Three-Generation Thanksgiving Family Session | Toronto Family Photography
Big family gatherings have a way of imprinting themselves in memory — the laughter, the noise, the chaos, the drunken uncle, the way generations weave together in a single afternoon. This Thanksgiving weekend, I had the joy of photographing a three-generation family session that was bursting with warmth, energy, and connection.
The family included grandparents, their four adult children and partners, and eight grandkids — a lively, close-knit crew. We began the session at the grandparents’ home, where the backyard quickly filled with activity. Soccer balls flew through the air, kids sprinted across the lawn, and parents joined in the games. It was playful, a little chaotic, and exactly the kind of unscripted energy I love to capture.
A particularly sweet moment came when Grandma gathered the grandchildren and led them into the garden to pick fresh vegetables for that evening’s Thanksgiving dinner. It was a quiet, grounding pause amid the noise — a small tradition that said everything about what family means to them.
From there, everyone walked to the nearby park together. The youngest headed straight for the swings and play structure, while the adults rotated through portraits with their parents. We photographed each combination — siblings, kids, grandparents — each frame its own story. We ended with a group portrait in front of the elementary school where three of the four siblings once went, a place layered with memory and meaning.
While this family chose to keep their faces private online, their story deserves to be told. Sessions like this are a powerful reminder of why documenting family legacy matters. Holidays like Thanksgiving bring everyone together — and carving out just a couple of hours to capture those connections is something future generations will be grateful for.
At Black Vine Photography, this is what documentary family photography is all about: preserving the threads that hold families together, exactly as they are.
