Extended Family Fall Photos: Everything You Need to Know Before Your Session
Fall is one of my favorite times of year for family photography. The cooler weather, changing colors, and softer light make it a great time to get everyone together for family photos.
But extended family sessions can feel a little overwhelming.
You may be coordinating grandparents, parents, siblings, spouses, kids, and maybe even several families who don't all live nearby. Then there is the question of what everyone should wear, where to take the photos, how to keep the kids happy, and how to make sure you actually get photos of everyone together.
The good news? It doesn't have to be stressful.
Here's everything you need to know to make your extended family fall photo session go smoothly.
## Why Fall Is a Great Time for Extended Family Photos
Fall is especially nice for outdoor family photography because the weather is generally more comfortable than the hot Texas summer months.
Around Granbury and the surrounding areas, fall can also give us beautiful outdoor settings without needing a studio. Parks, open fields, wooded areas, and even a family's own backyard can make great locations.
And honestly, I don't want your photos to look like everybody stood in a line and smiled at the camera.
I want to capture the family together.
The hugs.
The laughs.
The kids running around.
Grandparents loving on their grandkids.
Siblings joking around.
Those little moments that happen naturally when everyone is together.
We'll get the traditional family photos, but we'll also leave room for the candid moments.
## Who Should Be Included in an Extended Family Session?
That's completely up to you.
An extended family session might include:
* Grandparents
* Adult children
* Sons and daughters-in-law
* Grandchildren
* Brothers and sisters
* Cousins
* Multiple households
* Pets, if the location allows them
If you're bringing several families together, it's helpful to think about the groupings you want before the session.
For example:
**Everyone together**
**Grandparents with all the grandchildren**
**Each individual family**
**Grandparents with their children**
**Siblings together**
**Couples**
**Grandparents with individual grandchildren**
You don't have to create a complicated shot list. Just make sure you let your photographer know about any combinations that are especially important to you.
## What Should We Wear for Fall Family Photos?
This is probably one of the biggest questions I hear.
My biggest advice is:
**Coordinate. Don't match.**
You don't need everyone wearing the same color or the same outfit.
Instead, choose colors that work well together.
For a fall session, colors such as:
* Cream
* Beige
* Brown
* Rust
* Burgundy
* Olive
* Navy
* Muted blues
* Warm neutrals
can work really well outdoors.
Try to avoid having everyone wear exactly the same shade. Instead, mix colors and textures so the group looks coordinated without looking like everyone was dressed in a uniform.
### A Few Clothing Tips
Comfort matters.
Especially with kids.
If a child hates what they're wearing, there's a good chance they're going to let everyone know about it during the photo session.
Choose clothing that allows everyone to move, sit, walk, and play comfortably.
For larger groups, it can also help to avoid large logos, extremely bright colors, and busy patterns that compete with the people in the photograph.
And don't forget the shoes!
Since many extended family sessions take place outdoors, comfortable shoes that can handle grass, dirt, or uneven ground are usually a better choice than shoes that look great but make walking miserable.
## What If We Have a Lot of People?
That's actually one of the reasons I love extended family sessions.
Large groups can create some really meaningful photographs.
We don't have to photograph everyone the exact same way.
We'll start with the larger group photographs while everyone is together. From there, we can break the group down into smaller combinations.
This makes the session more relaxed and gives you a much wider variety of photographs.
Instead of one giant family photo, you can end up with photographs of individual families, grandparents and grandchildren, siblings, couples, and smaller groups.
## How Do We Keep the Kids Happy?
Here's the secret:
**Don't put too much pressure on them.**
Kids don't always want to stand still and smile for twenty minutes.
And that's okay.
I'll work with them instead of constantly asking them to pose.
Sometimes the best photograph happens when the kids are allowed to move around and be themselves.
Parents also don't need to spend the entire session saying:
"Smile!"
"Look at the camera!"
"Stand still!"
Let me handle that part.
The more relaxed everyone is, the more natural the photographs tend to be.
## What About Grandparents?
If grandparents are included, I like to make sure we get those important photographs while everyone is still fresh.
That might include:
* Grandparents with all the grandchildren
* Grandparents with their children
* Grandparents with individual grandchildren
* Grandparents together
* The entire extended family
These photographs become especially meaningful over the years.
