Year in the Life: A Deeper Look at Long-Term Family Storytelling (Part 2)
If the first Year in the Life post was about logistics and “how it works,” this one is about the heart of it all. Photographing a family across a full year isn’t just a project, it becomes a relationship, a rhythm, and a story that reveals itself slowly. Here’s a closer look at what makes these sessions so meaningful.
1. What inspired you to start offering Year in the Life sessions?
I’ve always loved the quiet, unscripted moments that happen between the “big events.” A whole year gives me the chance to witness the transitions, the way a toddler’s feet dangle a little lower from the breakfast bench, the shift from warm layers to bare feet in the grass, the new routines that quietly replace the old ones. Families change quickly, and this format preserves the beauty in that evolution.
2. How do the photos from these sessions evolve over the course of a year?
Early sessions often feel cozy and familiar, usually indoors or in favorite spots. As the year moves forward, families tend to get more comfortable on camera and lean into their natural rhythms. By the final sessions, the photos often reflect a deeper ease, new traditions, and visible growth, everything from first steps to new sibling roles to the way the light in your home shifts with each season.
3. What kinds of stories emerge when you document a family over time?
Patterns start to stand out, the rituals that repeat, the personalities that shine through, the ways a family’s love language shows up in daily life. Maybe it’s weekend pancakes, a beloved stuffie, a backyard garden growing through the seasons, or a toddler’s insistence on wearing the same favorite rain boots for months. Over time, these threads weave together into a fuller picture of who your family is right now.
4. How do you keep kids (and parents!) feeling natural with a camera around?
Time is the secret ingredient. Because I’m visiting regularly, kids see me more as a familiar grown-up than a photographer. They don’t feel pressure to “perform,” which means I can capture their real expressions and energy. Parents tend to relax for the same reason, once they realize they don’t have to pose or direct, they simply get to be in the moment. I have actually increased my session time to 90 minutes instead of just an hour. That extra 30 minutes has helped everyone let their guard down a bit more and also allows us all to feel less rushed if there’s an activity planned.
5. Do you approach each family differently, or follow a consistent storytelling style?
The documentary approach stays consistent, but every family truly shapes its own story. Some are high-energy and outdoorsy; some are quiet and cozy; some have new babies and ever-shifting routines. I follow what’s real, your pace, your dynamic, your version of everyday life.
6. What surprises families most when they look back at the full year of images?
Almost always: how much has changed without them realizing it. Parents notice things like the way a child’s hands have grown, how their home has transformed, or how a morning routine has now become a cherished memory. It’s the subtle things that hit the hardest, the details you can’t see clearly until you have a full year side by side.
7. What’s been your most memorable moment or session from a Year in the Life project?
There are always standout moments - a first birthday, messy baking disasters, the joy of playing in the fall leaves - but the truth is, the most memorable pieces are usually small. A child inviting me into their imaginative world, a quiet hug on a couch, a routine unfolding naturally that will inevitably fade as a child grows. Those are the moments that stay with me.
8. Do these photos change in meaning as time passes?
Absolutely. What feels “ordinary” now becomes priceless later. Families often tell me that the photos mean more a year, two years, or five years later than they did when they first received them. Kids grow, homes evolve, and life shifts. The images become a time capsule of a season you can’t return to.
9. What add-ons or keepsakes do families usually choose to celebrate the completed year?
Every family receives an included year-end album, designed to tell the whole story beautifully. Additionally, families love to order prints, framed wall pieces, or an extra copy of their album for sharing with family that may not live close by. The album is especially popular because it brings the year together in one place; a tangible story you can flip through again and again.
10. What advice would you give families who want to start documenting their year?
Don’t overthink it. You don’t need perfect outfits, a spotless house, or a list of activities. The beauty of these sessions is that they’re grounded in your real life. Show up as you are, embrace your routines, and trust that your everyday moments have value. They’re the ones you’ll want to remember most.
Documentary Family Photo Session Ideas - Seattle, Wa
With the documentary approach, it’s all about documenting your family’s real life, the little things that make up your day or week that may go by unnoticed or normally undocumented. But you still might be wondering, “What does that actually mean? What should we plan for and what will you photograph?” Below are just a few ideas of moments/events/things that could be part of your sessions.
While we never need to have a schedule for our time together, I hope this list helps you consider the possibilities of things that could be documented during your session! There’s really no limits to what I can capture for you. I become your family’s historian for the day and hopefully future as well.
