There is something so magical about a summer backyard family session—warm breeze, golden sun, barefoot running, and that easy, relaxed feeling you only get during long summer evenings. When you combine a huge backyard, a curious toddler, and the best golden summer light imaginable? You get pure magic. And this session was exactly that.
I absolutely loved photographing this sweet family right at home, surrounded by their own space, their own memories, and their own rhythm. There’s just something special about documenting families where they actually live their lives. It feels intimate, effortless, and so reflective of who they are right now.
The Magic of Summer Light in Your Own Backyard
If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know how I feel about summer light. It’s velvety, warm, glowy, golden perfection. The kind of light that wraps around people, softens every moment, and turns ordinary scenes into cinematic ones.
This summer backyard family session had that perfect kind of light—the kind that makes kids’ hair glow, makes shadows look soft, and makes every little detail feel like a memory frozen in time. When the sun dipped low behind the treeline and everything turned honey-colored, I nearly burst into internal photographer tears. It was that good.
Toddlers + Big Backyards = Best Photos Ever
Little J was in his prime. Free range. Thrilled. Running wild like toddlers were designed to do. And honestly? That’s when the best photos happen.
We played:
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a game of tag
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a game of catch
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flower picking adventures
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snuggle breaks in between bursts of energy
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more running (always more running)
This is why I love summer backyard family sessions—kids get to be themselves. No posing. No “smile at the camera!” No unfamiliar scenery to warm up to. Just pure childhood joy.
His parents chased, laughed, scooped him up, spun him around, and just lived in the moment together—and I got to document it. These are the images that feel like home. The ones that you look back on and go, “Yep. That was our life.”
Why Backyard Sessions Are So Special
You don’t need a mountain view, a beach, or a fancy location to get incredible family photos. Backyard sessions are often the ones that feel the most authentic—because they’re rooted in real memories.
Your backyard is:
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where your kids learned to walk
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where they collect sticks and rocks
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where you spend summer grilling and blowing bubbles
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where sound carries across fence lines
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where your family actually lives
Capturing you in your own environment creates photographs that feel genuine, familiar, and deeply personal. This summer backyard family session had that exact sense of home woven into every moment.
Documenting This Fleeting Season of Life
I always feel so honored when young families choose me to document their current phase of life—especially during the little-kid years, when time moves FAST. Toddlers transform monthly. Routines shift. Backyard games turn into inside jokes and cherished memories.
These moments are so fleeting, and photographing them feels like preserving a chapter that you’ll never get back—but will want to remember forever.
This family trusted me with that, and I’m grateful every single time I look through their gallery. The joy, the chaos, the quiet moments, the belly laughs… it was everything a summer session is supposed to be.
Want Your Own Summer Backyard Family Session?
If you’re craving photos that feel natural, laid-back, playful, and reflective of your real life—there is nothing like a backyard session in the summertime.
Kids get to run free. Parents get to relax. And the photos? They end up being the most meaningful ones of all.
Inquire here to plan your own summer backyard family session.
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