Family Photos with Teens at Peace Valley Park | Doylestown PA Family Photographer

There’s so much emphasis on documenting families when kids are little—the newborn days, toddler chaos, missing teeth and first days of school. But somewhere along the way, as kids get older, family photos can quietly fall off the to-do list.

And I think that’s such a shame.

This July session at Peace Valley Park was with a family of four and their two teenage daughters, and it’s exactly the kind of session that reminds me why your family is still worth documenting long after everyone can dress themselves and smile on command.

Family Photos Matter When Your Kids Are Teenagers, Too

Teenagers are in this strange in-between season. They’re becoming more independent and more themselves, but they’re also still very much part of the family they’ve grown up in.

And that makes this age worth remembering.

A session with older kids also feels different from photographing a family with toddlers—and that's a good thing. There’s less chasing and negotiating and more room to capture the relationships that have developed over years of growing up together.

The inside jokes. The way sisters interact. The relationship each daughter has with her parents. The version of your family that exists right now.

Give Them Photos of Themselves, Too

One thing I love about family sessions with older kids is that we have plenty of time to photograph more than just the whole family together.

Your kids deserve individual photographs that make them feel good about themselves, too.

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I also make space for the relationships within the family—parents together, siblings together, each parent with the kids—because those photographs often end up meaning just as much as the classic everyone-looking-at-the-camera portrait.

And yes, teenagers can absolutely still be silly together.

A Summer Family Session at Peace Valley Park with Doylestown, PA Family Photographer

Peace Valley Park is one of my favorite places for family photos in the Doylestown area because there’s so much variety without needing to wander all over the park.

For this July evening, the lush summer greens and low golden light gave us a beautiful backdrop while still keeping the photos focused on the people in them.

If it’s been a few years since your last family photos because your kids aren’t little anymore, consider this your reminder: you haven't missed your chance.

Your family hasn't stopped changing just because the baby years are behind you.

And someday, photographs of who your kids were at 12 or 15 or 17—and who all of you were together—may be every bit as precious as the photographs from when they were small.

If you're looking for a Doylestown PA family photographer, I'd love to document this version of your family, too.