Raleigh, N.C. Documentary Family Photography | Summer At Home Session

If you’ve ever spent a summer in North Carolina, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

It was HOT. Like, everyone was sweaty five minutes into being outside kind of hot. The kids had flushed cheeks, there were melted popsicles everywhere, and I’m pretty sure someone had sidewalk chalk on them at all times. But those are the kinds of sessions I find myself loving more and more lately.

This sweet family invited me over to simply document an afternoon together at home in their front yard, and truly… the kids did all the work for us. They rode scooters up and down the sidewalk, chased bubbles barefoot through the grass, twirled hula hoops, drew the BEST pictures with colorful sidewalk chalk, and took popsicle breaks on the front steps. Mom and dad just joined in with them instead of worrying about everyone smiling at the camera.

And that’s the part that always gets me.

The photos that end up feeling the most meaningful usually aren’t the perfectly posed ones. They’re the ones where your kids are laughing with melting popsicles on the porch. The ones where mom is fixing helmet straps while dad blows bubbles in the background. Ordinary things that don’t feel important in the moment, but somehow become the things you miss most later. Believe me. I have three kids, two who are in high school and will be fleeing the nest sooner than I’d like and I’d honestly give anything to be able to go back and have a photo of me teaching them to ride a bike, or doing ANYTHING really… reality is, I was usually the one taking the pictures and if you’re a mom, you get it. Anyway, I digress..

I barely directed anything during this session because there really wasn’t a need to. Their kids already had a whole summer afternoon planned out, and my job was just to document it as it unfolded.

I think that’s why I’ve been so drawn to documentary-style family photography lately. Your kids don’t need to perform. You don’t need to stress about everyone sitting still or looking at the camera at the exact same time. You just get to be together.

I saw something on social media recently that said something like, these photos are for you now.. but for them later. And oooooof it got me right in the feels.

So, anyway, if you’re in the Raleigh area and you love your kids and want just normal, ordinary photos doing the things y’all do on an average Saturday, give me a call! I’d love to come hang out for a bit!