Whenever I book a family session, I’m always happy, especially when I get to do an extended family session! I’ve done so many of these over the years, but this latest session was one of my favorites.

THE PERFECT VENUE FOR FAMILY SESSIONS

We were able to meet up out at Jessie’s Grove, a local winery in Lodi, during the beautiful fall month of November. If you’ve every been out there, then you know what a treat it is! The full array of fall colors were everywhere and the light was absolutely perfect. I still can’t decide if I prefer to be there in the late fall or the early spring. No matter when I go as a photographer, the staff there is helpful, they always have something planned for those interested in tasting wine and it’s truly one of my favorite venues to photograph a family session at.

KNOWING WHAT TO WEAR

This family knew exactly how to dress for their session and I was thrilled when I saw them all together! When you’re doing an extended family session, deciding what to wear can be overwhelming. Too often, people want to fall back on wearing one color on top and all jeans on the bottom. My rule of thumb is to have you all coordinating and not be matchy matchy. You’ll find this same advice for any type of family session. You can check out more of my tips on how to dress for your upcoming session HERE.

What this family did so well was not just choose colors that coordinated perfectly, but they also chose several patterns. Everyone looked great when put all together, in their own family and in the several different groupings we did. And that’s the goal, besides capturing them together! I want them to look great together while doing it!

ALL IN THE FAMILY

My favorite part about doing extended family sessions is all the groupings. I know that to some photographers, this might feel overwhelming. But just think of all the posing possibilities! They’re endless if you think about it! Instead of just 4-5 people from one family, you get to do large groupings with everyone, photos with cousins, adult siblings, grandparents with all the grandkids (although this family session didn’t have grandparents included) and with just their adult children, adults and their spouses…all of this is on top of the individual family shots you get to take!