Gifting a Photo Session

For several years now I have been moving towards experience gifts rather than disposable stuff for my children. My four boys have been gifted money to be spent towards summer camps, sports league, and music lessons. But how do you gift an experience gift to your own parents? Let's normalize gifting photo sessions! Either an extended family session or a session for the two of them to celebrate a milestone in their relationship. Although we live in a digital era, our parents still very much value photos and displaying them in their home. My husband and I recently gifted my mother-in-law a framed family photo of the six of us taken this summer. Perhaps we'll get a shot of all of us together this summer for a Christmas gift (shhh!)

No matter how old your children are, getting photos taken with them always warms your heart a little bit. Pamela was able to jump in a photo with four of her adult children. The family chose Buxton Park in Indianola, Iowa, a location that has a special meaning t them. The trees and flowers were blooming for their June session and we timed it perfectly for golden hour.

Posing fourteen people and a dog is no easy feat, but luckily everybody was on their best behavior--even six-year-old Enzo in the front row making finger-guns. I cannot stress how beautiful the light was for the family sessions. We opted to get a variety of poses at this location, including individual family shots and Pamela with each grouping.

I always find it helpful to have a shot list of head of time of all the groupings people want photographed before going into the session. This allows me to check off all the boxes to ensure we captured everything and nothing was missed.

After getting all of the necessary images, the family went rogue and started with some unconventional boxes.

After getting all of the sillies out, the family returned to some normal poses--no staged chicken fights, betting, or dog piles.

It's clear that this family really loves one another, and I can only image how lively family gatherings are! The connection that the adult siblings shared was unbeatable. It's a very similar dynamic to how my husband and his brothers interact together and one I hope my own boys will have with their brothers.