everyone in a flattering, creative way.
I will most likely start off with some group shots of everyone because it’s the best way to dive straight in and get to know you as a group (and for you to get to know me too!).
You are welcome to bring a bottle of bubbly for the grown ups - it gives everyone a focus and takes care of some of the nerves!
After this, I will break down to smaller groups - couples, families, and different combinations. I love to get the more formal shots out of the way early (for me these are the safety shots and I can relax once I know I’ve got them).
Grown ups are allowed to relax after this, while I spend some time capturing the children - normally while they play and show off to the camera. It’s normal for more natural photos to happen after this between family members and I’ll still direct lightly, but by now everybody is having fun.
My priority is always getting the right light, and trying to get a feel for you all and paying attention to the little details of the many moments unfolding before me.
Charges for extended families
There is a £100 supplement for extended families of more than 6 people to cover some of the extra time taken to shoot and edit your photos.
This is applied on top of my standard family shoot pricing. I also charge a travel fee if the session is more than 10 miles from Tregony on the Roseland Peninsula - most sessions happen on the Roseland where I can recommend some gorgeous locations.
I have been photographing families outdoors in Cornwall for 8 years and love working with people who are laid back, adventurous and enjoy being outdoors.
To enquire about an extended family session with me, get in touch - I’d love to learn more.
