Parents kissing near teenage kids at the Balboa Park Organ Pavilion

Balboa Park Family Portraits | Capturing a Season

It was wonderful to photograph the Sundermeyers again this summer after four eventful years. Seana recently finished her doctoral degree in teaching English, so she had wonderful words for me when I asked her to describe her family and our session together.

Four years ago, we had the blessing and privilege of having our family photo session with Amy at beautiful Coronado. It was an opportunity to capture the ever-fleeting time of our family as our daughter Kaitlyn was graduating high school at that time. We knew we wanted to capture this season in a magical way once again with both of our kids entering into their senior years—Kaitlyn graduating this year from university, and our son Tyler graduating high school. When the kids were little, we would often ask them at the end of the day what their favorite thing was of whatever we did that day. Oftentimes, they would answer just “being together.” We are so grateful to have all four of us together to celebrate life and the gift of “being together!”

Family of four sitting close on a low ledge with white columns and green foliage at Balboa Park
Two teens laughing together sitting on a bench with golden hour light filtering through trees
Woman portrait wearing denim jacket smiling against softly blurred green background

Both of our children have experienced heavy health journeys this past summer involving going through major surgeries and healing through ample recovery time. Journeying through chronic sickness with one’s children is such a strong reminder of how precious life is. I often call our two kids “miracle kids,” because that is what they are! These pictures will always be special to us, especially this summer, reminding us of their resiliency, their bravery, and their precious lives. What a gift!

Young man with shoulder-length hair standing against bokeh green foliage at Balboa Park
Young woman sitting on grass in patterned shirt and white pleated skirt under trees
Couple smiling on decorative bench with red, yellow, and orange flowers blooming behind
Two young women leaning on stone wall laughing together with green trees behind
Woman standing by stone wall in denim jacket against blurred green backdrop

Seana said, “I actually love the laughter in between the photos. One of the things I treasure most as my kids are older is just the opportunity to hang out and have fun conversations with them. It was a beautiful evening in San Diego and I just loved soaking up that time with my family in beautiful Balboa Park.”

Young woman at Balboa Park smiling with colorful red, yellow, orange flowers in background
Teen leaning on stone wall at Balboa Park with purple flowers blooming behind
Young woman standing by fountain at Balboa Park with Spanish colonial building and pink umbrellas
Young man sitting on decorative tile bench at Balboa Park with bell tower visible behind
Young man sitting on steps at Balboa Park with beautiful white arches framing him
Young woman on steps at Balboa Park with white arches and stone architecture in background

Seana: It is so hard to choose favorites for sure! However, I love the one of our two kids sitting on the steps with the beautiful arch architecture behind them. Also, towards the end of our photo session, there were some beautiful purple flowers present so we took the opportunity to take a family picture in front of them. I just like the way those turned out as well, even in that spontaneous moment!

Two young people crouching on steps at Balboa Park with white arches and columns behind
Family of four walking together at Balboa Park with bell tower and palm trees in background
Family of four walking through white columns at Balboa Park with golden hour light
Family walking hand in hand through columned corridor at Balboa Park
Two young women hugging and laughing at Balboa Park with soft golden hour light
Young woman in patterned shirt standing by water at Balboa Park with modern building
Young man crouching against large red wooden doors of a historic building
Family of four standing together outdoors at Balboa Park surrounded by trees
Young man leaning on wooden railing overlooking green hillside at Balboa Park
Family of four standing together with bright magenta bougainvillea flowers blooming behind

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