Session Report
I photographed this family’s mother’s 60th birthday at New Age Fotografie in Vienna, with the session planned around a giant wall-art portrait for the birthday celebration and her lounge afterwards. Oma had been unwell recently, making this her first trip out. The family had already returned to the studio five times over ten years, and they have referred seven other families to New Age Fotografie; each visit has also produced a five-star rating. The group arrived for a surprise organised by the children, with Glühwein and prosecco for the adults and hot chocolate for the children before we began.
Session Details
| Fact | Recorded detail |
|---|---|
| Session type | Family session |
| Occasion | Mother’s 60th birthday |
| Location | New Age Fotografie Studio, 1050 Vienna |
| Previous sessions | Five visits across ten years |
| Participants | Family group; the supplied photographs show groups of 7, 12, 19 and 20 visible people respectively |
| Camera | Canon EOS 5D Mark IV |
| Lens | EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM |
The Story
The session mattered because it brought the family together for a milestone portrait while giving Oma her first outing after a period of illness. The planned wall art required a group image that could hold several generations and remain readable at a large scale. I kept the pace energetic, matching the client’s preference for high-tempo photography and spontaneous-looking results rather than relying on one repeated arrangement.
The first portrait shows seven visible people compressed into a close horizontal grouping against a white studio background. Two adults hold younger children at either side, while three adults form the upper line behind them. Faces remain readable despite the tight crop, and several subjects look directly towards the camera while others laugh or smile. The second portrait expands to twelve visible people: three seated or crouched subjects form the lower layer, with nine adults standing behind them. Hands rest on shoulders and knees, creating clear links between the two rows without removing individual faces from view.
The larger group portrait contains nineteen visible people arranged across three depth levels: seated older subjects in the centre, adults standing behind them, and younger subjects seated or kneeling across the foreground. The final photograph uses the same broad group but changes the structure into a more animated arrangement, with raised hands, angled bodies and several people leaning into the frame. These variations give the wall-art selection a formal option and a more energetic alternative.
The session overran by 20 minutes, and the next booking was a group of 12, leaving the studio and waiting area at capacity. That was the main operational pressure. I also built in regular breaks because the youngest participant had diarrhoea, allowing the family to pause rather than treating the planned pace as fixed.
New Age Fotografie describes its Vienna practice as serving more than 27,000 families, and this family’s five visits over ten years are a specific example of repeat work. The family’s seven referrals extend that relationship beyond one household; the notes also record that they joined a family photographed at Belvedere Palace.
Technical Breakdown
The four supplied frames were recorded on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with an EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. The focal lengths were 45mm, 50mm, 41mm and 41mm respectively; aperture was f/8, ISO 250 and shutter speed 1/200s in each supplied frame.
Visually, all four photographs use a bright white, high-key background with low-contrast rendering and shallow shadows beneath faces and clothing. The visible catchlights are small bright reflections near the upper areas of the eyes in the supplied portraits, while the frontal illumination remains even across the groups. The larger arrangements show limited brightness falloff from one side of the frame to the other, helping faces remain legible across the seated and standing layers. No lighting equipment, modifier, distance or power is recorded.
Constraint & Adjustment
The youngest participant had diarrhoea, so I incorporated regular breaks into the session rather than maintaining continuous shooting. The session also ran 20 minutes over, while the next booking was a group of 12 and the studio and waiting area reached capacity. The recorded adjustment for the child’s condition was the use of regular breaks; no further adjustment is recorded for the overrun.
Conclusion
This collection documents a 60th birthday gathering through a formal seven-person portrait, larger structured groups and a high-energy arrangement with raised hands and angled bodies. It also records a significant return visit for a family photographed five times across ten years, with Oma present for her first outing after illness and the final wall-art goal guiding the need for a clear, substantial group portrait.
Session Details
The session took place at New Age Fotografie Studio in 1050 Vienna. New Age Fotografie’s published family service supports studio or outdoor sessions for up to 12 people and pets, while the images supplied here include larger visible groups from this particular collection.