Today I photographed an extended family session in North Platte, Nebraska, and it was a pretty perfect reminder of why I love photographing families the way I do.
There were twelve people altogether—Grandma and Grandpa, their six adult children, two spouses, and two grandchildren.
Twelve people means twelve different personalities, different comfort levels, different opinions about pictures, and, of course, a couple of little ones who had their own ideas about how the afternoon was going to go.
And honestly?
That’s completely okay.
The youngest grandchild was around six months old and was having a hard time. She wanted her binky, she wanted to be comfortable, and she wasn't particularly interested in helping me check everything off my shot list.
So we worked around her.
Her mom also asked that her face not be shared on social media, which I completely respect. That meant I was already thinking a little differently about which moments I could photograph and eventually share.
Then there was her older cousin, who really just wanted her dad.
She was emotional and didn't want to leave him, even when other family members offered to help.
Instead of trying to force her into whatever photograph I had planned next, I asked her, “Do you want to come help Cassie take a picture?”
Her whole face changed.
Suddenly, she had a job.
She got to come over and help me photograph her family, and she absolutely loved it. As she became more comfortable with me, she also became more comfortable in front of my camera.
That little moment is exactly why I don't believe family photography should be about forcing everyone into a perfect pose.
Sometimes you have to meet people where they are.
Sometimes a baby needs her binky.
Sometimes a child needs Dad.
Sometimes we need to take a break from the “everyone look at the camera” photographs and do something completely different.
And sometimes, the best thing you can do is give someone a job.
Once everyone settled in, we worked through the different combinations the family wanted.
One of the couples is expecting a baby, so I photographed the two of them together. Then I photographed Mom and Dad with their little one, Grandma and Grandpa, and the older grandchild with her dad.
At one point, I joked with Mom and asked, “Do you want me to do individual pictures of your kids, or are we okay skipping that part?”
Her response was immediate.
“Oh gosh, no. I would never.”
We both started laughing.
And that's one of the things I love about photographing families. There are always these little conversations and moments that make the session feel less like a formal photo shoot and more like spending time with people.
Eventually, we made our way over to the flower garden.
By then, I could tell Grandma was getting a little antsy. She kept making little comments about whether we were done yet.
So we did one more big family photograph, and then I asked if she wanted to take her granddaughter over to pick a few flowers.
They walked over together, and I photographed them picking flowers.
That ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire session.
Not because it was perfectly posed.
Because it wasn't.
It was just Grandma and her granddaughter spending a few minutes together.
And those are the moments I want families to have photographs of.
Eventually, Grandma asked again if we were done.
So I asked the question I always ask before wrapping up:
“Did you get all the photos you wanted?”
Everyone said yes.
Everything was great.
So we were done.
The entire session ended up being around 30 minutes.
Could we have taken more photographs? Absolutely.
But everyone had what they wanted, everyone was happy, and there was no reason to keep a family standing around just because we technically could.
Sometimes 30 minutes is enough.
And that's something I want my clients to know.
You don't have to show up with perfectly behaved children.
You don't have to know how to pose.
You don't have to convince your husband that pictures are going to be fun.
You don't have to have everyone smiling at the exact same time.
You just have to show up as your family.
I'll take it from there.
If you're planning an extended family photography session in North Platte, Grand Island, Kearney, or somewhere else in central or western Nebraska, I want you to know that real life is welcome in front of my camera.
The little moments, the imperfect moments, the silly moments, and the quiet ones are often the photographs you'll end up loving the most.
Your family doesn't have to be perfect for family photos. They just have to be yours.
— Cassie
Fly Over Photography
