Extended Family Photography in Brisbane: The Cannard Family

Some families you photograph once and some families you get to watch grow, and the Cannard family is very much the second kind. I've known this crew for years now, and getting them all back in front of my camera for another extended family session felt less like a job and more like a reunion.

This session brought together the grandparents, their three adult children and all their families, which meant a full house. Big group energy, a few teenagers doing their best to look unimpressed and some who have been preparing for this day for weeks.

We always start with the big one, everyone together, three generations in one frame.

It's the shot the whole family will want on the wall in twenty years, so we take our time getting it right. From there we break it down into the smaller moments.

Each family unit gets their own portrait. The grandparents get their own quiet moment together. Then the grandkids pile in around them for the ones that always end up as everyone's favourite.

The adult siblings together is always one of my favourite parts of these bigger sessions, and this year was no exception. Rachel and her two brothers were determined to nail a proper smiling shot together, which is trickier than it sounds when you throw a teenager into the mix who has very firmly decided smiling for photos is not his thing. We got there in the end, and the outtakes on the way were almost better than the final shot.

Abbie and Dale's portrait with their kids Lucy and Toby was one of those family unit shots that just worked from the first frame. Easy smiles, everyone leaning in, no wrangling required.

The couples got their own quiet moment too, and these are the shots that tend to sneak up on you. Grandma and grandad relaxed for a garden dance, still finding moments to be gently together after all these years.

Rachel and her husband Jim weren't even looking at the camera in my favourite shot of them, they were watching their own kids off to the side, laughing at something only they saw.

And Abbie and Dale gave us the sweetest forehead kiss moment where despite the noise and eveeryone around, is the quietest little moment together, just them in it.

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The cousins went all in toward the end of the session, which is exactly what I hope for.

We play a game where everyone races to sit on a chair the second I count to three, then I fire off a photo whether they're ready or not. It's hectic in the best way and it always gets the funniest, most honest reactions of the whole shoot. Paddy kept a straight face throughout somehow.

I love how they're just being themselves, and those are the shots families end up loving the most.

One of the images from this session means more to me than most.

Rachel is actually a friend of mine from my mothers group, back when our firstborns were babies together, and watching her family grow over the years has been one of the real privileges of this job.

Her family portrait this time round summed up her boys completely, and I couldn't resist sharing it.

Eldest Owen is the gentle, supportive one, always looking out for his brothers. Middle child Paddy has quietly mastered flying under the radar and loving every minute of it. And little Flynn is a total pocket rocket these days, the wild card of the group.

Mum and dad just get to sit back and enjoy the ride with their boys. Fifteen years of knowing this family, and that one photo says all of it.

This is exactly why I love extended family photography sessions. Every frame ends up holding the whole family dynamic, the gentle one, the quiet one, the wild one, and the siblings who still crack each other up thirty years on. When a family has history with me the way the Cannards do, that comfort shows up in every frame.

If you've got a big family scattered across a few households and you're thinking about getting everyone together for extended family photography session in Brisbane, don't overthink the logistics.

Grandparents, adult kids, grandkids, everyone you want to bring together, we can absolutely make it work in one session.

So if youre ready to get your whole family together for a session like this, contact Tarsh here and let's get everyone in the one frame before the cousins get too big for chair races.

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About the Author

Natarsha March is an award-winning Brisbane newborn, baby and family photographer with over 15 years of experience and more than 1,600 families photographed. She is known for her relaxed, stress-free sessions where mums and kids actually enjoy themselves (yes, it is possible). Based in Bunya, Brisbane, Tarsh creates natural, heartfelt images that focus on real connection, not stiff poses. If you are looking for a trusted photographer in Brisbane who makes the whole experience feel easy, Family Photography by Natarsha March is your girl.