Some family sessions aren’t really about getting one big family portrait. They’re about documenting all of the individual relationships that make a family special.
The Smything family’s session in Farmington was exactly that. I photographed Grandma and Grandpa with all of their grandchildren, creating a gallery filled with different combinations and relationships—from the grandparents with their grandkids to sibling portraits, cousin groupings, and individual portraits of each child.
As a Farmington family photographer, I love sessions like this because they create so much more than one photograph. They tell the story of an entire family.
Why Grandparent + Grandchild Photos Are So Special
There is something incredibly meaningful about photographs of grandparents with their grandchildren.
Grandparents get to see the children they love grow through the years, while grandchildren get to look back at photographs that show just how much they were loved.
A large grandparent-and-grandchildren session is a wonderful way to preserve those relationships while everyone is together.
And you don’t have to wait for a major family reunion or milestone to do it.
Sometimes the best reason is simply wanting photographs of everyone as they are right now.
Creating More Than One “Big Family” Photo
When you’re photographing a group of eight to twelve grandchildren, there are so many stories within the larger family.
That’s why I love building variety into sessions like this.
We can capture:
- Grandparents with all the grandchildren
- Grandparents with individual grandchildren
- Siblings together
- Cousins together
- Individual portraits of each grandchild
- Smaller family groupings
The result is a gallery that gives everyone something meaningful to take home—not just one photograph where everyone happens to be looking at the camera.
Why Individual Grandchild Portraits Matter, Too
The individual portraits can sometimes become the unexpected favorites.
Children change so quickly, and a simple portrait can preserve exactly who they were during that particular season.
Their smile.
Their personality.
How little they were.
The way they wore their hair.
Those details become surprisingly precious as the years pass.
As a Farmington family photographer, I love including individual portraits whenever a session centers around grandparents and grandchildren because they give each child their own place in the family’s story.
Making Larger Family Sessions Feel Manageable
A session with a dozen people can sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
I guide the group through each combination so we aren’t trying to organize everyone at once. We’ll start with the larger groupings and then gradually work through the smaller combinations.
That keeps the session moving and gives kids plenty of opportunities to interact naturally instead of expecting them to stand still for an hour.
The goal is to create beautiful photographs without making the experience feel like a production.
Photographs They’ll Treasure for Generations
Family relationships are constantly changing.
Grandchildren grow up. Siblings move away. Families add new babies. Grandparents get older.
Photographs give us a way to hold onto these relationships exactly as they were during one season of life.
As a Farmington family photographer, I love creating galleries that families can look back on years from now and immediately remember the people, personalities, and relationships that made that season so special.
If you’re looking for family photography in Farmington, Davis County, or Northern Utah, I’d love to help you create a session that documents not just your family as a whole, but all of the individual connections within it.
Abi is a Davis County photographer, wife, and mom of two who has always been a creative at heart. She loves capturing the love, light, emotion, and relationships that make each family unique, while making her clients feel beautiful and cared for.
She specializes in family, newborn, kids and baby photography, and headshots throughout Davis County and Northern Utah. Abi would also love to travel for your session.
September 11, 2026
Abi Kennard
