A Fall Documentary Family Session in Sterling, Virginia - The Tapps
Some client sessions stay with you long after you deliver the gallery.
This one is that kind of session for me.
The Tapps were actually the very first family I ever photographed.
Before Mel Usry Photography was even really an idea. Before I knew what my business would look like or what kind of photographer I wanted to be. The Tapps reached out from right here in Northern Virginia. She was newly pregnant, about 13 weeks along, and asked if I was taking clients.
At the time, I said yes without really knowing what “yes” meant yet. But looking back now, it feels exactly right that they were the first.
From Waiting to Welcoming
We started with a maternity session; documenting that quiet season of waiting. Their home felt calm and expectant in that way it often does before everything changes. The nursery was ready. Life felt paused, just for a moment.
After that session, they knew they wanted newborn photos. But once their baby arrived in late spring, life shifted quickly; as it always does. Instead of rushing a session in the haze of early newborn days, we decided to wait and document their family a little later.
So we did.
Their fall session took place when their daughter was about four or five months old. Same home. Same spaces. A completely new rhythm.
Returning to the Same Spaces
One of my favorite parts of this session was being back in the same rooms we photographed months earlier.
The nursery that once held only anticipation now held a baby.
The house that once felt quiet now felt lived in.
When they were pregnant, they loved slow evenings together; tea for her, a whiskey for him; sitting and unwinding after the day. They also spent a lot of time at their small kitchen nook, playing games and just being present with one another.
Seeing that same kitchen nook now; with their baby nearby, watching them, part of the moment; felt incredibly full-circle.
This is the heart of documentary family photography: returning to the same places as life unfolds and letting the story deepen naturally.
Why Documenting Seasons Matters
This is why I love photographing families across seasons instead of focusing on one isolated milestone.
When you look back at these images; maternity and then months later; it’s not about before and after. It’s about seeing how love stretches and adapts. About remembering how it felt to move through that season of life.
With the Tapps; you can feel how deeply they love their daughter and how much care they bring into their everyday routines. Their sessions didn’t need directing; these session felt like quietly witnessing something already meaningful.
Holding Space for Ordinary Life
This fall session wasn’t about perfection.
It wasn’t about posing.
It wasn’t even about a milestone.
It was about honoring a season as it was: full, tender, and still finding its footing.
These are the photos that tend to matter more over time. The ones that grow in meaning as your life continues to change. The ones that remind you not just what your family looked like; but how it felt to be together in that moment.
And for me, this family will always hold a special place in my work. They’re part of the beginning; and a reminder of why I document life the way I do.
Thinking About Documenting Your Own Season?
I offer in-home documentary family photography sessions throughout Northern Virginia for families who want their real life; not a performance; preserved with care.
Many families choose to begin with my Birth & Baby Story collections, which are designed to document pregnancy, the early days with a new baby, and the rhythms that unfold as your family grows.
If you’re entering a new season, or simply want to remember the one you’re in now, I’m currently booking sessions and would love to start a conversation about what documenting this chapter could look like for your family.