Sometimes the photograph that seems simple today becomes the one everyone wants later.
## Should We Take Photos at a Park or at Home?
Either can work.
A favorite outdoor location can provide beautiful scenery, but your own backyard can sometimes be even more meaningful.
If your family spends time together at a particular home, lake property, ranch, or backyard, that location becomes part of your family's story.
I've photographed sessions in personal outdoor spaces, and I love the fact that the photographs aren't just showing what a family looks like. They're showing **where that family spends time together.**
If you're considering a location, think about a place that feels like your family.
## What Time Should We Schedule Our Session?
Outdoor family photography is usually best when the light is softer.
For fall sessions, that often means scheduling around the later part of the afternoon and into the evening, depending on the exact date and location.
The exact time can change throughout the fall, so we'll choose a time that works for the location and the light.
And yes, I know that getting a large family organized and out the door on time can feel like a military operation.
Give yourself extra time.
Seriously.
If you think you need to leave at 4:30, leave at 4:15.
Someone will forget a shoe.
Someone will need the bathroom.
Someone will suddenly decide they're hungry.
It happens.
## What Should We Bring?
You don't need to bring a bunch of props.
In fact, I generally prefer keeping things simple.
Bring anything you actually need for the family, especially with younger children:
* Water
* Snacks for before or after the session
* Extra clothes for young children if necessary
* Any needed medications
* A brush or comb
* Comfortable shoes for walking
* A jacket or sweater if the weather is cool
If you have a sentimental item that is important to your family, you can always ask about incorporating it.
But you don't need a basket of props to make your photographs special.
**Your family is the important part.**
## What If the Weather Doesn't Cooperate?
Texas fall weather can be unpredictable.
One day can be beautiful and the next can be windy, rainy, or unexpectedly cold.
If the weather looks questionable, we'll keep an eye on it and communicate about the session.
The goal isn't to force a session in weather that makes everyone miserable.
Sometimes changing the date is the best option.
## How Long Does an Extended Family Session Take?
Extended family sessions take longer than a typical single-family session because there are more people and more combinations to photograph.
My extended family photography sessions are designed to give us enough time to photograph the entire group while also allowing time for smaller family groupings and natural moments.
The goal isn't to rush through a checklist.
I want everyone to have time to relax and enjoy being together.
## One of the Most Important Things: Don't Expect Perfection
This might be my biggest piece of advice.
Your family isn't perfect.
Your kids aren't going to behave perfectly.
Someone might laugh at the wrong time.
Someone might blink.
A toddler might decide they are completely finished with photographs.
And honestly?
That's real life.
Some of my favorite family photographs are the ones where everyone isn't looking directly at the camera.
A grandchild hugging Grandma.
A dad laughing at something his son said.
Siblings playing together.
A couple looking at each other instead of the camera.
Those are the photographs that tell your family's story.
## Your Extended Family Session Should Feel Like Your Family
When you look back at your photographs years from now, I don't want you to remember how hard you worked to get everyone to pose perfectly.
I want you to remember being together.
That's why my approach to family photography combines traditional family portraits with natural, candid moments.
We'll make sure you get the important photographs of everyone together, but we'll also give your family room to interact, laugh, hug, and simply be yourselves.
Whether your extended family is gathering in Granbury, Glen Rose, Weatherford, Cleburne, or somewhere around the surrounding area, an outdoor fall session can be a great way to document that time together.
## Ready to Plan Your Extended Family Fall Session?
If you've been talking about getting the whole family together for photographs, don't keep putting it off.
Schedules get complicated.
Kids grow.
Grandparents get older.
And families don't always get everyone together as often as we'd like.
A family photo session gives you an excuse to get everyone together and create something you'll have long after the fall leaves are gone.
**Morgan's Family Photography** specializes in natural, outdoor family photography in Granbury and surrounding areas.
Let's get your family together, have some fun, and capture the people who matter most.
**Ready to plan your session?**
[Book Your Session]
Serving Granbury and surrounding areas including Glen Rose, Weatherford, Cleburne, Tolar, Burleson, Crowley, Thorpe Springs, Joshua, Benbrook, and Acton.
