Family photoshoot with the grandparents | Ivy and opa at the beach

I often get asked whether it’s OK if the grandparents can also be included in a family photo session and of course they can! I’m all about capturing real family connections and there is something truly special about documenting the bond children have with their grandparents.

In February we were lucky enough to grab some much-needed sunshine in Gran Canaria and I was able to take some family photos of Ivy and her grandparents. Unfortunately, as my parents live in Holland, we don’t see them that often - so it was lovely to spend a week in the sun with them. They often stay for a month on the island so we booked an airBnB, in the February half term, close to their place and Ivy had the time of her life! There were way too many pizzas, ice creams and late bedtimes, but to see her connecting with her Dutch grandparents was just the best.

Opa (granddad in Dutch) spent a lot of time on the beach with Ivy, playing in the waves, building sandcastles, and doing endless trips to the sea to collect water. I always had my GoPro with me when we went out to explore so I was able to actually go in the water and I took some great portraits of them together.

As the GoPro is quite a limited camera, e.g. you can’t play around with the settings as much, you can instead really challenge yourself to get more creative with your composition. I love shooting either from up high or really low with the wide angle view on the GoPro. It is not a full frame camera, it shoots with a 4:3 aspect ratio, but it’s still a really good camera for documentary family photography, especially on the beach!

If you are considering booking a family photo shoot and you would love to include the grandparents then please do get in touch. There are several ways we can include them into your family photo session. What I have found works brilliantly during my Slice Of Life family shoots is if grandparents join us halfway through the shoot. My family sessions often start early in the morning, when the kids are at their best and brightest, but to be ready at that time does require an early start, which isn’t always that tempting for grandparents.

So what works really well is to start off your shoot with just you and the children - I photograph you at home, in your natural environment, and then we can head out, maybe to the beach, your local park, or any other outdoor location that you would like to include in your shoot, and then the grandparents can join us there. The children will have their second wind and will be so excited to see their grandparents! If you would like to include them for the entire shoot then I’m obviously more than happy to do so as well.

I absolutely loved photographing Ivy with my mum and dad and I can’t wait until our next meet-up which will be in July, in Belgium.