Okay everyone, are you ready to see the cutest extended family portrait session *EVER*?!? If you are new to my blog, welcome! I’m Christina Runnals, a Cape Cod family photographer specializing in light and natural family portraits. I live in the town of Scituate with my two little boys, Callan and Ryan, and my husband Dan. My blog is a place where I share my favorite images from all of my sessions. This session was too much fun!!

The Family

Let me give you the rundown- the people in these pictures are the sweet grandparents, their three children (two daughters and one son), their spouses, and all their adorable children! I arrived at the beach at the WRONG entrance 🤦‍♀️ and wandered aimlessly for a while trying to find “the crew,” texting back and forth, etc. You can imagine my excitement when I suddenly saw them all barreling toward me wearing the most AMAZING outfits and looking incredible!!! We immediately started snapping away, because the sunset is late in the summer folks, and toddlers get cranky fast at that time of day!! We got “THE shot” right away, phew! Then we took some breakout photos of each individual family. Keep scrolling to see my favs!

More about the shoot

Let me tell you some more things about this session, because it is seriously one for the books. Firstly, the beach was packed, and I mean PACKED when we took these pictures. I have never had to edit out more “background people” than I did with this shoot. It was crazy! Secondly, this shoot had one of the most perfect sunsets I’ve ever seen. Thirdly, the Katsilieris family wore the most perfect collection of outfits for their shoot. They all blended together so seamlessly. I absolutely loved meeting this family. In fact, I honestly get a huge smile on my face whenever I look at these photos!!

How to Find The Ideal Cape Cod family photographer for Your Family

Are you in search of the perfect Cape Cod family photographer to update your portraits each year? Many families consider this an important item to check off the to-do list as their family begins to grow! Those childhood moments go by in the blink of an eye, you don’t want to forget a thing. Yearly portraits are the perfect way to freeze time for a moment. If you’re anything like the rest of my clients, you want to find a photographer who will capture your moments in a gorgeous way. Here are my tips on finding the best Cape Cod family photographer for your needs.

Decide on the photography style you love

There are so many different photography styles out there today. “Dark and moody,” “light and airy,” and everything in between!! These styles are partially a result of two things. Firstly, the way in which your photographer uses his or her camera. Secondly, the way your photographer edits their photos. Some editing styles can result in super oversaturated colors and nearly orange skin tones, which can look cool and trendy in the moment. However, will those photos hold up to the test of time? What I mean by that is, do you want to choose a more timeless style of photography? It’s up to you! A good way to decide what style of photography you like is to just look around Pinterest for ideas!

Decide what you’re willing to pay

Many families don’t even blink an eye when it comes to how much they are willing to spend on their family portraits. Can you really put a price on capturing gorgeous memories of you and your family?? I personally can’t, but I CAN put a price on capturing not-so-flattering pictures of my family, and that price is very low!!! When you pay your photographer, you are paying for so much more than the hour or so you spend together. You are paying for all their years of experience and training, their ability to work well with children, the equipment they have invested in, the time they take to edit your photos… the list literally could go on and on. You will also need to buy outfits for your family session. Keep in mind, the perfect outfits are no substitute for an amazing photographer.

Think about how you want your session to “flow” with your Cape Cod family photographer

How do you imagine your session being? Do you envision it being very posed? Spending the entire hour begging your kids to smile for the camera? Or do you envision working with a photographer who will give you and your children a few simple directions at a time, and then capture the chaos that ensues!? Everyone has a different idea of how they’d like their family portraits to look. I personally lean towards the fun way of doing things!

Start researching Cape Cod family photographers in a variety of ways!

Once you know all the answers to the above questions, you are more well equipped to begin your search for your forever-family-photographer! Start researching photographers by using hashtags on Instagram, Google maps, and google’s search engine! Good luck, and let me know if I can help you!!

Booking a Session with a Cape Cod Family Photographer

Would you like to book Christina Runnals for your Cape Cod family portraits? Book your session, or find out more about a family session with Christina Runnals Photography! You can even view all of my pricing and package options here!

For your pictures, do keep in mind that you should contact me as SOON as possible to schedule. I recommend booking at least 4 months in advance. I often times even have clients book as early as a year in advance to make sure they secure a prime spot! Because we live in New England, there are only so many months to take your pictures! That is, unless you want to be wearing snowsuits in your pictures ;-). If you’re booking at the last minute and can’t get the date you want, you could email me about a sunrise session. I can often make time for an early morning session while my children are still sleeping. And little ones are typically much happier at sunrise sessions than sunset sessions!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Christina Runnals is a nationally published and award winning Cape Cod family photographer who specializes in taking photographs that are light-filled, glowy, and full of joy! She has photographed family portraits all over New England and it is one of her absolute favorite parts of her job.   If you are ready to book your pictures, she is always so excited to be considered !  Please check out her family portrait session page here for more information!