Laughter, cuddles, wetsuits, surfboards and all—I could live in this session forever. While it can be easy to want to document your family as they grow with the traditional Christmas Cards of “everyone look at the camera”—those photos leave you lacking in something. Fake smilies and the stress of getting the littles to listen to you and look at the camera are usually found within the memories of those photos. Why do we want to freeze this in the form of photos for eternity? Does it always have to be that way?

What if instead… we play. We experience. We become focused on loving and being with each other, and craft family photo sessions around capturing the realness. The genuine connections. The personalities and diversity of each one present. Less pressure and an abundance of memories that you want to remember. Within these are the moments you wish didn’t flee so quickly. Your heart swells up and you feel the rush of what it actually felt like. These are the moments you want to remember.

Ali and Tyler are beautiful souls who made (and are continuing to raise) beautiful humans. I treasure this family. Their values. Their hearts. Their relationships with one another. This is a glimpse into their time exposing their kiddos to surfing for the first time, in one of my favorite places, at the most magical time of day. And I love all of it so.