Category Archives: Families

One of the things I love most about professional family photography in St. Louis is creating more than just the traditional everyone-looking-at-the-camera portrait. Of course, that photograph is important, but so are all the relationships that make up a family.

This beautiful outdoor session included plenty of variety – the entire family together, the children on their own, siblings together, each parent with the kids and portraits of mom and dad, too. Those smaller combinations often become some of the most meaningful photographs in a gallery.

With four children, there was also plenty of personality to document. Giving kids a little room to interact, laugh and simply be themselves helps create images that feel natural while still maintaining that polished, timeless look.

I’ll be returning to St. Louis for a limited number of portrait sessions October 23-26. Friday, October 23 is fully booked, with just a few appointments remaining throughout the rest of the weekend and Monday. Both shorter Simplicity Sessions and full Signature Sessions are available.

If updating your family portraits has been on your list this year, I would love to photograph your family while I’m back in St. Louis. Inquire for details. info@yvonneniemannphotography.com  |  706.713.0676

Some of the best gifts are the ones that become more valuable with time.

For Christmas, this family’s daughter gave her parents a gift certificate for a portrait session. Rather than using it for portraits of just the two of them, they chose to turn it into an extended family portrait session with their children and grandchildren. The following fall, everyone gathered at their daughter’s home in Athens, Georgia, for an evening of family portraits.

And what a beautiful evening it was.

The property provided the perfect backdrop, with a peaceful lake, mature trees and gorgeous fall color. The soft blues and pinks they chose for their wardrobe complemented the autumn scenery beautifully without competing with it, creating a timeless look that will feel just as lovely years from now.

But as pretty as the setting was, the relationships are what stand out most in these photographs.

It was easy to see how much this family genuinely enjoys being together. There was so much warmth between the grandparents and their grandchildren, between the adult children and their parents, and among the children themselves. Those connections are what make extended family portraits so meaningful.

During a session like this, there is time for much more than one large group portrait. We photographed the entire family together, the grandparents with their grandchildren, individual families, siblings, the grandparents as a couple and each of the children on their own. These smaller combinations are often just as important as the full family portrait and help tell a more complete story of a family at this particular moment in time.

Photographing grandparents with their grandchildren is especially meaningful. Children change incredibly quickly, and so do families. Portraits preserve not only what everyone looked like, but also the relationships, personalities and connections that define this season of life.

What began as a Christmas gift became something the entire family could enjoy together — and photographs that can eventually be passed down to the next generation.

If you are searching for a meaningful gift for parents or grandparents, a family portrait session is an experience they can share with the people they love most, with something tangible to remember it by long after the session is over.

Yvonne Niemann Photography offers extended family portrait sessions in Athens, Oconee County, Lake Oconee and throughout the surrounding area. Gift certificates are also available for portrait sessions. Inquire for details. info@yvonneniemannphotography.com  |  706.713.0676