Is your summer family reunion coming up?

It’s the summer, and you know what that means! Well, actually, that was kind of vague, since summer can mean a lot. Like sunshine, and swimming, and fun. All of which… can happen at family reunions! Or at least, for the kind of families that have reunions, and if you’ve ended up on this post, I’d guess that yours probably is. And if you’re having one of those fun-filled days with all of your family members from across the midwest, or across the world – you should book a photographer to come document the fun.

Why? It’s pretty simple. You don’t get together all that often, so you should take advantage of it, right? And hiring a family event photographer is one of the best ways to take advantage of your time together. 

When was your last extended family photo session?

Since extended family doesn’t get together all the time, it might’ve been a while since your last session all together. Or, maybe you haven’t had one at all! But whether you want to have a photographer document your family together throughout the whole day you spend celebrating everything that connects you, or you want to have a quick session at a specific time to capture some group photos of you all being yourselves… those photos? They’re an amazing way to look back on your time together.

Whether you plan activities together during your reunion and you want the corn-hole champion documented at the moment of their ultimate victory, or you all sit around a bonfire just chatting all day, bringing a photographer along for the ride has no downside.

Why treat your family reunion like an extended family photo session?

Having a professional photographer there with you during your family’s time together means a ton of things, for everyone in attendance. And it’s a lot like the benefits of having a professional photography at any family (or even business!) event. When you have someone whose literal job is documenting your day, you ALL get to relax a bit more.

Your sister isn’t as worried about snapping pics with her phone of your Mom holding your niece. A photographer can capture those little moments you’re not watching for, like when all the youngest cousins are kicking a soccer ball around, and having an amazing time, while all the grown-ups are getting food ready. Having a photographer at your family event, whether it’s a reunion or not, means you get to experience the day instead of worrying about documenting it, AND it comes with the bonus of getting to see things you never would’ve noticed!

With a Professional Photographer at your reunion… No one misses out on group shots!

At some point in the day at a family reunion, there’s always that moment when you gather everyone together to get a group family photo. But… just like we forget about making sure that Mom is in pictures with her kiddos because she’s always the one taking them… what about the one who TAKES the photos? Someone has to do it, and… if it’s not a photographer, it’s someone who’s attending. And shouldn’t they have the option to BE in the photo, too?

That was rhetorical – of course they should. Bringing a photographer along to your reunion means that you don’t have to worry about someone being the “group photo martyr” who is somehow never in the pictures of you all together, because they’re the one always taking all of the photos. Maybe they’re a photographer themself, and they swear that they don’t mind. But at the end of the day, they deserve to be documented having fun too. And a photographer solves that problem!

Your photos will be print-worthy.

It might feel like having a photographer document your family reunion, or come for extended family photos while you’re all together, is kind of irrelevant since we all carry cameras around in our pockets all the time. Can’t you just snap a couple with an iPhone and call it a day?

No. No you can’t. And you might be thinking, well of course, Jess, you’d say that, because it’s your job to take photos. But there are real, logical reasons that a photographer is a better choice than a few iPhone photos! First of all, when it comes to those big group shots? A professional extended family photographer is going to place everyone well, make sure everyone is visible in the shot… and as a bonus you’ll have fun in the process.

I’ve already talked about how a photographer will help make sure you can experience the day WITHOUT worrying about documenting everything with your iPhone – but there’s more, too. Because if you do rely on smart-phone photos, you’re not going to end up with images that are quite as print-worthy as the ones you’ll get from a photographer. Making sure a pro is there to document your day means you might even end up with heirloom-quality prints after your session, that can be printed in large formats and hung on any wall, not just used as the new background for your phone for a little bit!

Looking to book an extended family photo session here in Minneapolis? I can help!

Whether you’re convinced you definitely need a photographer at your family reunion this summer, or you want to book an extended family photo session just for the fun of it, I’m here to help your process! Just reach out, and we can have a chat about how to make sure you get exactly what you envision from your session, and more. Plus, we can talk about any of the details, like how to make sure clothes are coordinated!