There are some families who come into your life as a photographer and, over time, become so much more than just another gallery in your portfolio.

This family is one of those.

I first met them when I was still towards the beginning of offering family photography, and their little boy was still so small.

That first session feels like such a special part of my journey as a photographer, because I had no idea then that I would have the privilege of photographing their family again and again.

But they came back.

And then they came back again.

And now, after three family sessions together, they have also asked me to photograph their wedding.

I don't think I can properly put into words how much that means to me.

The First Chapter

The first time I photographed this family, it was just the three of them.

Their little boy was small, curious and at such a lovely stage of childhood.

We captured their family just as they were then, the three of them together, the little details of their life and all those moments that seem so ordinary at the time, but become incredibly precious as children grow.

At the time, I couldn't have known that those photographs would eventually become the beginning of a much bigger story.

A Growing Family

The next time we met, their family was already changing.

Mum was pregnant with their little girl, and we were able to document that chapter too.

Their little boy was no longer the tiny baby I'd photographed during their first session, and suddenly there was another little person on the way.

It was such a lovely reminder of how quickly family life changes.

The photographs from that session now sit alongside their first gallery, showing not just what their family looked like at different points in time, but how their story was growing.

And Then There Were Four

Then came their third session.

Their little girl had arrived.

And something about this session felt particularly special.

She was around the same age her big brother had been when I first photographed them.

So suddenly, I was photographing two children at the same stage of life, but in completely different circumstances.

Their little boy was now the big brother.

Their daughter was experiencing those early months that I'd already photographed with him.

And I got to document them together.

Looking back through all three galleries side by side is such a lovely reminder of just how much can change in such a short amount of time.

From a family of three with a tiny little boy, to expecting their daughter, to a family of four with two little personalities beginning to emerge.

Three sessions.

Three chapters.

One family.

More Than Just Photographs

This is one of the reasons I love family photography so much.

A single session can give you beautiful photographs to treasure, but returning to the same family over time creates something much bigger.

You begin to see the little boy who once fitted so easily into his parents' arms grow into a big brother.

You see a bump become a baby.

You see tiny hands and feet become bigger ones.

You see personalities emerge.

And you get to preserve those changes along the way.

For me, it is such an honour when a family chooses to come back and ask me to document another chapter.

They could choose anyone.

But they choose me.

And that trust means an enormous amount.