Extended Family Pictures

As we planned our trip to see Peter's family earlier this month, my sister-in-law had an idea. She suggested we have family pictures made. Extended family pictures. There would be five children, under the age of five, and seven adults. It takes a special kind of photographer to take on this sort of project. We certainly had created a challenge. We'd need to have the session at Peter's parent's house because going to a location would have been too much. I looked to my photography groups for Atlanta-area photographer recommendations but ran into a few logistical issues.

Then, like a strike of lightening, I knew just who we should hire. Back in 2010, my college friend Meredith took Family of Two pictures for Peter and me. And they are awesome! It's still probably my favorite photo session.  There was just one issue: Meredith isn't a marketed photographer anymore. I didn't give up hope. I texted her our proposition. After some easy negotiation, she took it! My dear friend drove two hours to Lilburn on a rainy Saturday to capture some sweet moments with Peter's family. Rather than be overwhelmed with our crew of littles, she was right at home. Meredith is also at home with her two children, who, by the way, are nearly the exact same age as Cole and Ibbie.

The grandchildren have come, one a year, for the last five years which is awesome for the cousins. Maybe less awesome for group pictures. But I love these so much.

Meredith also broke everyone out into smaller groups to get some different groupings and family shots. There's lots of truth in photography here. The picture of my sister-in-law and her family may be one of my favorite family photos of all time. I'm printing it and adding it to our gallery wall as soon as possible. 

At the very end we attempted a couple of group shots. We're all in them, with eyes open and faces toward the camera. What more could you ask for?