Best Locations for Big Family Sessions

Get a big family in one frame — grandparents who flew in for the season, cousins meeting the newest baby, four generations side by side — and you have made the photograph families keep on the mantel for the rest of their lives. After many years of photographing families across Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley, I have learned that where you gather does more heavy lifting than people expect. Most of my big-group sessions happen close to home: in a family's own living room, out on the backyard patio, or at a favorite neighborhood park or garden. Those familiar settings keep everyone comfortable, give the little ones room to be themselves, and give me the light and the backdrop to make something timeless.

When you are photographing eight, twelve, or twenty people at once, you are not just choosing a pretty background. You are solving for parking, for shade, for restrooms, for a toddler's nap schedule and a grandmother's mobility, all at the same time. So this is the guide I wish every family had before they booked — my honest, lived-in take on the best large family photo locations here in the valley, what each one is really like, and how to choose the one that fits your particular crew.

What actually makes a location work for a big group

Before I name names, let me share how I think about it. A spot that photographs beautifully for a couple can fall apart for a group of eighteen. Here is what I look for, and what I encourage you to weigh too.

• Space to spread out. Large families need depth and width so I can stagger people on different levels — some seated, some standing, kids in front. A narrow trail or a tight courtyard forces everyone into a flat line, which never flatters a big group.
• Light that flatters the whole group. Indoors, I look for a room with generous windows so soft, natural light can do the work. Outdoors, I want open shade or the low light of golden hour, so the group reads evenly and no one is half in shadow.
• Easy access and parking. If Grandpa has to walk a quarter mile over loose sand, we have lost him before we start. I favor places where we can park close and walk in gently.
• A backup for weather and heat. Wind, a surprise May heat wave, a fussy baby — the best locations give us shade and a place to regroup.
• A backdrop that means something to your family. Sometimes the most "photogenic" place is not the right one. The resort where you all gather every Thanksgiving may matter more than any famous overlook.

Keep those five things in mind as you read, and the right choice usually becomes obvious.

The best locations for big family sessions in the Coachella Valley

In your own home, backyard, and patio

The setting I reach for first with a big family is the one that already belongs to them. A living room where everyone naturally drifts, a kitchen mid-morning with light pouring through the windows, a backyard and patio where the holiday meals happen — these are where my favorite multigenerational portraits come from. Indoors, I work with the natural light coming through your windows, positioning the group so it falls soft and even across faces; there is no harsh overhead glare and nothing that asks anyone to perform. The familiarity is the whole point. Kids forget a camera is there, grandparents have a comfortable chair close by, and the resulting images carry the texture of your actual life together. If your family is renting a home for a reunion, that property works just as beautifully.

For families who specifically want the wide-open look, the natural washes and sandy clearings along the edges of Palm Desert, Indian Wells, and the Bermuda Dunes area can make a striking backdrop — wide space to stagger a group, gentle slopes, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains behind you. I treat these as a planned, scouted outing rather than a default: we go in the last hour before sunset, when golden-hour light wraps the whole group, and I choose a spot where everyone can park close and walk in on firm ground so it stays gentle on the youngest and oldest alike.

Resort and hotel grounds in Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs

The valley's resorts are made for gathering, which makes them wonderful for extended families — especially when everyone is already staying there for a reunion or a holiday. The manicured lawns, mature palms, fountains, and tiled courtyards give us a polished, classic backdrop with shade close at hand and, blessedly, restrooms and a lobby to retreat to.

If your family is renting a block of rooms for the week, the resort grounds — or the patio of the home you have taken together — can be the most meaningful location of all. There is something about photographing people where they have actually been laughing and eating together all week that no scenic overlook can match. Do check with the property about photography on the grounds — most are gracious, but a quick ask saves any awkwardness on the day. This is also a wonderful choice when the group includes very young children or a relative who tires easily, because comfort and convenience are built right in.

Palm Desert's Civic Center Park and the valley's green parks

When families want shade, lawn, and zero logistical stress, the larger municipal parks are a gift. Civic Center Park in Palm Desert is a favorite — big shade trees, open grass, a lake, and easy parking and restrooms, all of which matter enormously when you are wrangling a dozen people and a stroller. The greenery gives a softer, more lush look than the open desert, which some families prefer, and the shade lets us shoot a little earlier or later in the day with more flexibility.

Parks are especially forgiving for sessions with babies and young kids, because there is room to play, a place to sit, and a snack break is never far away. They also tend to work year-round better than the open desert, since the trees take the edge off the heat.

