3 Ideas for Epic Multigenerational Family Photos | San Diego, CA

Portrait SessionsExtended Family SessionsFamily

Nov 2

Written By Morning Owl Fine Art Photography San Diego CA

Extended Family Photo Session Ideas for the family on Vacation in Southern California.

It's not just about the kids.

A family portrait should celebrate all generations. The special bond between grandparents and their grandchildren is worth capturing with a multigenerational family portrait. These images will celebrate the full family story can become an invaluable part of YOUR family history, and will also look great on the walls.

I will always encourage adding a generational component to anyone’s yearly family session. It can be family jewelry, a framed portrait of a great grandma that’s recently passed away, a bear or a stuffy that represents your child gone too soon - It may be something you didn’t think of, but you are sure to love the images captured.

Capturing a few extra frames with the children and grandparents doesn’t add too much time to your session and often having another set of hands on set to assist with the kids can be extra helpful, especially when your children are small.

Here are 3 ideas to incorporate multiple generations in your family portraits.

( see more from this 49 person family session HERE! )

Classic Nature or Beach Portrait

Sometimes it is best to go with a more classic look, minimizing clothing distractions, even going black and white. This is a great way to fully highlight expressions and connections between individuals. This may seem old fashioned but in fact, when you eliminate the color in and image, trends and styling disappear and what remains is the relationship and emotion between the people in the photograph - which is the most important part anyways!

2. Themed Activities

If you are doing a dedicated session with children and their grandparents, choosing to do a lifestyle-themed session and highlighting an activity they love to do together can be a great storytelling tool. Maybe Grandpa loves to take the little one’s fishing, or Grandma loves to bake cookies with them. These activities are memories and worth capturing in an image for forever.

Often posing people looking at the camera does not effectively represent the full depth of the love between people. I strive to look for the little things… hands held, twinkle in the eye, laughing outtakes between “real” shots. That is often where the magic lives and tend to be our favorite images.

Other themed activities:

Baking in the kitchen
Look through family photo albums
Fishing with grandpa
Picnic with family
Board games
Tea party
Walk in the park
Color or paint
Read books
At home spa day
Complete a puzzle
Play with toys
Bike ride
Gardening
Play with bubbles
Farmers market or zoo
Go to the beach and build a sand castle

and….. many other ideas! Some of these can be done in the same day one after another for the best story telling opportunities but the most important thing is the activities represent your family and your unique bond.

3. DO BOTH & Find the Details

Creating an epic family portrait is about documenting bonds within families—more bonds means more opportunities for memories! And besides, what’s a better gift than giving grandparents ONE photo with EVERYONE?! Incorporate both posed and lifestyle images by utilizing your location i.e. play at the beach and pose for portraits. This is also really important when you’re not sure how long you have left with a special family member - take the images now before you regret it.

Here are those 3 points again:

Celebrate All Generations: Highlight the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren with a multigenerational family portrait. These images will become an invaluable part of your family history and look great on the walls!

Classic Nature or Beach Portraits: Go for a more classic look to fully highlight expressions and connections between individuals. Eliminating color can also help eliminate distractions and focus on the relationships and emotions between people.

Themed Activities to Find the Details: Choose a lifestyle-themed session and highlight an activity loved by the grandparents and children. This will be a great storytelling tool and capture memories worth keeping forever. Create an epic family portrait by documenting bonds within the family. Incorporate both posed and lifestyle images to show the unique bond between your family members.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to capture your family's bond and memories with a San Diego extended family session. As an experienced extended family photographer in San Diego, I am ready to book your session and create unforgettable images for your family. Contact me to schedule your appointment today!

To pair with this blog, here are featured images from a recent extended family session with the Deforest family (12 people).

3 Ideas for Epic Multigenerational Family Photos in San Diego

Capturing a special bond between grandparents and their grandchildren
Celebrating the full family story and preserving family history
Utilizing extra hands on set to assist with children

Benefits of Adding a Generational Component to Your Family Session

Invaluable part of family history
Great for wall displays
Celebrates all generations

Ideas to Incorporate Multiple Generations in Family Portraits

1. Classic Nature or Beach Portraits

Minimizing clothing distractions

Highlighting expressions and connections between individuals
Emphasizing relationship and emotion over trends and styling
2. Themed Activities

Highlighting favorite activities between children and grandparents
Creating a lifestyle-themed session
Capturing memories and bonds through hands held, twinkles in the eyes, and real-life moments
3. Find the Details & Do Both

Documenting bonds within families through posed and lifestyle images
Incorporating both posed and lifestyle images by utilizing location
Creating an epic family portrait with everyone included
Making sure to capture memories before it's too late

Benefits of Hiring an Extended Family Photographer in San Diego

Capturing memories with family members in Southern California
Utilizing expertise to create a story through images
Making sure to capture the special bonds and moments between generations

Don't hesitate to contact an extended family photographer in San Diego for your next family vacation and create lasting memories!

How to do this in San Diego CA.

Just Let me know if you want your family captured and I can get you on the books in Southern California!

Recent Portrait Blog Posts

Featured

Mar 15, 2023

From Bump to Pup: Capturing Pregnancy Memories with Your Dog | San Diego, CA

Mar 15, 2023

Looking for a unique way to add some personality and character to your maternity photos?

Consider including your fur family, However, before you do, it's important to plan ahead and make sure your dog is calm and well-behaved during the photo session.

Keep reading to find 3 reasons why you should include your fur family in maternity photos, some tips to do it the right way, and some reasons NOT to.

