
Sometimes, the only setup for the session you need is getting everyone there. Summer extended family sessions often work like this. It’s such an effort to coordinate family from all over the country to get together, but once you’re there, it’s undeniably special. This session took place on a small private lake, a cloudy summer day, and a family who simply decided to show up for each other.
There was picnic food and wildflowers, cousins jumping off the dock, a new puppy and a new baby. Catching frogs and fish and even a little bird trapped in the greenhouse. Loops in the canoe around the lake.
Everyone was unplugged. Nobody was performing.
They were just together in that easy, unhurried way that’s harder to come by than it sounds.
The clouds stayed all day, which — for the record — made for an unpredictably beautiful vibe. We wove in and out between relaxed portraits and completely candid delight.
















Extended family sessions at a lake, a cabin, a family property – anywhere a group has gathered and claimed a little space together – are some of my favorite sessions. There’s always something happening. These little moments between smaller breakdowns of people that normally go unseen. Opportunities to hold a moment and time and say this matters.
If you have a family reunion, a milestone gathering, or just a rare window where everyone lands in the same place – please reach out and consider working together to make pictures during that time. I work with extended families throughout central Virginia, Maryland, and the surrounding region.
You can read more about extended family sessions here, or reach out to start planning yours.
Extended family photos at Early Mountain Vineyards
I’m obsessed with stories of family, creativity, and simple joys. A nostalgia nerd, writer, wife, and mom of 3, I believe life’s most fun when you’re dreaming big and savoring small.
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@2026 copyrighted | Leah O'COnnell
Based in Charlottesville, VA
leah@leahoconnell.com