A Thanksgiving Family Gathering in Paso Robles
Thanksgiving is one of those rare times when an entire family may be together in one place, which makes it a wonderful opportunity for extended family portraits. For this session, several generations of the family had gathered at a beautiful vacation rental in the hills of Paso Robles for the holiday.
Rather than leaving the property and traveling to a separate portrait location, we were able to photograph the family right where they were staying. The rolling hills, oak trees, nearby vineyards, and wide-open views gave us a beautiful Paso Robles backdrop without anyone having to go anywhere.
Why Vacation Rentals Work So Well for Extended Family Portraits
Paso Robles has become a popular destination for families traveling together, and many of the area’s vacation rentals and vineyard properties are wonderful locations for family photography.
Photographing at your vacation rental also makes an extended family session much easier. Everyone is already together, young children can stay in familiar surroundings, and there is no need to coordinate multiple cars or move a large group to another location.
For this family, the property gave us plenty of variety—from open countryside and oak trees to beautiful late-afternoon light as the sun dropped behind the surrounding hills.
More Than One Big Family Portrait
One of the things I especially enjoy about photographing extended families is creating much more than the traditional photograph of everyone together.
During a multigenerational family session, I typically photograph the entire group first and then work through a variety of smaller combinations. Depending on the family, that might include grandparents with their grandchildren, individual families, couples, siblings, parents with their adult children, and the grandchildren together.
These smaller groupings often become some of the most meaningful photographs from the session, while also giving every branch of the family portraits of their own.
Planning Your Own Paso Robles Extended Family Portrait Session
If your family is planning a reunion, holiday gathering, or vacation in Paso Robles, having everyone together can be the perfect opportunity to create updated family portraits.
As a Paso Robles extended family photographer, I especially enjoy working with multigenerational families gathering at Airbnb and VRBO vacation rentals, vineyard estates, and other beautiful properties throughout wine country.
We’ll create the photograph of everyone together, but we’ll also make time for all those smaller family combinations that help tell the complete story of your family.
If you’re planning a Paso Robles visit and would like to schedule a family portrait session, I’d love to hear from you.
