I come from a large family, I have four brothers, and my husband and I have four children – so when I was booked for a large multigenerational family portrait session I was delighted!

I’ll admit even though I was eager for the shoot, I was a bit worried how we’d manage to get all the sweet, summery shots I wanted for this family of 13. The day prior to the session it was pitch black and rained from dawn to dusk, my eagerness was melting into anxiety.

I so hoped that the next day would be a beautiful one, I knew several of the family members were driving in from out of town and rescheduling wasn’t in the cards. Luckily, the weather on our photo day was picture perfect, slightly overcast, and while it was humid it kept the heat index down.

With five small children and eight adults so many things can go awry – but they didn’t. The adults were jovial, joking with each other and the kids. The photos turned out lovely – from the coordinating colors to posing ideas, everybody was on the same page.

The photographs captured easy, natural interactions, candid laughs and sweet smiles.