Maternity/Before Baby:
Shopping for baby
Decorating/setting up baby’s nursery
Baby shower
Daily walk
Cooking with family
Hanging out with older kids at home or at the park
Your normal Saturday routine
Early prepping of food for your family postpartum
Check up with your midwife (out of hospital)
Building any new baby furniture (crib, rocker, changing table)
Newborn/Babies:
First bath at home/general bath time
Skin to skin time
Tummy time
Trying first solids
Nursing
Pumping
Meeting/Snuggling with siblings
Meeting/Snuggling with grandparents
Walks around the neighborhood
Story time at the library
Snuggles with mom and dad
Napping with mom and dad
Playing with extended family (aunts/uncles)
Morning/Bedtime routine
First Birthday
Family:
Breakfast
Waking up
Morning routine
Lunch
Dinner time
Bath time
Brushing teeth
Bedtime books
Family game time
Playing together in the yard/outside
Trip to a playground
Trip to a museum
Trip to the farmers market
Trip to the library
Trip to the grocery store
Trip to the aquarium
Practicing musical instruments
Playing sports outside together
Making cookies/treats in the kitchen
Cooking a meal together
Grandparents visiting
Playing with the family pet/walking the dog
First day with new family pet
Yard work/raking leaves/planting trees
Gardening
Blowing bubbles outside
Building legos together
Building a fort together
Salmon watching
Mushroom hunting
Exploring the beaches and natural wonders of the puget sound
Holiday family traditions
Birthday/Family milestone
Making crafts together
Moving into a new home
Backyard camping
Backyard fire and s’mores
Backyard movie time
Ready to book your documentary session?
Year in the Life Sessions - 2023 Enrollment
Year in the Life
Year-round family documentary photo packages that capture your family in this season of life and get you back into those family moments and photos where you belong!
That’s time of year again! Enrollment is now open for next year’s Year in the Life!
If you are a parent who strives to remember the dance parties in the kitchen, the tears on the floor, the warm embrace of tiny sticky fingers, and even the parental multi-tasking master you are at the moment… and at the same time want to be in your own family photos and have them preserved in a way your family can revisit time and time again… you’re in the right place!
How is your family's legacy being recorded and preserved? When was the last time you printed photos or made an album? And more importantly, of the photos you do take of your family, are you in those photos? Will your children be able to see YOU - being silly, being a parent, being your true self - when they look back at your family photos one day?
Each year I craft a yearbook for my own family assembled from photos of our everyday life taken throughout the entire year. And of course, being my family's photographer, I am missing in 95% of the images. I work really hard to ensure I end up in those remaining 5% each year…
What if you didn't have to work as hard as I do each year? What if the hard work could be done for you? You could have your year documented in an honest and true way, a family album created custom for you, and ensure no one is missing from your family photos as well!
These are Year in the Life Sessions where I ensure your own family's story is captured on camera either monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly so you can get back to just being present with your family and know your family’s story will be preserved!
Allowing more everyday family moments to be captured for the future.
Year in the Life Packages
I offer three different Year in the Life packages to meet every size, budget, and need. With years of experience as a photographer and countless hours documenting real moments under my belt, you can rest easy knowing that no matter which package you choose, your family is in good hands and your final photographs will be memorable and print-worthy.
Monthly Sessions (12)
Each month starting January of 2023 you’ll have a 1 hour family session.
12 Sessions - $2400
Bi-Monthly Sessions (6)
Every other month starting January or February of 2023 you’ll have a 1 hour family session.
6 Sessions - $2100
Quarterly Sessions
(4)
Every 3 months starting in March of 2023 you’ll have a 1 hour family session.
4 Sessions - $1800
What to expect
Fill out the contact form below to get started. Then we’ll schedule a quick chat to discuss how the entire process works and some ideas of activities or day to day life moments we can make sure to capture for your family throughout the year.
Next I’ll send over your invoice and contract to make it official.
Once you’re officially on my calendar for the year, you’ll receive a workbook and family questionnaire so I can learn a bit more about your family before your first session.
Your first session! Your first documentary family session will take place in either January, February, or March depending on which package you’ve chosen.
After each session you’ll view and receive your images in your personal online gallery. As a VIP customer you’ll also have a discount on other printed photo products through your gallery.
After your final session of the year you’ll receive a custom 8x8 Handcrafted Family Photo Album prepared just for you.
Super-parents deserve to be in photos too.
It’s time to get in those family photos and create a family heirloom at the same time.
Documentary Maternity Session - Home & Woodland Park Rose Garden - Seattle, Wa
With a spunky little one already keeping them on their toes, Kaci admitted to me this pregnancy hadn’t been documented as much as her first. So needless to say, she was excited to get some photos of these last weeks as a family of 3 before the newest little family member arrives. A documentary maternity session fit their family perfectly as their son got to just be himself as we took a small walk from their home to the Woodland Park Rose Garden together before lunch and nap time. Someone is going to be a great big brother!
Documentary Maternity Session - Prepping for Baby - Kent, WA
Becca and her husband, Sam, are currently awaiting the arrival of their first baby. Their dog Jax is also quite excited and ready to break in the play mat, baby lounger, and any other soft baby items that may end up on the floor.
On a warm Sunday afternoon I joined them as they got the nursery ready for baby. They had just moved into their new home in Kent. Unpacking, assembling, sorting, organizing, doing all the nesting things… a simple thing like this can be a great maternity session if you’re looking for something a bit different to commemorate this time. It’s so special to document these last moments before a baby’s arrival and a new chapter starts for a family.
Interested in having your own documentary maternity session?