This is the second time I have had the privilege of documenting a day in the this family's life. If you have been following along with me for a while, you know that I have a very sentimental attachment to physical places and spaces. I feel like there is such a powerful statement to be made (and felt) about the setting of our memories. The land hold memories. The home hold memories. It's a place that forms this supernatural pull on our heart. This is one of those places, and times, for this family.

This is a place where they all come together for a week of togetherness and bonding. This is where the children can run wild and free. They can play flashlight tag, ride dirt bikes, sail in the Chesapeake Bay, hunt for crabs, get dirt under their nails, and play until they collapse. The parents can sit back and relish in each other's company with faint laughter on the wind. It's a place that feels truly secluded from the outside world, a place to get away from it all.

It was a beautiful day, not too hot, not too cold. We spent the whole day outside playing pickleball, yard games, playing on the playset, checking the "magic mailbox", sailing, and visiting their beloved Crab Island, before having a delicious home cooked meal for supper.  

Here's to family, here's to love. 

To book your Day in the Life Session, you can contact me here or at the Contact tab above. I'd love to help you tell your story. 

When I was a kid, our family vacationed together. We had vacations with just our family of course, but a lot of times we traveled with aunts and uncles and cousins! 
So, when I get the opportunity to photograph a family vacation, I get so excited because it is near and dear to my heart! 

This family comes together from all over the world to meet right here in Virginia Beach, Virginia to hang out and vacation together.  This happened to be one of the hottest days of the entire year here. It always happens like that, doesn't it? The sand was blistering hot and they chose to hang out in the beach house until it cooled off some. I don't blame them one single bit! Hey, at least the views from the house were absolutely spectacular!! 
What a special time! I was so excited to see all of the cousins playing together and decorating cookies together while the family prepared a huge meal to share. 

I love this family's commitment to spending time together and intentionally setting aside a week to connect with each other. That is really commendable. These are memories that the kids will take with them the rest of their lives. 
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Here's your reminder to just embrace the day. You don't have to necessarily "do" anything for your session. Just hang out, enjoy one another's company, and be together. The rest will take care of itself. 

This family gets together every summer at the grandparent's home in Portsmouth, Virginia. What's more nostalgic than a summer vacation to Grandma and Grandpa's house? Where the whole family gets together? I'd argue nothing is quite as good as that. There's a lot of memories to be made there. 

This family had me over bright and early to capture their relaxed breakfast routine and their kids waking up. I walked in to the smell of bacon frying, coffee brewing, and the sound of hushed conversations. 

One by one as everyone woke up and the last piece of bacon was cooked, they gathered for breakfast at the dining room table.
After breakfast, Grandma had a craft prepared for everyone- rock painting. Not only is painting fun, but it was really nice to see that they were going to be displayed proudly in the garden. 
There was also some epic cornhole games going on! 

I felt right at home here, it reminded me so much of my memories of my own grandparents.