Every few months I hear the same happy news from a client: the grandparents are coming to town, the siblings will all be here at once, and for one rare weekend, everyone is in the same place. Then comes the nervous part: "We want photos, but there are fourteen of us. Is that going to be chaos?"
It is not, if the session is run the right way. An extended family session is not a longer version of standing in one stiff line. It is a planned flow of smaller groupings, with the big everyone photo taken first and plenty of relaxed moments in between. Here is how a big group session actually works, so you know exactly what to expect.
Which session fits a big group
For most extended families I recommend my Story session: 60 minutes, 45 images, $625. An hour gives us time for the full group, every smaller combination, and candids, without anyone feeling rushed. Groups of eight or fewer can do beautifully with a Signature session, 40 minutes and 30 images for $475. My Petite session is lovely for one household, but 20 minutes is simply too short for ten or more people, and I will always tell you that honestly.
The order we shoot in, and why it matters
Grouping order is the whole secret. We start with the photo everyone came for, then work down to smaller groups, so people can relax and peel off as their parts finish.
Everyone together, first. Fresh faces, full energy, nobody has wandered off yet. I usually take this two ways, one standing arrangement and one with grandparents seated in front.
Grandparents with all the grandkids. This is the photo that ends up framed at Grandma’s house, so we get it while the kids are still fresh.
Each household on its own. Every family unit gets its own mini session inside the big one, so each household leaves with photos of just them.
The grown siblings together. The original crew, the photo nobody has taken since someone’s wedding.
Grandparents as a couple, and grandparents with their adult children.
Candids to finish. Walking together, talking, holding babies, the in between moments that feel the most like real life.
Timing: why an hour is enough
Because the order is planned before we start, we are never standing around deciding what comes next. I ask one person to be the family organizer, the one who knows everyone's names and can gather the next group while I shoot the current one. Arrive about 10 minutes early so we begin right at our start time, and schedule around golden hour when we can, because the soft evening light in Santa Clarita is generous to every skin tone and every age. In November and December, that means a mid afternoon start, and you are still home in time for dinner together.
What to wear when there are twelve of you
Matching outfits for twelve people will make you miserable and it photographs stiff. Instead, pick a color family: two or three colors plus neutrals, and let each household dress inside it. One person can wear a subtle pattern and everyone else pulls colors from it. My free What to Wear guide walks through this step by step, including palettes that work beautifully at our local locations, and I send it to every family before their session.
Locations with room for a crowd
Big groups need space to spread out and a background that stays quiet behind a lot of faces. Around Santa Clarita I love Placerita Canyon for its shade and room to move, Vasquez Rocks for wide open space and drama, and our larger parks for easy parking and bathrooms nearby, which matters with grandparents and toddlers in the same group. When you book, tell me your group size and I will steer us to the spot that fits.
Kids, grandparents, and real life
We build the session around the most vulnerable schedules, not the other way around. Grandparents get seated arrangements and shade breaks. Little kids do their groupings early, with snacks and a run around break built in. Nobody stands in the sun for an hour, and nobody is asked to hold a smile for more than a few minutes at a time. My lifestyle approach helps here: I would rather photograph your family walking, laughing, and holding each other than lined up holding a pose, and big families are where that approach shines brightest.
After the session
Your edited gallery arrives in one private online gallery that is easy to share, so the out of town siblings get the same link and everyone can download their favorites and order prints. The grandparents photo, the sibling photo, the one of everyone laughing: they tend to become the gifts that go under the tree.
If your whole crew is gathering this season, Thanksgiving week and the December holidays are the two times of year it happens naturally, and those dates book early. You can see session options and book here:
https://book.squareup.com/appointments/azdzp1rpzwjsgn/location/L8PWJA59K3FF8
Tell me your headcount when you reach out, and I will build the grouping plan for your family before we ever pick up the camera.
Liana Herrera Photography, family photographer in Santa Clarita, California.
