Let’s talk family reunions, and one unforgettable family reunion photography in Poconos, in particular. They are rare for most families, so here’s why they are a worthy reason for professional photography that beats all your family phones combined.
With current phones taking awesome shots, my last statement (a pro beating all family phones combined) may sound far-fetched to you. On a surface, I’d agree—task every family member with snapping cool moments here and there on their phones, combine them all, and how can you not come up with some unforgettable family reunion photography?
You absolutely can! The question is—will it be as striking in terms of matter and “nail it” factor? Or will it be hundreds of the same type of portraits and non-engaging candids? Your family may actually have a creative member, but will she overcome the other hurdles? Let’s take a look at them.
Authority
Not all family members will be excited about pursuing that “unforgettable family reunion photography”. Both adults and kids can be rather grumpy about it. Some of them won’t even bother hiding it, giving you looks as you press the shutter. But—at least they’ll be looking into the professional camera, whereas if it’s a cousin Mo or auntie Pam taking photos, they might straight up ignore them, look elsewhere, or just refuse to join the group for more than one shot—lots of drama.
Here, though, a professional photographer is driving to them, possibly from afar, looking like he means business, setting up the equipment, and costing money so that any uncooperative minute is a waste of dough.
Plus, most grumpy people tend to be a bit ashamed of such behavior in front of outsiders. There was such a kid in this family, but I can tell—for just enough time, I was an authority for him. He followed the directions, albeit visibly counting the minutes.
These are just the studio’s favorites, not the full gallery. Kindly refrain from re-uploading images to social media during the first week of the feature. Share instead and give credit to @ZorzStudios!
Outgoing
Authoritativeness won’t take you far if you aren’t likable. A skilled professional family photographer knows how to approach people of all ages and kinds. She’s socially confident and friendly, she knows the approach to most people just because she honed her skills on thousands of people. As for me, I can turn into an entertainer, a misfit, a clown, a gentleman, a daredevil, a servant, a pillow—anyone—to make peeps in front of my camera enjoy the process or at least cope with it.
Your brother, with a spanky mirrorless camera he got for Christmas, could be creative and curious but maybe long-disliked by another family member, adding friction that others feel, or he may not quite be a people person to give clear directions.
Direction
Speaking of the directions, large families with multiple subsets need them!
So this family used the grandfather’s 70th birthday as a perfect excuse for their family reunion. With his five adult children now scattered all over the US, from West to East coast, never have the eight cousins (his grandchildren) met each other all at once! What an occasion for such unforgettable family reunion photography in Poconos, where his children grew up before parting ways! The family rented a spacious Airbnb with a pool to celebrate. They found me through a local listing.
By the way, family reunion photography is a favorite subject for scammers targeting professional photographers. For every legit request, I get about 5 fraudulent ones. Here’s my article on how they scam and how to avoid being robbed.
Families of such size don’t want to second-guess about the best ways to pose in various groups while looking the best. They also want to highlight everyone in a candid way. They want to make it as easy and quick as possible, considering the chaotic and potentially unproductive nature of a DIY approach.
This may be their only such get-together, so they can’t take chances.
Experience
Some individuals during a family reunion photography adventure might appreciate the special attention to creating their own cool or fun portraits. Having an experienced professional photographer who has worked across multiple genres and is ready to guide and help with the ideas is a biggie.
With my experience in fashion and youth photography, I eagerly offered mini-sessions to several kids that day.
Creativity
No matter how many shots your brother, an amateur photographer, has taken, a creative professional photographer probably took more, at least a hundredfold. It’s not necessarily about pulling off something never seen before. It could just be an unusual frame, pose, moment, or angle that a photographer tried in the past or develops on the spot as her vision reacts. A creative’s goal is to see differently.
Composition alone separates amateurs from professionals. When an action happens, most would just pick up a phone and snap it right from there! Bam, got it! A creative photographer would also think of an alternative angle, instantly constructing a different outcome in his mind and going on a hunt for it in a split second.
Dedication
So you may assign the task of doing family reunion photography to several members. Some may do a good job, others—a sloppy one, but even those on a better spectrum will eventually want to have a good time and not miss the fun! Shooting can be fun, but only until you realize that the others (your subjects) are having even more fun!
Besides being 100% dedicated to just documenting a family reunion, you must be immersed and attempt an impossible—being everywhere at once. Practically, it means maintaining a 360-degree hawk’s eye on everything—actions and emotions. If you’re good, your eyes always move, and your reaction can’t be half-butt. It’s hard to expect this from your daughter or nephew because this is not what they want from going to a family reunion!
Quality
This is where I will not argue a lot, as the latest phones and entry-level cameras (not to mention that some families may sport a professional camera just because they can afford it) do a great job on quality already. Every year, the line between professional and consumer devices’ image quality blurs more. With family reunion photography, it is now about creativity, skills, confidence, and social factor.
Family Reunion Photography
This cool family had me for four hours. I could capture all the important parts of their unforgettable family reunion: group portraits for the entire family and separate families, generation portraits, youngsters, crazy fun in the pool (wish I thought about offering them underwater photography…), hands-free cake-eating competition with a $100 bounty, water balloon fight, eating around the fire pit, and of course, the 70th birthday celebration!
Enjoy some other samples that stood out for me (there are about 500 photos shared through their other private gallery), and give consideration for a professional take on your unforgettable family reunion photography.
