Extended family sessions are honestly one of those things that people often book because “everyone is together anyway” and then afterwards realise they’re actually really bloody glad they did it.

Because getting a whole family in one place is not easy.

Someone has driven three hours. Somebody’s toddler is already overstimulated. One of the men usually does not want to be there at all and has been told repeatedly that it will “only take an hour.” Nan desperately wants a photo of all the grandkids looking at the camera at the same time which, realistically, has about a 14 second success window before somebody tackles somebody else or wanders off looking for snacks.

And weirdly, that’s the stuff I love about photographing families.

Not perfection. Not everybody standing there in matching beige pretending they live inside a Pinterest board. Just actual people interacting the way they normally would, with all the humour and movement and personality that comes with big family dynamics.

I’ll guide things enough so you don’t feel awkward or wonder what to do with your hands, but I’m also constantly watching for the smaller moments happening underneath everything else. The conversations. The way your dad looks at your kids. Your teenage son forgetting to act cool for half a second. Your mum laughing properly instead of doing her “photo smile.”

Those are usually the photos people end up caring about most.

Extended family sessions are especially popular for families holidaying on the Tweed Coast and Gold Coast because honestly, when everybody is together in one place these days, it’s worth documenting properly.