Why Summer Traditions Are the Secret to Meaningful Family Photos
There’s something quietly beautiful about returning to the same places each summer.
The waterfall hike. The RV park. Exploring the forest behind Grandma’s house. The wagon ride around the yard.
Even when the details change — the kids grow taller, someone swaps out a favorite snack, a new baby joins the photo — the bones of the memory stay the same.
And that’s where the magic lives.
Time Makes the Photos Better
The best part about photographing summer traditions isn’t that the light is perfect or the kids are behaving. It’s that you’re building a visual time capsule without even realizing it.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Photograph them fishing again.
Wading into the same river.
Looking at that nature map with more confidence than last year.
Piled into the wagon, legs a little longer.
When you repeat the documentation, you’re telling a story. Not just of this summer, but of every summer.
It Doesn’t Have to Be Fancy
You don’t need matching outfits or a golden hour photoshoot.
You just need to show up with your phone and notice:
Who do they gravitate toward each year
What’s the one thing they always want to do
Where do the giggles happen naturally
Take the photo. Even if it’s a little crooked. Even if there’s sunscreen on their nose. Even if they’re eating yet another sandwich on a camp chair.
These are the photos that mean something later.
What You’ll Notice When You Look Back
One year they’re holding hands.
The next year they’re racing ahead.
Then suddenly they’re off on bikes and you’re yelling to wait at the turn.
The beauty in photographing summer traditions isn’t in the novelty. It’s in the progression.
One day, you’ll line up a few summer snapshots in a row and realize you’ve made something quietly extraordinary.
A record of your children growing up, alongside the people and places that helped shape them.
Here for you,
Jess
To stay up to date, I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter here.
