I was a bit nervous and completely excited about my first big family shoot. I was going to be visiting my hometown of Valparaiso for a few days in October while my eldest son was on fall break from preschool, and during that visit I was able to schedule a multi-family shoot with the Luchon's. 10 adults and 9 kids. I even decided I needed an assistant for the job so I persuaded my Aunt Debi to help - mainly to entertain the kids and keep them looking at the camera. (: She did great by the way - wish she lived in Indy!!
I know one of the Luchon sons (Eric) from working with him at a local grocery store way back when and I also took his family's photos back in September. That led me to this gig. Again - I was so excited to meet this crew and see how the shoot would play out. And let me tell you - everything went awesome. The weather was great, the kids all behaved, and I feel the big "extreme family photo" (their words, not mine) was a success.
So, you want to meet them?? We start our tale with Mimi & Papa (Keith & Christine).
They had four children: Eric, Audrey, Austin, & Alex
Eric was the first and he married the lovely Samantha. They have three beautiful girls - Corbin, Lily & Ivy.
Audrey was the second born. Her and her husband, Ethan, have two handsome little boys, Gabriel and Henry. Henry could not keep his tongue in his mouth - SO cute!
Next was Alex. He and his wife, Sarah, win the kid award with four: Vincent, Tiffany, AJ, & Harrison. Vincent was so sweet to his siblings and seemed to actually enjoy getting photographed; Tiffany was a bit shy but super sweet; AJ seemed like the wildman of the bunch; and Harrison just learned to walk so he was a man on the move.
The youngest of the Luchon's is Austin. He and his girlfriend Shelby live in Chicago.
Large families truly are a blessing. My husband is one of four and it's rare that all four kids and their families are at the same place at the same time. But when the stars align, my in-laws light up. I saw the same in the Luchon's that day. When you gather all of these people, that pretty much are together (or even exist) because of one strong, everlasting marriage between two people - it's pretty amazing to see. Keith and Christine are very proud parents and very loving grandparents. The next picture was my personal favorite - these boys obviously love their papa. (:
Last came the group photos - lets wrangle 19 people and pose them, make them smile at the same time, and keep them interested as I rattle off 100 shots - easy peasy. And the "just kids" shot - picture 12 adults making crazy sounds, shouting at the various kids, making funny faces - just pure chaos. Love it...
I sincerely thank the Luchon family for allowing me to take part in their "extreme family photos" and I hope to maybe do it again someday.
Kelly Martin Photography offers custom on-location lifestyle and portrait professional photography services in Indianapolis and surrounding areas. Session types include family, newborn, maternity, children, couples, engagement, seniors, lifestyle and more! Real. Creative. Personalized.
If you are looking for a family or children's photographer, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388.
