School’s out! Lunchboxes are tucked away, backpacks are collecting dust, and our days are suddenly a little more free (and a lot more chaotic). If you're like me, this time of year always makes me pause and think, how did we get here so fast?


It feels like just yesterday we were snapping those back-to-school photos—and now the yearbooks are signed, the shoes are scuffed, and somehow… your kid looks older.


As an Edwardsville family photographer, I know how fast these moments fly—and how much it means to freeze just one. That’s the thing about photos. You never fully realize how much they've changed until you see it.


The crooked teeth that are now braces. The baby cheeks that have slimmed out. The way they used to cling to your leg but now race ahead of you on their scooter.


This is why I love what I do. Sessions aren’t just pretty pictures—they’re little time capsules. Whether it’s a summer family photo session in your backyard or a visit to my Edwardsville IL photography studio, these portraits hold the stories of who your family is right now—they’re little time capsules. They hold the freckled noses, the missing teeth, the wild curls, the way your daughter still reaches for your hand without thinking twice.


So while summer is here and the days feel long (and sticky and loud), this is the moment you’ll look back on and say, remember when?


Let’s press pause on this version of your family—just as you are, before they outgrow that favorite shirt or move on from their current obsession with sidewalk chalk or Paw Patrol.


If you're ready to update your family portraits or capture your wild, messy, beautiful summer just as it is. Let's tell your story.


xo,

Tara

Black and white photo of a young child in a casual shirt making an energetic pose with raised arms.
A young child in a black and white photo wearing a white dress with puffy sleeves and a bow in their hair.
Black and white portrait of a young child in a sundress sitting on hardwood floor.
Three children lying on a gray floor together playfully while wearing bows in their hair.
Two blonde children playing and laughing together, one giving a piggyback ride to the other against a gray background.
Children in casual attire pose together, wearing a leopard print top, white sweater, and mint green shirt.
Two young children play and laugh together against a white background, with one giving the other a piggyback ride.
Dancer in white pants and patterned top performs a graceful backbend pose against a stark white background.
A dancer performs a handstand against a stark white background, showing graceful form in black and white photography.
Three siblings pose playfully together wearing glasses and animal print clothing.
A parent helps a young child explore a garden in a backyard with green plants and trees.
A playful moment inside a white playhouse with window boxes and flower pots.
Through an open window, an adult and child interact cheerfully on a sunny summer day.
Child playing and sliding down a green playground slide over wood chips on a sunny day.
Child playing with a blue and gray toy dump truck in a backyard playground with mulch.