La Quinta, the Cove, and the dramatic mountain backdrops

If your family wants drama, the south end of the valley delivers. La Quinta and the Cove sit right up against the Santa Rosa Mountains, and the streets and trailheads there give us towering rock faces and rugged desert texture as a backdrop. The historic, Spanish-style architecture around old La Quinta adds warm walls, archways, and bougainvillea that photograph beautifully with a big group.

This area rewards a little planning — some of the most striking spots have limited parking, so I scout for a location with enough room for everyone to arrive and gather easily. For families who love the bold, only-in-the-desert look, it is hard to beat.

Indio, the date groves, and the eastern valley

The eastern valley around Indio has a character all its own — date palm groves, agricultural rows, and a more pastoral feel than the resort corridor. The groves give us those long, dramatic lines of palms that frame a large group beautifully and feel distinctly rooted in the Coachella Valley's history. For families with deep ties to this side of the valley, or who simply want something a little different and unhurried, it is a lovely choice. Access varies by property, so this is one I always arrange ahead of time.

Timing your session: season, light, and heat

Here in the desert, when you shoot matters as much as where.

• Snowbird season (November through April) is the sweet spot. The weather is comfortable, the light is gorgeous, and this is when most extended families are gathered here anyway. My calendar fills early for this window, so reach out well ahead if you are planning around visiting relatives.
• Summer (roughly June through September) is genuinely hot — often well over 100 degrees by mid-morning. I do still photograph families in summer, but we keep it short, start at the very first light of sunrise or the last light of sunset, and lean toward shaded locations. With a big group and little ones, comfort has to come first.
• For anything outdoors, I build the session around golden hour. The hour before sunset (and the hour after sunrise) gives that soft, warm light that makes a large group look its best. For in-home sessions the equation is different — there I plan around the brightest part of the day, when window light fills the rooms.

If you want to go deeper on the heat question, I wrote more in my guide to planning a desert family session in summer.

Practical tips for a smooth big family session

A large session lives or dies on the small logistics. A few things I always tell families:

• Pick a meeting point and share it clearly. With fifteen people arriving in five cars, a precise spot and a firm time saves us precious golden-hour minutes.
• Pull from one palette and let everyone interpret it. Soft, complementary tones — sand, sage, cream, dusty blue, warm neutrals — sit beautifully in a sunlit room or against the desert and let everyone still look like themselves rather than a matched set. I help every family plan this. For more, see my notes on what to wear for desert family photos.
• Plan around the youngest and the oldest. Schedule near a good nap window if you can, bring water and snacks, and let me know if anyone needs to sit or has limited mobility so I choose the location and posing accordingly.
• Build in a little buffer. Someone is always running late. A 15-minute cushion keeps the mood relaxed, and a relaxed family always photographs better.
• Trust the staggered grouping. I will arrange the group on different levels and depths rather than one straight row — it is what makes a big family portrait feel intentional and timeless rather than like a lineup.
• Let me do a quick scout. For any large group, I confirm parking, shade, and footing ahead of the day. It is the quiet work that makes the session itself feel effortless.

Common questions about large family locations

How many people is too many for one location? Honestly, very few of the spots above have a real ceiling — the open desert and resort lawns handle twenty-five or more comfortably. What changes with size is the need for space and staggering, which is exactly why I steer big groups toward open locations over tight, scenic corners.

Can we do multiple looks in one session? Often, yes, if the location offers variety close together — a resort with both lawn and courtyard, or a desert spot with open sand and a rocky backdrop nearby. For very large groups I usually recommend keeping it to one well-chosen location so we spend our time on people, not on moving everyone around.

What if it is windy or unexpectedly hot? It happens. This is why I favor locations with nearby shade and an easy retreat, and why I keep a close eye on the forecast and stay in touch in the days before. We adapt, and the pictures are still wonderful.

Where will the photos actually be taken — do you choose or do we? It is a conversation. You tell me what your family loves and any needs in the group, and I bring my knowledge of the valley and the light to recommend the spot that fits. The best sessions come from that collaboration.

Choosing the right one for your family

There is no single "best" location for a big family session — there is the best one for your family, on your day, with your people. A family that wants to gather in their own living room and out on the patio wants something different than a reunion that has its heart set on the mountains behind them at sunset. After all these years here, finding that fit is one of my favorite parts of the work, and a big multigenerational group is the kind of session I treasure most.

So tell me about your crew. Who is flying in, when you will all be together, whether home feels right or you are picturing somewhere out in the valley — send me those details and we will shape the rest from there. You can start the conversation here, and I will help you land on the place where your family will look, and feel, most like itself.