Oahu Photographer, Kauai Photographer, Big Island Photographer, Maui Family Photographer

Vacationing to Hawai’i is such an exciting trip and it so special when families fly in from all over the country to meet up here and experience paradise together. With such a beautiful location/everyone together it’s the perfect time to schedule a multi generation photoshoot -

When it comes to photographing multiple family members there are several approaches that can be taken - The most common is to capture some posed photos since a photoshoot normally serves as updated family photos for everyone. After several variations of poses and pairings the session can flow into everyone just having the best time together here on a beach in Hawai’i . The second approach is to keep the session posed throughout the entire shoot though I find if any little ones or teens are apart of the bunch this can get pretty dull so it’s best to allow everyone the ability to let loose and just enjoy the time together with the family.

The logistics when it comes to planning a large family trip can be a bit stressful so if a photoshoot is on your radar during your time together here’s a few helpful tips to keep this leg of your vacation an easy one to put together :

1. Plan to schedule your photoshoot towards the beginning of your vacation.

If you have an early morning session starting off the trip with the time difference feeling pretty significant to back home is going to be super helpful to get everyone up and out the door without being too sleepy. Having a session earlier on is also helpful if you have a full itinerary during your time here where no one is feeling “too drained” to be in a photoshoot like they might be towards the end of a trip. Big tip - Hawai’i has a very intense UV index where even if you are on top of it for applying sunscreen with a large family there is always a member or two who might get a bit sunburned. It’s not fun to look back on photos to see any redness but it is even less fun having to push through a shoot if feeling like a burnt lobster.

2. Stay away from wearing 100% matching outfits ( especially if going with patterns).

You may have dove into the world of Pinterest when looking for some outfit inspiration for what to wear for your family’s outfit choices - Now I love a good Pinterest scroll but if looking at beach photoshoots for large family’s it’s pretty common to see a family all dressed in white or a matching pattern for photos. I am going to steer you in the opposite direction of those selections for the following reason - If going with the color white it is beautiful BUT bringing back the note on how intense the sun here is if someone has white apparel that may be the tiniest bit see through the sun here is going to highlight that. Another thing to think about when everyone wears one color you all blend - this carries over into the “same pattern” problem…if everyone wears matching Hawaiian shirts/dresses it tends to look pretty chaotic in photos. My advice is the following - wear color ! Let everyone choose a color that they love and I can tell you for a fact that is going to pop so pretty here with the colors of Hawai’i. The second choose several colors such as this family did and work off of them - though blue, pink, and white were all worn everyone had a different style or pattern where it looks so gorgeous in the photos.

3. Grab a small bite to eat before your shoot ( make sure to not have session outfits on when doing so ).

Main reason being no one is happy when they are “hangry”. If you have several family members or an entire family that were not able to get a quick snack or bite to eat before heading out the door it’s going to make for a very long shoot. Do not eat too much so that no one is super groggy during the session but 100% plan to go get something to eat for a full meal enjoying the cuisine while here on island once the shoot concludes.

4. Release family member “expectations”.

Let’s be real…chances are when having a large family photoshoot there may be a few members who are not thrilled about taking part. Sometimes everyone is on board but rarely do things start off that way. Guess what ? It’s okay if not everyone is happy to be in a shoot - When telling members of the family everyone needs to either be on their best behavior or have a big smile it unfortunately does not take away the feeling of “yuck” one may have about photos…it also just gets things started off on a harsh note with the unrealistic expectation of “ a picture perfect family”. Instead - get everyone dressed, in the car, and just show up to let me or whoever your photographer might be do the rest. It’s my job when taking photos to help direct the session - I don’t want anyone stressing during the shoot if their son/daughter/spouse is smiling big enough…I just want you to relax and let me guide you/the family. This will help everyone to relax and not add to any possible “ill” feelings about the shoot taking place. I can tell you with photographing over 450+ families after about 10 minutes in each session no matter how many people show up dragging their feet to a session everyone is having a good time and that my friends is how you get those photos you are wanting while enjoying time with your family.