Green Lakes, Fayetteville NY - Family Photo Session — Updating Family Memories

Sometimes you don’t realize just how much time has passed until you put two photographs side by side.

Six years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to photograph my dear friend Lauren and her family. Her relationship with her partner, Jim, was fairly new at the time, but even in those photographs, you could tell that they cared deeply about each other and loved being part of each other’s lives.

Lauren and I have known each other since college, and over the years, life has taken us in different directions. We’ve stayed friends, but like so many friendships, there are times when life gets busy and far too much time passes between visits.

So, this weekend at Green Lakes was especially meaningful.

A Weekend at Green Lakes

My family was camping at Green Lakes in Syracuse, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better weekend.

The campground was beautiful, and the location was perfect for our family. It felt like a scene out of a 90s campground, just with updated clothes and equipment. Across the field, children played at dusk, using flashlights to tag each other in the grass. Lightning bugs filled the air and trees, campfires crackled, and the smell of hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill filled the air.

We were incredibly lucky to have gorgeous weather throughout our trip.

My son absolutely loved the small playground near our campsite and the massive playground near the lake. There was also the sandy Green Lakes beach, where the water was warm and perfect for swimming. There was no shortage of things to keep kids—and the adults chasing after them—busy and happy.

On Saturday, before Lauren’s family photo session, she joined my family for a day together at the lake. We hung out, played with my son, enjoyed the water, and simply had a wonderful day together.

She picked up her son, Charlie, and we all had lunch together at our campsite. My son was having so much fun that he was very resistant to taking a nap, but he finally passed out for a little while.

It was one of those beautiful summer days when the weather was gorgeous and hot, and I got to spend time with a friend I felt like I hadn’t seen nearly enough.

It was wonderful.

Honestly, we’ve already decided our family is definitely going back—not just to camp, but to hang out, enjoy Green Lakes again, and spend more time with Lauren and her family.

Planning the Photo Session

The photo session itself involved a little planning.

Lauren and I spent some time Saturday scouting locations around Green Lakes before the session. She had photographed there before and already had some spots picked out for where she wanted the kids to walk to. We walked around, looked at different areas, and talked through possibilities for the photographs.

We wanted to find a location that would give us some shade from the afternoon sun while also taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings.

But photography doesn’t always go exactly according to plan!

When we arrived Sunday morning, the light was different from what we had seen when we scouted the day before. Some of the locations we had considered weren’t going to work quite the way we had envisioned.

So we looked at where the light was falling, I adjusted positions and angles, and made it work.

That’s part of being a photographer. Having a plan is important, but knowing when to change that plan is just as important.

Natural light can change quickly, and sometimes the best photograph comes from being willing to move, rethink an idea, and work with what’s happening in front of you.

During the Session

It had been a very long time since I had seen Lauren’s family all together, and when I did, I couldn’t believe how much the kids had grown.

When I look back at the photographs from the previous session and then look at these new images, the difference is incredible.

Their faces have changed. Their personalities have developed. They are becoming their own people.

It’s amazing what a few years can do.

One of the things that made this session especially enjoyable was how agreeable the kids were to posing and prompts. Of course, anyone who has photographed children knows that getting everyone to simply “smile at the camera” isn’t always the best approach!

Lauren was able to give me specific prompts and phrases that encouraged genuine reactions from the kids. I could say something silly or give them a little direction that got them interacting with each other.

Those little prompts created real smiles or laugh instead of a forced expression—and they work on adults, too!

The kids were cooperative, the weather was gorgeous, and we were able to capture some really natural expressions and interactions.

Those little moments are often the photographs that become everyone’s favorites.

Because Lauren and I have known each other for so many years, there was already a level of comfort and trust between us. We didn’t have to spend the entire session figuring each other out. We could laugh, talk, make adjustments, and enjoy the experience.

That allowed me to capture both traditional family portraits and the natural interactions that happen in between.

A laugh.

A look between family members.

A little bit of silliness.

The way everyone naturally interacts.

Those moments are often my favorite photographs because they don’t just show what a family looks like.

They show who they are.

Why Update Your Family Photographs?

The photographs you took a few years ago are still incredibly important. They capture your family at that particular moment in time.

Your family is always growing, changing, and creating new memories every day.

An updated session doesn’t replace the old photographs.

It adds another chapter to the story.

One of the other things I noticed when comparing the older photographs with the new ones was how much I’ve grown as a photographer, too.

I can see the difference in how I approach lighting, composition, posing, directing a family, and capturing those little moments in between the traditional portraits.

My editing and post-processing have evolved as well. The new photographs have a more polished, professional feel while still keeping the focus on the family and their personalities.

That’s something I love about photography.

You never stop learning.

Every session teaches you something. Every family gives you a new opportunity to see light differently, approach a location differently, and find better ways to tell someone’s story through photographs.

So when you come back for an updated session, you’re not only documenting how your family has grown. You’re also getting the benefit of how your photographer has grown.

If it’s been several years since your last family portrait session, take a look at those old photographs.

Then look at your family today.

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How much have the kids changed?

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How much have you changed?

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What has happened in your lives since those photographs were taken?

Sometimes we don’t notice the changes because we’re living them every day.

Photography gives us the opportunity to stop for a moment and see them.

If it’s been a few years since your last family session, maybe it’s time to update those photographs. Your family won’t always be exactly as they are today—and that’s worth remembering.

Lauren and Jim,

This session wasn’t just a photo shoot for me. It was part of a wonderful weekend with my family and friends I consider family.

Lauren, you and I have been friends since college. There was a time when we could spend hours hanging out, being artistic, talking about photography, design, ideas, and whatever creative project was in front of us.

I miss that.

But I’ve also learned that friendships—and life—move through seasons.

There are times when family, work, raising kids, and other responsibilities become the things that need our attention most. We don’t always have the time to do the things we once did, and that’s okay.

Those parts of ourselves don’t disappear.

They’re still inside us, waiting for the right time to come back out.

Maybe someday we will have another afternoon where we can just make art, talk photography, and be creative together again.

And I think we will.

Our lives have changed so much since college. We have families, responsibilities, and completely different schedules than we once did. But that doesn’t mean the creative parts of who we were are gone.

Someday we’ll have the time again to make art together just because we can.

Until then, I’m grateful for the friendship we have, the memories we’ve made, and the moments when life gives us a chance to reconnect.