My Big Polish Family

One of the very first things Maya said to me when I met her at location was "Sorry for my big family." But let me tell you, she did NOT need to apologize because I LOVED this family!

One side of my family is big, Dutch, loud, a little confrontational and a lot of loving. So when I get extended families and the inevitable apologies my answer is always: Don't. Because I loved this big boisterous family. I loved the interactions, the accents, the Babcia's chatting away or chastising. I loved the occasional bickering, the play, and the constant dialogue. Extended family sessions are always like this and I am in the middle soaking it all up. Because that, to me, is love.

When we were planning the session we had one day to get this right. There was no re-shoots. There was 1 full day when everyone was in town together, and of course the weather started turning for the much needed rain. By some grace the rain held off until the last photo was taken, though I am sure I heard thunder in the distance a few times before that. We had no storms, but a lovely diffusing cloud cover the whole time.

This session was also special because we had a little one who wasn't too fond of photos. Like most toddler's who've gone through this Pandemic, big groups, strangers and overall new places can be somewhat daunting. Heck, for a lot of toddlers all of that is daunting regardless of living through pandemic isolation. He needed patience and space and we tried to accommodate as best we could. And though there were some images we couldn't get, some photoshop magic came in to save the day and include him in poses without force.

This big, beautiful family has a very large gallery of over 150 images to choose from! Larger than average by far, but with so many beautiful moments captured I couldn't bear to cull it down further.

Family Photographer located in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada