When the Whole Family Is Together, Take the Picture
Families often say they only all get together for weddings and funerals. When everyone is finally in one place, make time to preserve it.
One of the things we hear from families all the time is:
“We’re never all together anymore.”
Adult children move away.
Grandchildren have school, sports and activities.
Work schedules get complicated.
Someone lives in another state.
Someone else has a new baby.
And suddenly getting an entire family into the same place at the same time feels like a logistical miracle.
For many families, the only occasions that reliably bring everyone together are weddings, holidays—and, unfortunately, funerals.
So when everyone is together, there is something we hope families will consider:
Take the time to create the portrait.
Not just the quick phone picture.
Not just the photograph where someone is missing because they were the person holding the camera.
A real portrait of the family as it exists right now.
Because this version of your family will never exist in exactly this way again.
Is an Extended Family Portrait Worth the Effort?
Yes.
And we say that knowing perfectly well that getting a large family photographed can require some effort.
Someone may not want to get dressed.
A child may be cranky.
Someone will probably be running late.
There may be a family member who says, “Do we really have to do this?”
Someone may wish they had lost ten pounds first.
Someone else may think there will be a better time next year.
We understand all of it.
After more than 30 years of photographing families, we have heard almost every reason for postponing a portrait.
But here is what we have also learned:
We have never had a family come back and tell us they regretted taking the portrait.
We have, however, had many families tell us:
“We wish we had.”
We wish we had done it when everyone was together.
We wish we had photographed the grandparents with all of the grandchildren.
We wish we had made the portrait before someone moved away.
We wish we had done it before the children grew up.
We wish we had made time.
Those are very different conversations.
When Is the Best Time to Take a Multigenerational Family Portrait?
The best time is often much simpler than people think:
When everyone is together.
Families sometimes wait for a perfect milestone.
A 50th anniversary.
A significant birthday.
A reunion.
A holiday.
Those are wonderful reasons to create a portrait.
But you do not actually need a special occasion.
Sometimes the occasion is simply:
Everyone is here.
Parents.
Children.
Grandchildren.
Brothers and sisters.
Spouses.
Cousins.
The people who make up your family right now.
If you have managed to get all of those people into the same place, that alone may be reason enough to document it.
Why Are Multigenerational Family Portraits Important?
Because a family portrait records more than what everyone looked like.
It records relationships.
It shows who belonged to whom.
It preserves the generations together.
It gives children and grandchildren something tangible that helps them understand where they came from.
And as time passes, the portrait becomes increasingly important.
Today, you may look at it and see everyone standing together in front of the family home.
Years from now, someone may look at the same portrait and notice something entirely different.
They may notice how young their parents were.
They may recognize themselves as children.
They may point out a grandparent.
They may tell a younger generation who everyone was.
The photograph becomes part of the family's record.
That is the remarkable thing about portraiture:
The image stays the same, but its meaning grows.
Should Grandparents Be Included in Family Portraits?
Whenever possible, absolutely.
One of the most valuable photographs a family can create is a portrait that connects multiple generations.
Grandparents with their children.
Grandparents with their grandchildren.
The entire family together.
These portraits provide something future generations cannot recreate later.
You cannot go back and photograph a relationship after that season has passed.
That does not mean photographs should be created out of fear.
It simply means recognizing that the people who feel permanent in our lives are living through a particular chapter with us right now.
A portrait preserves that chapter.
What If Someone in the Family Doesn't Want to Be Photographed?
This is incredibly common.
There is almost always someone who would rather skip it.
Sometimes people dislike being photographed.
Sometimes they are uncomfortable with their appearance.
Sometimes getting everyone dressed and organized simply feels like too much work.
A professional portrait session should account for that.
Our job is not simply to push a shutter.
It is to help families through the entire process—from planning clothing and choosing a location to arranging the family naturally and creating a finished portrait everyone can enjoy.
You should not have to figure everything out yourself.
And once the portrait is finished, the person who least wanted to participate is often very glad they did.
Because ultimately, the portrait was never only for them.
It was for the family.
Should We Take a Family Portrait at a Reunion or Holiday Gathering?
If a reunion, holiday, anniversary or wedding weekend is one of the rare times your entire family will be together, it can be an ideal opportunity for a professional family portrait.
The important thing is to plan it rather than trying to squeeze it in as an afterthought.
Choose the location in advance.
Coordinate clothing.
Know who needs to be included.
Allow enough time so the experience does not feel rushed.
A little planning can turn a chaotic group photograph into something your family will display and pass down for generations.
Your Family Home Can Be Part of the Story
Sometimes the location matters almost as much as the people.
A longtime family home can become part of a family's history.
Children remember the front porch.
Grandchildren remember running across the lawn.
Someone remembers the dining room where every Thanksgiving happened.
A portrait created at a meaningful family home preserves not only the people, but also a sense of place.
Years later, both may matter enormously.
The house may change.
The family will certainly change.
The portrait keeps that particular moment intact.
Do We Really Need a Professional Family Portrait If Everyone Has a Phone?
Phones have given us something wonderful: more photographs of everyday life than any generation before us has ever had.
Take them.
Take thousands of them.
But they serve a different purpose from a professionally created family portrait.
Professional portraiture is intentional.
Everyone is included.
The composition is deliberate.
Lighting is considered.
Relationships are arranged thoughtfully.
And perhaps most importantly, the final image is created to become something permanent—not simply another photograph buried among thousands on a phone.
A professional family portrait says:
This mattered enough for us to stop.
This mattered enough for us to gather.
This mattered enough for us to preserve.
The Portrait You Make Today Is for Someone Else Too
When families see a portrait immediately after it is created, they naturally think about what it means to them now.
But portraiture has a much longer life than that.
Someday, your children may own that portrait.
Then their children may own it.
Someone who is not even born yet may look at the people in it and ask who they were.
That is when a portrait stops being simply a photograph.
It becomes family history.
We often tell families that portraits are created for today, but their true value frequently reveals itself much later.
That is why we encourage families not to wait for perfect.
Not perfect schedules.
Not perfect behavior from the children.
Not perfect weight.
Not the mythical year when everyone suddenly becomes easier to coordinate.
If everyone you love is together now, that may already be the perfect reason.
Because in more than three decades of photographing families, we have heard people say:
“I wish we had.”
Many, many times.
We have yet to hear:
“I wish we hadn't.”
Planning an Extended Family Portrait in Richmond, Virginia
Hayes & Fisk has been photographing families in Richmond and throughout Virginia for more than 30 years.
We help families plan multigenerational and extended-family portraits from beginning to end, including location, clothing, family groupings and the finished artwork for your home.
Whether your family is gathering for a holiday, anniversary, reunion or simply because everyone finally happens to be in the same place, we would be honored to help you preserve it.
Schedule a portrait consultation with Hayes & Fisk and let's create the photograph your family will be grateful exists.