Mar 15, 2023

Feb 7, 2023

Purr-fect Choice in San Diego | San Diego, CA | Court House Photographer

Feb 7, 2023

The ultimate guide to say 'I do' with your four-legged friend by your side! Discover the charm of a San Diego Courthouse wedding with your furry best friend. Why an outdoor civil ceremony? So your pup can join of course!

Tying the Knot with Furry Friends: 3 Reasons Courthouse Weddings are the Purr-fect Choice in San Diego, How to include them, how to prep your pup, and restaurant/brewery recommendations for after the alter.

Feb 7, 2023

Dec 29, 2022

Boys ONLY! - The Hasicks’ 3rd Son | Escondido CA Newborn Lifestyle Photo Session

Dec 29, 2022

Newborn Session | Thanksgiving Baby | San Diego, CA

Having three sons is like having an unpredictable roller coaster ride. There’s never a dull moment, and you never know what’s going to happen next. One minute they’re playing video games and the next they’re off on some wild adventure - You are guaranteed to have a huge grocery bill!

When it comes to sports and activities, having only sons can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s great to have them all playing soccer or basketball together. On the other hand, it can be a bit overwhelming to try and wrangle them all into one place at the same time.

Life with three sons is a lot of fun. It can be chaotic at times but it’s always full of laughter and joy. So if you’re a parent of three sons, just remember to buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Here are a few photos of all three brothers together and some with dad.

Dec 29, 2022

Dec 16, 2022

Couples, Cuddles & Coffee | Couples photo Session with Dog | Downtown San Diego, CA

Dec 16, 2022

Couples, Cuddles & Coffee…. what more could you want? Oh! A Dog! Having your pup join in on a couples photoshoot, engagement session, or wedding is far more fun and exciting. Special shout out to Portal Coffee for the beautiful backdrop, hot coco, and pastries for this couple to enjoy.

Here are couples photo ideas to take with your dog in the cozy winter time in San Diego, CA.

Dec 16, 2022

Dec 13, 2022

Here comes the… Dog? | San Diego, CA | Elopement Photographer

Dec 13, 2022

Why an outdoor civil ceremony? So your pup can join of course! If you are planning to ditch the big wedding for now, and go for something more intimate, a San Diego Courthouse Civil marriage deserves huge consideration!

Here is why you should consider an elopement and Civil Ceremony at the Courthouse with your pup(s) when wanting to join your partner in marriage in San Diego County (or anywhere really!)

The Couple.

Lets start with describing this couple. Both are from San Francisco and wanted to get married! Sophia and Pramod are in their mid-20s and live in San Francisco with their Husky mix, Flash. they enjoy relaxing at home with Flash, eating vegetarian food with a glass of red wine and occasionally doing snow/water sports! Flash is a very friendly, easily distracted & lazier husky/pit mix. He loves food! They wanted family and friends to be able to join in on the celebration but were having trouble finding a venue that didn’t have a cap on persons that could attend. They decided to fly to San Diego (where grooms family lives) and get married at the court house!

Blog about the Civil Ceremonies in Downtown San Diego Courthouse

Dec 13, 2022

Nov 21, 2022

In-home newborn | What to have on hand | 2018 San Diego Throwback

Nov 21, 2022

Tips for parents who are having an in-home newborn photo session and want to know more about what to have on hand, what to focus on cleaning, and how to relax knowing you’re about to have an amazing experience!

Morgan L So Cal Newborn Photographer

Nov 21, 2022

Nov 2, 2022

3 Ideas for Epic Multigenerational Family Photos | San Diego, CA

Nov 2, 2022

Extended Family Photo Session Ideas for the family on Vacation in Southern California.

It's not just about the kids.

I will always encourage adding a generational component to anyone’s yearly family session. Weather it be family jewelry or a framed portrait of great grandma that’s recently passed away - It may not be something you have even thought of, but you are sure to love the images captured. Capturing a few extra frames with the children and grandparents doesn’t add too much time to your session and often having another set of hands-on set to assist with the kids can be extra helpful, especially when your children are small.

Here are 3 ideas to incorporate multiple generations in your next family portraits.

Nov 2, 2022

Sep 14, 2022

4th Birthday Portraits | East County San Diego, CA

Sep 14, 2022

Annual Birthday Portraits | Novalee | East County San Diego, CA

Last week we went down the way from our home and decided to take a few quick photos of our little lady to remember her last week as a three-ager. I am so glad we did. She was starting to feel better from sickness so we only stayed for about 10 min and it was so worth it! hope you enjoy this quick mini photo session.

Grandma Carol found this beautiful dress at a thrift store and Nova fell in love!

Sep 14, 2022

Sep 11, 2022

Fresh 48 Photography - Dealing with Dark & Small Hospitals | Balboa Naval Hospital

Sep 11, 2022

Fresh 48 Newborn Boy Session | Balboa Naval Hospital | San Diego, CA

Lets talk about the 4 most important things to remember when going into a dark and small hospital room for Fresh-48 Newborn photo session.

1. Make the Most of the Natural Light…First. I stay far away from flash when working with newborns in a lifestyle fresh 48 type of session. Not that there is anything horrible about it, I just don’t prefer it's disruption.

2. Focus on Details & Emotions Versus Perfection. We’re not here to worry about perfection. Fresh 48 or birth space sessions tend to trend towards the documentary photography end of the spectrum. This means that they are more true-to-life, less styled, and more “real”.

3. Black & Whites Can Improve the Emotional Value of an Image. Sometimes you can just embrace the grain or go with black and white. Honestly, black and white images are really iconic!

4. Utilize High Key Lighting & Silhouettes. In addition to black and white imagery, shooting towards the window allows for highlighting of details like peach fuzzy baby faces, and more.

Sep 11, 2022

Featured