Family Photos in Ridgewood NJ | Andrew Fein Photography



Barbara reached out almost a year before her session date. That's not unusual for big family sessions, but the reason behind it made this one different from the start. She and her husband were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and all three of her daughters, their husbands, and nine grandchildren were flying and driving in from wherever they'd scattered to. Before the celebration really got going, Barbara wanted one thing: everyone together, in one place, in a photo.

We ended up at the Saddle River County Park Wild Duck Pond Area in Ridgewood. It's a good location for a group this size with enough open space to spread out, natural surroundings that photograph well, and enough shade that you're not fighting harsh light.

The August session ended up being overcast with a slight drizzle starting to move in. That sounds like bad news for outdoor photos, but overcast light is actually ideal. No harsh shadows, no squinting, everything even. The drizzle gave us a time limit, which honestly helped. Seventeen people, nine of them young kids, move faster when everyone knows the clock is ticking.

And they moved. The grandkids were everywhere. Getting a group of 17 into something resembling a coherent arrangement while the youngest ones treated the whole thing like a relay race required some patience. At one point, two of the grandchildren — twins — decided this was a good moment to gang up on the oldest grandkid. He handled it with the particular dignity of someone who clearly deals with this regularly, but there were a few frames where he looked like he was considering sending up a flare.

That's the stuff you can't plan. It's also the stuff that makes a photo worth keeping.

We got through it. The rain held off long enough. At the end of the session, Barbara was a little overwhelmed with the chaos of 17 people, the emotion of the day, and the weather. She didn't say much.

A week later she sent me a message. "I love the photos so much. Celebrating 50 years of marriage with our children and grandchildren was a milestone we will cherish, and having these memories captured by such a talented photographer made the day even more special. We couldn't be happier."

That's the job.