Holiday Family Photos | Waldorf Astoria

I think I love this family session primarily due to the sheer number of generations and amount family members!  Seriously!

So V & I were all prepared to photograph this session outdoors on Christmas Eve.  A few hours before the shoot, I got a call saying that, due to the cold, they’d elected to move the shoot indoors — to the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria.  I mean, hey, no complaints. :).  I’m in love with the Waldorf Astoria and welcome any opportunity to shoot there.  Of course, though, there are a few factors that change when moving an outdoor photo shoot indoors at the last minute.  The major one, to me anyway, is the lighting.  Outdoors, especially at a location of our choosing with which we’re super familiar, natural light provides a wonderful canvas.  Indoors… well, indoors for that many people?  It means you need lighting equipment.

V & I didn’t mess around.  We crowd controlled and took over the entire lobby.  We rolled in with two constant light sources as well as alien bees & umbrellas (and all associated extension chords, boxes, power adaptors, etc).  We staged an elaborate family shot using the entire grand staircase and magnanimous Christmas tree, and then moved furniture around to create space around an attractive leather couch for smaller group shots.  And, lastly, we confiscated the area by the fireplace to capture the entire group relaxing over champagne, hot chocolate, conversations, giggles, and games of chess.  I think the end result is a series of images that, despite being shot in a hotel lobby, look intimate and cozy enough to have been in someone’s living room.  And the Waldorf Astoria staff could not have been more pleasant or accommodating — they really helped make the shoot special for the family and easier for me & V.

It was pretty magic, especially since the family was having so much fun themselves — a great way to spend Christmas Eve :).