Year in the Life Family Photography in Tucson | Jenna Reich Photography
What Changes When Your Family Photographer Knows You?
Five sessions in, I don't have to ask this family how they like to spend time together. I already know.
I know that their kids are happiest when they're moving.
I know that their version of family time involves playing, exploring, getting wet, climbing, riding, chasing, and occasionally abandoning whatever activity we thought we were doing.
I know how the parents naturally divide and conquer when both kids need something at once.
I know the little ways the siblings interact.
And because I've been photographing this family for years, I know that these things aren't just what happened during one photo session.
They're who this family is.
That's my favorite part of Year in the Life photography.
Five sessions. Nearly a year of this little boy's life.
This recent session was my fifth with this family.
I first met them during pregnancy, and I've been lucky enough to photograph their growing family ever since. Their son is now nearly one year old.
But my relationship with this family actually goes back even further.
Four years ago, I photographed their daughter when she was a newborn.
So I've had the unusual privilege of watching this family grow — not just from one annual family photo session to the next, but through some of the biggest transitions of their lives.
Pregnancy.
A new baby.
A growing toddler.
A new sibling relationship.
And all the ordinary days in between.
That's a very different experience than showing up once a year and asking everyone to stand together and smile.
I don't have to manufacture the photographs anymore.
One of the things I love most about photographing a family repeatedly is that I get to stop trying to figure out what makes a good photograph of them.
I already know.
I know what their children are drawn to.
I know what makes them laugh.
I know when a moment is about to happen.
I know when to step in closer and when to back away.
I know that if the kids are running toward something, I should probably follow them instead of asking them to come back.
And that understanding changes the photographs.
During this session, there was plenty happening.
There was splashing, swinging, and playing. There was a little red wagon. There were siblings interacting. There were parents helping. There was getting dressed and getting wet and the kind of everyday chaos that comes with having young children.
None of it needed to be staged.
I simply needed to pay attention.
And because I've gotten to know this family over time, I knew what to pay attention to.
The photographs aren't really about the splash pad.
At first glance, you might think this is a session about a family playing in their backyard.
But that's not what I see when I look through these photographs.
I see a baby becoming more independent.
I see an older sister discovering what it means to have a little brother.
I see parents in the middle of raising two children.
I see the ways everyone naturally gravitates toward one another.
I see a family who knows how to have fun together.
And I see all the little details that are so easy to overlook when you're living them.
That's what makes this kind of photography different.
I'm not simply looking for a beautiful photograph.
I'm looking for the photograph that tells you something about your family.
The one that makes you remember exactly how your son used to crawl.
The way your daughter makes up fun games to play with you.
The way they played together before they were old enough to understand how quickly childhood would change.
The way your husband helped the baby into the swing.
The little red wagon.
The wet swimsuits.
The raincoat.
The ordinary bathroom moments that nobody would think to put on the shot list.
Those are the things that disappear.
Unless someone notices them.
This is why I love photographing the same family over time.
There is something really special about being invited back.
Every session gives me another piece of the story.
And every time I return, I know a little more.
The first session is different.
I'm learning.
I'm watching.
I'm figuring out how everyone connects and what makes this particular family them.
By the fifth session, something has shifted.
We're comfortable.
The kids know me.
The parents don't feel like they need to perform for the camera.
And I can photograph what is actually happening instead of interrupting it.
That's when the photographs start to feel less like a collection of family portraits and more like a record of a life.
Not perfect.
Not posed.
Not recreated.
Theirs.
Your family won't always look like this.
This is the part I think about the most.
The baby who is crawling across the grass now will be running soon.
The little girl who wants to swing will eventually outgrow that swing.
The siblings who are still figuring each other out will have a completely different relationship a few years from now.
The way your children fit into your arms changes.
Their voices change.
Their faces change.
The things they love change.
And eventually, the version of your family that exists right now will be gone.
That's not sad.
That's childhood.
But it is worth remembering.
And that's exactly why I created Year in the Life.
What Year in the Life actually gives you
Year in the Life isn't about taking more photographs simply because you have more sessions.
It's about giving me the time to really know your family.
Over multiple sessions, I get to see how you spend time together in different seasons and different stages of your children's lives.
I get to photograph the things that make your family unique rather than giving every family the same collection of poses.
And you get something that a single session simply can't provide:
a visual record of your family changing.
Some sessions might be full of energy and movement.
Others might be quieter.
Some might happen at home.
Some might happen outside.
Some might revolve around an activity your kids are obsessed with for six months and never mention again.
That's okay.
Actually, that's the point.
Your Year in the Life experience grows around your family, rather than asking your family to fit into a predetermined version of what a photo session should look like.
Five sessions later, I'm still finding new photographs.
And that's probably my favorite thing about this family.
Even after photographing them through pregnancy, newborn days, a first year, and now five sessions together, there's still more to see.
More little interactions.
More changes.
More pieces of their story.
And I know there will be more.
That's the beauty of Year in the Life.
You aren't just booking a photographer for a few hours.
You're inviting someone into your family's story long enough to understand it.
And once I know your story, I can photograph it differently.
If you've been putting off family photographs because you don't want a perfectly posed session — or because your kids aren't the kind who are going to happily sit still and smile for 90 minutes — maybe you don't need that kind of photography.
Maybe you need something that looks a little more like your actual life.
That's what Year in the Life is for.
[Learn more about my Year in the Life photography experience →]
Or, if you're ready to talk about what it could look like for your family:
