Nicole and Andrew | Family Portraits
Date | 4.24.15
Location | Hap Magee Ranch Park, Alamo, CA

What do you get your dad for his 70th birthday? - A Surprise Family Portrait Session!

Every year I volunteer to photograph the annual fundraiser for my daughter's elementary school, donating a Family Portrait Session to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. This year's winners were Nicole and Andrew, an adorable couple with two of the cutest kiddos ever!

Andrew immediately asked if I was available on the date they had planned to surprise his father with a big birthday weekend celebration. All of his siblings would be coming to town, so he asked if we could include the extended family. Of course I said YES! What an incredible opportunity to create timeless portraits of this man and his loving family.

The Big Day

When the day of our shoot finally arrived, the grandparents, affectionately known as "Lolo and Lola", could not have been happier to have all of their kids and grandkids in one place creating beautiful pictures together.

We decided to start with a big group family shot in case the little ones started to get antsy. I was SO impressed with the amazing job Nicole did in making sure everyone's outfits coordinated. The corals and blue denim together photographed beautifully against the greenery in the background. Just adorable!

Large-Group-Family-Portrait-in-Peaches-and-DenimA father and grandfather's family surprise him with a family portrait session with all five kids and four grandchildren. Portrait taken at Hap Magee Ranch Park in Alamo, CA.

Group-Hug-Around-Grandpa-Family PortraitA grandfather is surround by his five kids and four grandkids for a fun photo during our family portrait session at Hap Magee Ranch Park in Alamo, CA.

A-Grandfathers-Surprise-Portrait-SessionA family surprised their father for his 70th birthday with a family portrait session. All five of his children and their families came to town to celebrate. Family portrait taken at Hap Magee Ranch Park in Alamo, CA.

Then we moved on to each sibling's immediate family, beginning with Nicole and Andrew. I had to laugh as the older kids were all smiles, but little Audrey wasn't so sure. When all the other relatives tried their best to get her to smile, she got a bit overwhelmed. Then all of the sudden, somebody hit the jackpot (I still have no idea what they were doing behind my back), and Audrey busted out the most adorable smiles!

Andrew's parents were so cute together, I just had to get some photos of the two of them by themselves. Here's one of my favorite tender moments.

Once we had photographed all the smaller family groups, it was time to focus on the kids. The cousin shot was a must-have on my list, especially with these sweet faces! Again, Audrey wasn't sure why she was getting so much attention from the peanut gallery and her smile disappeared. It was time to break out the Cheryl magic. I knelt down close to the kids and quietly started asking about their favorite toys and things to do. We discussed "My Little Pony" and "Frozen", and within minutes the smiles returned. (Oh, and the peanut gallery serenaded us with their rendition of "Let it Go...".)

Finally it was play time! I really wanted more candid shots of the kids and I love getting silly with them, so we headed to my favorite group of trees and played a game of "Peek-a-Boo". Audrey finally let loose with her belly laughs and here is what we got...

Playing-Peek-a-Boo-Around-the-TreesPlaying Peek-a-Boo is great way to get little kids to smile for a candid portrait.

I also took this time to take individual portraits of all the kids as the light was just perfect.

Some of my favorite pictures from this session are the ones taken in those "in-between" moments. Posed pictures are important, but I can almost guarantee that right after I say, "Ok, we got it!", someone says or does something funny and we get great moments like these...

Then it was "Girl Time". All the girls decided they should get a picture with Lola. So first we did the posed shot...

...and then came the "Lola Show". Lola decided it was time to have some fun, and I think the girls were just as surprised as I was!

On our way out of the park, we stopped at the playground for more candid moments. Some of my favorites!

Nicole and Andrew's family were such a pleasure to work with. They ended up getting a beautiful wall portrait of the whole family to have as a remembrance of Lolo's special day. Happy Birthday Lolo!

Do you have a special occasion coming up?

Special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations are the perfect time to schedule an Extended Family Portrait Session. Not only will you come away with beautiful portraits of your immediate family, but you'll also have timeless keepsakes of your extended family to pass on from generation to generation.

San Francisco Bay Area Family Portrait Photography

I hope you enjoy this San Francisco Bay Area Family Portrait photography provided by Cheryl Bigman Photography specializing in Portraits of Families and Children throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Cheryl Bigman Photography is unique among other San Francisco Bay Area Family Portrait photographers. Each family is one of a kind, and Cheryl feels your Family Portraits should be one of a kind as well. Every Family Portrait Session is treated with the utmost care and attention in order to creatively weave together the story of your family.

Service Area Information

Cheryl Bigman Photography offers Photography of Families and Children throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including but not limited to the Tri-Valley and Contra Costa areas of Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, San Mateo, Burlingame, Redwood City on the Peninsula, Marin County in the North Bay, and the South Bay.
Not looking for a Family Portrait Photographer? Please consider Cheryl for your custom high school senior photography and all your special event photography needs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Destination photography outside the San Francisco Bay Area available upon request. Call for more information.