Extended family photos in Naples are some of my favorite sessions every year, the ones where everyone is finally in the same place at the same time. The grandparents, the cousins, the sister who flew in from out of state, all of them together on the sand. Come November through January this is the bulk of what I do, and it is genuinely the work I love most.
What counts as an extended family session?
Anything beyond one household. Most of mine are multigenerational, grandparents with their grown children and all of the grandchildren, usually three generations and sometimes four. Some are siblings and cousins gathering without the grandparents. The common thread is that these families do not live in the same place, and the week they spend together in Southwest Florida is the one window where a portrait of everyone is even possible.
How do you photograph a group that large?
With a plan we build before the session, not on the sand. I ask who is coming in advance, so I know your family before I arrive. How many kids, how many adults. Who is the girlfriend who isn’t quite official and may not belong on the wall (have to know these things!).
On the beach I always start with the whole group and I end with the whole group. In between we work outward, and the order is what makes it efficient. I will photograph the grandparents on their own, then ask their children to step in, then ask the spouses to step in. In a handful of frames several of the key groupings are done, but the candids are the sweetest moments that just happen on their own. From there it is the adult siblings, the grandchildren together, and each individual family, and then I fill in with what is actually happening in front of me, the laughing and the hand holding. This is why we don’t have a script, because children, and even adults, dance to their own rhythm. Truthfully, so do I.
I wrote about this approach for Click Magazine in It’s not so scary: 4 tips for photographing large groups, which is written for other photographers but tells you exactly how I think about your session.
What is the portrait actually for?
This is the question I ask early, because it’s important to know the end goal, or at least know we are shooting with a purpose in mind and communicate this with the group. A single large piece for the wall at Grandma’s beach house is a different session than just shooting for a holiday card and what you may be used to back home. Knowing the goal before we start means everyone understands that my sessions are important enough to take seriously and give it your full attention, this isn’t just a quick run on the beach and then off to dinner. Someone is investing in this and planning for a meaningful piece afterwards.
When should we plan it?
November through January is my busiest stretch for exactly this reason, and those dates fill in first. I plan around your travel dates before I plan around anything else, and sunset is usually where we land.
One piece of advice I give every family: book toward the beginning of your stay rather than the end. That way your images are ready and we can do your design appointment while you are all still here if time allows, (holiday weeks this usually is not possible), it also allows for weather reschedules if needed. No need to worry if that’s not possible, Zoom reveals are just as good and often how I design for out of town families.
Where do you photograph large families in Naples?
Port Royal, Aqualane Shores, Old Naples along Gordon Drive, Coquina Sands, and Third Street South are all regulars for me. If you are staying somewhere with beautiful grounds we do not have to go far at all. I have photographed a family in the gardens of their own condo on the way down to the beach, and sometimes the grounds around Naples are just as lovely as the sand itself. Private beach access is always an option as well. If you are still deciding where, I wrote up my favorite beaches for family photos from Sanibel down to Marco.
What happens after the session?
We sit down together at a design appointment and decide what the images become. I come to you, at your home, your rental, or wherever you are staying, and if you have already flown home we do it over Zoom instead. Everything I do happens on location or remotely, and that includes the design appointment.
The beauty of my design software is that it renders right on the walls on your own home. For most extended families we land on one large framed piece or collage. Albums are popular too, especially when each family wants a copy of their own. When we are in your home I can look at the actual wall, the light, and the room it lives in before anything is made. If you are not able to meet in person, a cell phone photo with a width will be uploaded to my software and we will see the renders just as if I am standing in front of the wall with you. There is more about how I design portraits for the home if you would like to see finished rooms.
What is everyone going to wear?
Coordinating fifteen people is a project of its own, and it is the question I get more than any other. My advice is always to coordinate rather than match, and to start from a palette instead of a rule. I keep curated wardrobe looks organized by color so you can send one link to the whole family rather than texting outfit photos back and forth for a week. Those are affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission if you buy something, at no extra cost to you.
Planning yours
Extended family sessions take more planning than a single family session, and that planning is the part that makes them work. Tell me who is coming, when they land, and where you are staying, and we will build the evening around your family. Don’t forget the outfits, this year I have put together ShopMy mood boards to give you cohesive looks to plan your look. This will give you a good idea of what colors work together. The best advice I always have is to think about where your final artwork or album will live, this is like choosing a fabric for your couch, you want the frame or the album cover to go with the room. Likewise, you want what your family is wearing to match the decor of your home if the piece will be an accent in the room.
If your family is gathering on Marco rather than in Naples, everything here applies just the same. You can also find me in the Paradise Coast business directory, the official visitor authority for Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades. You can read more about a family beach session on Marco Island as well.
Affiliate disclosure: some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy something through them I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only share pieces I would put in front of my own clients.
