Before They’re All Grown: Photographing Your Teen While They’re Still Home

There’s a quiet shift that happens when your teen is getting ready to leave the house. College tours, job plans, countdowns you don’t say out loud. They’re still living under your roof—but something already feels different.

As a portrait photographer, this is one of the most important seasons I get to document.

These photos aren’t about marking a milestone like graduation. They’re about before. Before the room gets cleaned out. Before the everyday moments become memories. Before your teen is only home for holidays and quick visits.

Moms often think, “We’ll do photos later.” But later comes and goes by fast.

Right now is when their laugh still fills the house. When you still cross paths in the kitchen. When hugs happen without planning. These are the details that fade first—and the ones you’ll miss the most.

Portraits during this season don’t need to be formal or perfect. They can be quiet. Comfortable. Honest. Sitting together on the couch. Standing in the doorway of the home that raised them. Just being yourselves, exactly as you are right now.

One day, these photos won’t just remind you what they looked like—they’ll remind you how it felt to have them home.

Consider this your reminder: capture  and soak in as much of your kiddos as you can while they’re still home. Not because you’re holding on—but because this chapter matters too.