Some sessions come together because of beautiful light or a stunning location or a perfectly coordinated plan. And then some sessions come together because of something much simpler. Just two people who love each other, two little kids who are fully alive in the way that only small children can be, and a piece of land that has been in the family for years.
This was that second kind. And it was one of my favorites.
Old Friends
Taylor, Tyler, and I go way back. We’re talking marching band in high school – the kind of friendship that gets built in the chaos of full weekends and late rehearsals and the particular bond that forms when you spend that much time with someone during those years.
Life has a way of moving people forward, and we’ve both done a lot of living since then. I was excited to meet their two kids, Milo and Nora. There were brief introductions at another family session I did for her brother and his wife a few months ago – but when she reached out about doing a session for them on their family’s property in Trinity, I genuinely could not wait!
There’s something different about photographing someone you’ve known for a long time. The ease is already there. The trust is already there. And that shows in every single frame.
The Property
I want to talk about this land for a second because it matters.
This isn’t just a pretty backdrop. This is Taylor’s family’s property – a little farm with a garden, a pond, room to run, horses, ducks, and the kind of peace and quiet that you only find when you’re somewhere that has been loved for a long time. You could feel the history in it. The rootedness.
For Milo and Nora, this land is already becoming part of who they are. They’re growing up running on it, watering plants on it, fishing in the pond, chasing each other through the yard. Someday when they’re older and someone asks them what their childhood felt like, I think this place will be a part of the answer.
That’s what made this session feel so meaningful to document.
The Morning
We started in the garden out front. Taylor and Milo worked the raised beds together, watering, checking on things, doing the quiet work of tending something growing. Baby Nora was nearby, curious about everything in the way that babies are, exploring the edges of the garden bed with her hands and eating apple slices.
Milo was absolutely in his element. Kids who spend real time outside have this quality to them – a comfort with the natural world, an ease in their own bodies – and it comes through in photos in a way that’s impossible to manufacture. He wasn’t performing for the camera. He was just doing what he always does. Here are more ideas on teaching kids gardening, a perfect family ritual or activity to start for a Day in the Life session!
Then came the fishing.
Tyler took the kids down to the pond and there is something so timeless about that image – a dad teaching his little one to fish on the family property, the same way it’s probably been done on that land for generations. I stayed back and let it happen and just watched and waited and captured.
These are the frames I live for.
The Hose
And then – because this is what happens when you have a toddler and a garden hose in the same place on a summer day – things got a little wet.
What started as watering the plants turned into Milo discovering that the hose could also spray his mom, dad, and sister. And then Mom turned it back on him. And then somehow the whole family ended up laughing and soaked and completely delighted by the whole thing.
The photo of Taylor and Milo with the hose, both of them with their heads thrown back, laughing, water spraying everywhere, is one of my absolute favorite images I’ve made this summer. It is pure, uncomplicated joy. It is exactly what summer with little kids is supposed to feel like.
I didn’t direct that. I just stayed ready.
Tag and Everything In Between
The rest of the session flowed the way the best ones do – naturally, from one thing to the next, without anyone having to think too hard about what to do. They played tag in the yard. Nora got passed between arms. Milo ran the way toddlers run – with his whole body, completely committed to going somewhere even if he’s not sure where.
Tyler and Taylor moved through it all the way parents of young children do – constantly in motion, always tracking where both kids are, laughing at things only they understand, finding small moments of connection in between the beautiful chaos.
I photographed all of it.
What I Want You to Take Away From This
If you’ve been scrolling through these photos thinking I want something like this for my family – I want you to know that this is genuinely available to you.
You don’t need a farm. You don’t need a pond or a garden or a family property. You need your home or a favorite place, your people, and one ordinary day that you’re willing to let me document honestly.
Your Saturday morning routine. Your backyard. Your kitchen. Your kids doing the thing they always do that you love so much you can’t quite put it into words.
That’s the whole session. And those are the photos that will matter most.
Ideas for Summer Activities with Kids
A Note About This Family
Taylor: I am so glad life brought us back into each other’s orbits. Watching you and Tyler parent Milo and Nora with so much warmth and ease and laughter was genuinely one of my favorite things I’ve done with a camera this year.
These kids are so loved. It shows in every single frame.
Ready to Book Your Day in the Life Session?
Day in the Life sessions are now officially available to book! To get this officially on my schedule, reach out here with your information, location, and ideas that you have and I will be in touch as soon as possible. There’s a $50 retainer to book your session with the remaining $450 due the day before your session.
Read more about what a Day in the Life session includes here
I’d love to hear what your ordinary looks like.
Bekah Cabrejos is a wedding and family photographer based in North Carolina serving families across High Point, Trinity, Greensboro, the Piedmont Triad, Charlotte, and all of NC. View the full portfolio or get in touch to start planning your session.
Leave a Reply