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They Still Fit in Our Arms | A Photographic Essay from a Kalamazoo Family Photographer

Writer: sarahrypma
sarahrypma
Oct 25
2 min read

As a Kalamazoo family photographer, I've watched children outgrow wagons, playgrounds, and eventually, their parents' shoulders. I've watched little kids become teenagers, trading missing teeth for braces and tiny hands for phones tucked into back pockets. But every once in a while, I catch a familiar expression, a certain smile, or the way a daughter leans into her mother, and suddenly, I can see the little girl she used to be.


Mother hugging her teenage daughter during a fall family photography session in Kalamazoo, Michigan, surrounded by colorful autumn foliage.
Mother and baby daughter touching noses and smiling in a tender moment during a Kalamazoo family photography session 13 years ago.
13 years ago

I've been photographing this family for 13 years. Thirteen years of changing hairstyles, missing teeth, growing legs, beloved dogs, and the little expressions that never seem to change.


Side-by-side Kalamazoo family portraits taken years apart, showing two daughters growing from young children into teenagers, standing with their parents and golden retriever.
Then-and-now Kalamazoo family photography portraits showing two sisters as young girls and teenagers, sharing the same playful side-eye expressions years later.

When I first met these girls, they were small enough to scoop up and carry. Now they're teenagers and nearly as tall (or taller) than their parents.


Then-and-now Kalamazoo family photography portraits showing a father playfully lifting his young daughter and embracing her as a teenager years later, surrounded by autumn colors.
Then-and-now Kalamazoo family photography portraits showing a mother hugging her young daughter and embracing her again as a teenager years later, capturing their enduring bond.

Photographing teenagers is different from photographing toddlers. The playful energy of childhood gives way to a little more self-awareness, but the personalities, familiar expressions, and occasional silliness are still there.


Then-and-now Kalamazoo family photography portraits showing a young girl hanging upside down on playground equipment and smiling for the camera as a teenager years later.
Then-and-now Kalamazoo family photography portraits showing a blue-eyed baby girl looking at a book and the same girl as a teenager, highlighting how much she has grown over 13 years.

Thirteen years of photographs tell a story that no single session ever could. The girls have grown, the dogs have aged, and the way this family fits together has changed. But look closely at these photographs, and you'll recognize the same expressions, the same affection, and the same people they've always been.


Then-and-now Kalamazoo family photography portraits showing two sisters as young children and teenagers, capturing their growth and playful sibling bond over the years.
Then-and-now Kalamazoo family photography portraits showing a family's golden retriever as a young dog and years later as a senior, capturing a beloved pet growing older alongside the family.

And now, 13 years later, here they are....


Two teenage sisters running toward the camera on a quiet Kalamazoo street during a fall family photography session, with golden sunlight streaming through the autumn trees.

Two teenage sisters holding hands in front of a weathered, rusted metal wall during a Kalamazoo family photography session, capturing a natural sibling moment.
Mother smiling at her teenage daughter as they walk together at sunset during a fall family photography session in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Two teenage sisters sitting together on a wooden bench, smiling with an arm around each other during a Kalamazoo family photography session.
Teenage girl climbing a tree during a Kalamazoo family photography session, capturing the playful spirit of childhood that remains as children grow older.
Mother and father sharing a warm embrace and laughing together during a fall family photography session in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Then-and-now Kalamazoo family photography portraits showing two sisters as toddlers with a red wagon and 13 years later as teenagers walking together in the golden autumn sunlight.

I'm incredibly grateful to this family for trusting me to document their lives for 13 years.


Looking through these photographs, I'm reminded that family pictures aren't just about remembering what our children looked like. They're about remembering who they were, how we loved them, and all the little moments we didn't realize we'd miss.


The girls have outgrown the wagon and they've outgrown being carried. But looking at these photographs, one thing remains true: they still fit in our arms.









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