​In our fast-paced digital age, where fleeting moments are often captured and quickly discarded, there's something profoundly special about a well-timed extended family photo. These snapshots, though seemingly simple, hold a depth of meaning that transcends time, offering a unique way to connect with our past, present, and future.

It is always so important to preserve precious family moments! Recently, I had the pleasure of capturing the reunion of an extended family portraits at Highlands Park in Cottage Grove. The occasion was particularly special as it brought together relatives from out of town, including cousins who had been separated for several years. Highlands Park provided a perfect setting with its natural beauty, peaceful surroundings, and easily paved paths. As the photographer, I aimed to capture not just portraits, but the genuine emotions and relationships amidst this fun-loving family.

For the cousins who had moved away, they were back to what I imagined as their earlier childhood years with teasing and wrestling a bit, laughing and having fun. It made me realize just how fleeting my kids and their young cousins' years are, definitely glad they will get some good family and cousin time this summer to build those special memories and relationships!

Throughout the shoot, there was a lot of teasing and playful banter together, sharing stories and laughter as well as some silly posing ideas. Each click of the camera captured genuine smiles, tight embraces, and specialness of the relationships.

Hornes, Wasylishin, and Schmidtke families, thanks for the pleasure of documenting your extended family portraits at Highlands Park. It was a privilege! I pray that this chance to freeze these moments that will be treasured for years to come!

How fun is this crew? I loved the chance getting to capture the multiple groupings within this extended family! We played peek-a-boo with the sun moving in and out of the clouds for their entire family photo session at Afton State Park, but they kept smiling and we kept adjusting and moving, leaving a few minutes to spare after capturing every one.

I always love the chance to capture the special relationships in a family and an extended family? Just that much more special! It is always so fun to photograph the kids playing, capture the stage of mom and adult daughters, and the other sweet moments that happen amidst a beautiful summer night. The Stretz extended family were one such fun portrait session!

Have a blast as you wrap up the final days of summer and head back towards the school year!