Jennifer, Jake & The Boys | Family Photos at Daybreak Regional Park in Battle Ground, Washington
I need to tell you how long Jennifer and I have known each other.
Our parents met in birthing class. We were born a few days apart. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of this gallery, you'll find a photo of the two of us as little kids — proof of a friendship that predates any memory either of us has. It is as old as we are.
So when I say that photographing Jennifer's family at Daybreak Regional Park along the East Fork Lewis River felt meaningful — I mean it in the deepest possible way. This is a woman I have known my entire life, and now she has a whole family of her own: Jake, three boys in coordinating flannel, and a spaniel who held it together better than any of them.
The boys were everything you'd expect three boys on a rocky riverbank to be. They had opinions. They had energy. They jumped on rocks when given the opportunity — and I gave them that opportunity, because that image of all three of them airborne on the riverbed is one of my favorites from the whole session. One arm fully raised to the sky, the other two doing their best, all three of them grinning. That's a shot you frame.
But there were also the quiet ones. The three of them lined up with the dog, suddenly serious and still, looking right at the camera like little men who had somewhere important to be. The close-up of all five faces — Jake and Jennifer beaming above the boys — the kind of portrait that makes you feel the warmth of a family even through a screen.
The East Fork Lewis River gave us the perfect backdrop: rocky banks, tall firs, the river running soft and grey behind them, just enough fall color in the trees to feel seasonal without demanding attention. It's a 35-acre park northeast of Battle Ground, and for a family this size, with this much energy, all that open space was exactly right.
Jennifer — I cannot believe we've been doing this whole "being alive at the same time" thing for this many years. Your family is wonderful. Scroll to the bottom. You'll see where it started.
Daybreak Regional Park is located at 26401 NE Daybreak Rd. in Battle Ground, Washington — a 35-acre park along the East Fork Lewis River with wide open space and beautiful Pacific Northwest scenery.
Booking family sessions now — let's connect.
Daybreak Regional Park family photographer, Battle Ground Washington family photos, Vancouver Washington family photographer, East Fork Lewis River family session, outdoor family photos Washington, family photographer Southwest Washington, Portland family photographer Washington, family photos with dog Washington, Rare Day Photo family session, Battle Ground WA photographer
