How to Plan a Family Session With Kids + Grandparents

Getting the whole family together for photos — grandparents, parents, kids, maybe a toddler who has opinions about everything — sounds like a logistical puzzle. And honestly? It kind of is. But it’s also one of the most meaningful things you can do with an afternoon. Because these are your people. The ones who shaped you, the ones you’re raising, the ones who won’t always be exactly this age, exactly this version of themselves. A multi-generational session isn’t just a group photo. It’s a record of something that won’t come back. Here’s how to make it work, without the stress.

What Actually Makes These Sessions Feel Chaotic (And What Doesn’t)

There’s a version of a multi-generational session that people imagine: everyone in coordinating linen, smiling softly at the camera, the golden hour light doing all the work. And then there’s what actually happens. Kids get tired. Grandpa doesn’t love being told where to stand. The toddler decides she has somewhere more important to be.

I had a session recently where a little girl got genuinely scared of me — not uncooperative in the usual way, but truly unsettled. She kept pointing at the studio door saying “out.” I’ve had toddlers who didn’t want to cooperate before, but this was new. So I let the family settle in the kitchen area outside the studio, finished another session, and came back to them. The mood had completely shifted. She was a different kid.

I can’t always do that depending on how much work I have that day — but if I can, I will. That’s the thing about working with children: you have to meet them where they are, not where you planned for them to be.

Multi-generational photo by Montreal family photographer

The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

Here’s something I wish more families knew before they arrived: you don’t need to be looking at the camera the whole time.

This is probably the biggest misconception I run into. Families work so hard to get everyone in the same place, dressed and ready, and then they spend the session feeling like they need to perform — hold still, smile, look here. But the photos that actually mean something? They’re almost never the ones where everyone is frozen in place looking straight at the lens.

Do things your kids love. Interact with each other. Have fun. We will get one or two where everyone looks at the camera, but the essence of who you are as a family is not a perfectly posed, perfectly smiling group shot. It’s the real stuff. And that’s what I’m always watching for.

Candid documentary family photo of grandparents, parents and grandchild laughing together, Montreal family photographer

A Practical Guide to Planning Your Session

1. Keep the groupings moving

One of the most effective things you can do in a multi-generational session is switch up who’s in the frame regularly. All together, then just the grandparents with the grandkids, then parents with kids, then just the grandparents on their own. It keeps the energy from flatlining — and more importantly, it keeps the children from getting bored and checked out.When kids have a smaller, more contained group around them, they tend to relax more. The big group energy can be a lot for little ones.

2. Bring things they love to hold

If your child has a favourite stuffed animal or toy, bring it. Let it be in the photos.I know that might feel like it’ll clutter the image or look “unprofessional.” But in a few years, you’ll have a photo with that plushy — and you might not have the plushy anymore. Those small, specific details are exactly what makes a photo feel like your family and not anyone else’s.

3. Build in more time than you think you need

With multiple generations in the room, things move at different paces. Kids need a moment to warm up. Older family members might need a slower transition between spots. The session works better when no one feels rushed — including me.

4. Don’t stress about coordinating perfectly

Natural, cohesive tones photograph beautifully. But a family that’s relaxed in slightly imperfect outfits will always look better than a family that’s stressed about matching. Get close enough and call it done.

5. Let the unexpected be part of it

A toddler who needed a break, a grandparent who made everyone laugh at the wrong moment, a kid who refused to let go of something — these are not problems to manage. These are the session. Some of the most meaningful images I’ve made have come directly from the unplanned moments.

Three-generation family photo session in Montreal studio

Why This Kind of Session Is Worth the Coordination

Multi-generational sessions take more planning than a session with just one family unit. You’re syncing schedules, accounting for different energy levels, factoring in nap times and travel times and the general unpredictability of having grandparents and grandchildren in the same room.

And yet — these are some of the most important images families ever make. Because time moves differently when you zoom out and look at three generations in the same frame. You feel it immediately. The kids are growing. The grandparents are aging. This version of your family, right now, won’t exist in exactly this form again.

That’s not a heavy thought. It’s actually a really good reason to do this.

Multi-generational family photography Montreal, candid documentary style session

Ready to Book Your Multi-Generational Session?

If you’ve been thinking about getting the whole family together — the grandparents, the kids, the chaos and all — I’d love to help you make it happen in a way that actually feels like you.

At Mimosa Studios, sessions are designed to be low-pressure and genuinely enjoyable. No rigid poses, no rush, no one made to feel like they’re doing it wrong. Just your family, showing up as they are.

Get in touch here and let’s start planning something worth keeping.

Because these are the photos you’ll still be pulling out years from now — the ones where you can actually feel what that afternoon was like.