s family ~ cousin fun fest

This session was a 75th birthday present for the mother-in-law of my client, whose own family pictures I took this past fall. She and her sisters-in-law wanted to have photos of all of the grandchildren to give to their mother. We planned to do photos of the children in each individual family together, all of the girls, all of the boys, and then all of the cousins together.

As I arrived to the session, almost everyone was already there, standing in a big circle, talking and laughing. I felt like I was joining a tailgate party. I loved the energy and it reminded me of how my own cousins act at family parties. The cousins themselves were also joking around, asking each other where dresses were purchased, etc. They went along with everything I said to do, even with their parents occasionally laughing and making remarks from afar.

One thing I love to see is the difference between the beginning of a session and the end of a session— in this case just with the kids and teens I was photographing. The comfort level in front of the camera drastically changes! In the beginning, they aren’t sure how to stand or where to put their hands; they are obviously self conscious. By the end, they are yelling, “Hey, can you grab this shot?!” as the bigger cousin gives one of his younger cousins a piggy-back ride haha. I love that though and I hope that my clients all know that my goal is to deliver flattering photos. I want you to feel good! I want you to walk away from the session feeling like a model— and at least a little better about yourself than when you arrived.