I don’t do a lot of large or extended family sessions maybe one or two a year. This year I had the opportunity to do 4 of them! I love meeting new families to photograph, but this one extended family consisted of a smaller family unit that had someone who is special to me. My friend Kaye and her adorable family I’ve known for some time. Kaye and her husband Tim went to the same college as me and my hubby and two of our kiddos are 3 months apart!

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve photographed the Johnson family. We’re maybe up to number 5?. They have been one of my biggest supporters of my business since the beginning. The last couple of years we’ve gotten together for their family pictures it’s either been freezing for the month of October or swealtering. This year, it was almost perfect weather.

You’ve booked your family session with a photographer, now what comes next? You want to make sure that everything goes well from location choice all the way to what to wear, but not sure where to start! I’ve created a checklist for you to make sure that you have all your ducks in a row when it comes to planning your family session.

I just LOVE the outfits that the Daly family showed up for their downton Farmington family session last month. I loved how it is very chic and would look great on Christmas cards. I’ve done a few senior sessions downtown Farmington before but never a family session and it was so much fun with Marie and her menfolk.

Last year I photographed one of the sweetest, and cutest families that I have ever met. You can go back and read about this family here(https://stephanienewmanphotography.com/2021/10/26/rendell-family-session-farmington-mn/). Now picture me this year, when mama Anna reached out to do a session in Lakeville again, but with just kids. All her kiddos, and all her siblings kiddos. Together. In all their cuteness. I was pumped.

Another fun October mini session at Whitetail Woods with a fun and sweet family, the Westlunds! I have been spending a lot of time at Whitetail this year and have found some really fun locations within to take my families to mix up my portfolio and so they can get some variety too in their pictures.

Whoa mama the colors really popped after taking a break from doing sessions for a week because my husband was in Alaska on a missions trip. The sumac really stood out for the Smasal mini session in Hastings.

This year I’ve had the privilege of photographing families with kiddos of all ages, from babies all the way up to high schoolers. When I met the Letter family at Whitetail Woods at the end of September, I definitely did not expect the kids in the family to be high schoolers, most definitely thought they were at least middle school. HA!

The Williams family was a winner of silent auction donation I had given to a local youth baseball group from this summer. I was so excited to meet this family that I showed up at Ritter Farm Park super early. Thankfully it was a gorgeous night to hang out in my car without melting while the a/c was off.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve photographed this extended and blended family and they’ve added a few more family members since. I enjoy every moment of time spent with these fantastic people, it sometimes feels like herding cats but that’s the best part of being with them all.