Here’s a few samples from another family shoot I just did, of a friend (an ex student) and his family:

Fall is a great time for these portraits—in spite of the cold.

A few notes on a shoot like this:

• Lit by two Bowens studio flashes, powered by a big battery. No modifiers: it was windy and the umbrellas would have pulled the lights to the ground quickly.
• I pointed the group away from the sun; else, they would have squinted.
• I used the 85mm f/1.2 lens, set to f/8-11.
• Avoid too much direct sunlioght on the subjects.
• But do use that sunlight – as the “shampooey goodness” light (a.k.a. the hairlight).
• You can do this without flash, of course. But I prefer the brighter subjects and the saturated colours. Matter of style!

To see what I mean: this is with flash:

…and this is without:

I encourage you all to have family portraits done. Because they last, and it’s the only time travel we do. You’ll be delighted later to have them, and the extra few hundred dollars are a small price compared to that.