This summer it was my family’s turn to host the family reunion.  I love these opportunities to document the stories and connections between generations.  In addition to the candid moments, we always make sure to schedule a few posed family photos.  By following these 3 simple steps, you can remove the stress often associated with large group photos!

1 | Select the time and location.  Because most of our guests were arriving on Friday and leaving on Sunday, we chose Saturday evening at 6pm, before dinner.  This was during the beautiful golden hour and before anyone had a chance to spill food on their cute clothes.

2 | Decide what to wear.  As the designated family photographer, I took my own advice to clients and utilized the “neutrals-with-a-pop-of-color” approach.  I knew we would be in my parents beautiful yard, so I selected colors to complement these natural tones.  

3 | Communicate early and often.  Several months before the reunion (and a few more times as the event grew close!) we communicated the photo shoot time, location and desired attire.  Our email read  “In order to achieve a casually cohesive look, please pack something navy, khaki, yellow or white to wear Saturday night.”  The vision board below was included in our communications to provide some visual inspiration.

I’m pleased to report that in addition to being awesome people, my family can also follow directions!  I present to you – from my vision to reality…

Not only do these colors look great in a group, they also stand alone for individual portraits.  If you’re looking for more ideas for your fall family photo shoots, be sure to check out my Photo Shoot | What to Wear page for more inspiration!

inspiration board source