This extended family session at Hollybank was a really special one.

The Franks family came together on Easter Saturday for a big family get-together, and it felt like such a lovely way to mark the occasion. Nicole organised the session, and with family travelling in from different places and everyone’s schedules to work around, it was one of those rare chances to have everyone in the same place at the same time. That always means something.

We photographed the session at Hollybank, just outside Launceston, and even though it was absolutely packed with Easter crowds by the time we finished, it still felt relaxed and easy once we got started. By the end of it, the family stayed on for a barbecue and let the kids play together, which felt like the perfect ending to a morning that was really about being together.

Meet the Family:

This was a big extended family group, with Peter and Lea there alongside their adult children Nicole, Sophie and Scott, and all the partners and kids as well.

Nicole came along with her partner Troy. Sophie and her husband Andrew brought their two boys, Layken and Harlin. Scott and his partner Aggie came with their children Alexander, Azavier, Esther and Ari.

It was such a beautiful mix of generations, sibling groups, cousins and individual family units, and it was obvious how much this mattered to Nicole in particular. She hasn’t had children of her own, and spending time with her nieces and nephews is clearly something she treasures, so making sure we captured those relationships felt especially important.

The Session Story:

Before the shoot, there had been a bit of uncertainty around whether everyone would actually be able to make it. Nicole had reached out a couple of weeks beforehand because one family member might have had to work, and she wondered whether we might need to split the session and photograph one part of the family separately.

Technically, that can be done. But whenever there is any way to get everyone there in person, that will always be my preference.

For me, family photos are about remembering a real time and place. They’re about being able to look back and say, remember that Easter we all got together at Hollybank? Remember how busy it was, how the kids ran around, how we stayed for a barbecue afterwards? That’s very different from creating an image later where the talking point becomes that someone was added in afterwards.

Thankfully, it all worked out and everyone was able to be there. That made such a difference. We were able to photograph the full extended family together, each smaller family group, the kids on their own, sibling families, the grown-up kids with their partners, and Nicole with all of her nieces and nephews. It was full, but in the best kind of way.

Two sets of images really stood out to me from this session.

I loved the photos of Sophie’s family. There was just something really easy and connected about them, and those images felt beautifully natural.

I also really loved the full extended family portraits. With a group this size, getting everyone together matters. Those are the images that hold so much weight later on, because they show the whole family as they are right now, all in one frame.

Artwork Choice:

After their viewing appointment, the Franks family chose a memory box with 20 images, with each family unit selecting five images each.

That felt like such a fitting choice for a session like this. With extended family photography, there are often so many different relationships and combinations that matter, and a memory box gives everyone room to include the images that feel most important to them.

They also chose the full digital file pack, which meant they could take home the complete story of the session as well.

This session was such a lovely reminder that extended family photos are about more than just getting everyone to look at the camera at the same time. They’re about connection, history, and having something real to hold onto later.

If you’ve been thinking about organising extended family photos in Launceston or Northern Tasmania, especially while everyone is actually together, you’re very welcome to get in touch. A planning appointment is always the best place to start, and I can help you figure out what would work best for your family.