What to Expect From an Extended Family Photo Session in San Luis Obispo

Extended family photography in San Luis Obispo gives us the chance to photograph your entire family together, but also the relationships within your family that may not normally make it into your photos.

Of course, we’ll photograph the entire family together. But some of my favorite photographs from extended family sessions are the smaller groups within the family.

Grandparents with their grandchildren. Aunts with their nieces. Grandparents with their adult children.

Sometimes I even get to photograph four generations together: a grandmother, her daughter, her granddaughter, and a new baby.

I know my clients will treasure these photographs forever.

It’s About More Than the Big Group Photo

One of the things I love about extended family sessions is getting to photograph the different connections within one family.

Yes, we want that photograph of everyone together. But I also want to make sure we photograph the relationships that are important to your family.

That could mean grandparents with all of their grandchildren, an aunt with her nieces, or grandparents with their adult children.

And those photographs can look however you want them to look. Some families want playful photographs. Others want something more posed. We can do either.

The point is to photograph the people you want to remember together.

Sometimes We Get Four Generations in One Photograph

Every once in a while, I have the opportunity to photograph four generations together.

A grandmother, daughter, granddaughter, and baby all in one photograph.

These are the kinds of photographs I know my clients will treasure forever. Having four generations together in one place and being able to photograph them is special.

We’ll Plan the Family Groupings Before Your Session

With an extended family, there are a lot of relationships to consider.

Before your session, I ask your family to create a shoot list. This tells me which combinations of people are important to you and gives us a plan to work from once we are together.

I bring that list with me to the session, but it is not set in stone. Families change their minds. Someone may think of a photograph they want once we are there. I may also photograph combinations beyond what you originally requested.

I will photograph every grouping on your list, and you can request other groupings during the session.

The shoot list simply helps us think through those relationships ahead of time so we don’t forget someone while the whole family is together.

Choosing a Location for Extended Family Photography in San Luis Obispo

Location matters with a large family because we need enough physical space for everyone to fit comfortably.

A location that works well for a smaller family may feel too tight once grandparents, parents, grandchildren, and individual family groups are all together.

I do not want to squeeze a large family into a space that does not work for the number of people we are photographing.

Light is also part of choosing the location. Both the available space and the light need to work for your extended family session.

Coordinating Outfits for a Large Family

Wardrobe takes a little more planning when more people are involved.

Rather than having everyone match, the goal is to coordinate. One way to do this is to begin with one person’s outfit and build the rest of the family’s clothing around it.

Think about complementary colors and how everyone’s clothing will look together. You can mix solids with some patterns rather than putting everyone in the same color or the same type of outfit.

You do not have to figure it all out on your own. I am available to help with wardrobe questions before we meet.

Why I Allow 90 Minutes for Extended Family Sessions

My extended family photography sessions are 90 minutes because there are more people and more relationships to photograph.

We’ll photograph the full family, but we’ll also work through the smaller groupings on your shoot list.

And people are people. Kids do not always want to cooperate on cue. Someone may decide they want another photograph that wasn’t on our original list.

I don’t want to rush your family through those moments.

The shoot list gives us a plan, while the 90-minute session gives us enough time to work through it without feeling like we have to hurry from one grouping to the next.

What Happens After Your Extended Family Session?

After I finish editing your photographs, you will receive an online gallery.

Everyone in the family can have access to that gallery. Family members can download their images, and anyone who wants prints can purchase them through the gallery.

Because we photograph the full family along with your requested smaller groupings and other combinations, an extended family session produces a larger gallery than a typical family session.

Photographs of the Relationships Within Your Family

Families change.

Children grow up. Grandchildren get older. Adult children have children of their own.

An extended family session gives us the chance to photograph everyone together, but it also gives us the chance to photograph the relationships within your family as they are right now.

Grandparents and grandchildren.

Aunts and nieces.

Parents with their adult children.

And, sometimes, four generations in one photograph.

Those are photographs I know my clients will treasure forever.

Planning Extended Family Photography in San Luis Obispo?

If you are getting your extended family together and want photographs of the whole family as well as the different relationships within it, you can inquire about an extended family session with me.

We’ll plan the groupings that matter to your family ahead of time, and during your 90-minute session, we’ll have time for the big family photograph, the smaller groups, and the people you especially want photographed together.

Rosa Clark is an award-winning San Luis Obispo Photographer specializing in family, maternity, and senior portraits. She has been recognized by the National Association of Portrait and Child Photographers (NAPCP) as a Master Photographer in the category of Lifestyle Family Photography. Her work has appeared in local publications like New Times San Luis Obispo and SLO Life Magazine. Rosa is a volunteer photographer for The Gold Hope Project, a childhood cancer non-profit organization.

In addition to photography, Rosa has been a practicing attorney for nearly 20 years. She brings that same level of professionalism, care, and attention to detail to every photo session. Rosa takes on a limited number of clients each month to provide a personalized, relaxed experience—and her calm, natural style has earned her over 60 five-star reviews on Google.

If you’re looking to thoughtfully document this chapter of life, get in touch to reserve your session and begin planning a personalized experience your family will value for years to come.

Sessions are limited each month to ensure a personalized experience. Booking early is recommended, especially during peak seasons.

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