Another year with the Riggan family, and goodness, do I adore documenting their story. As an Idaho Family Photographer, families like James, Taylor, and little Valentine remind me why I love what I do. Watching families grow and getting to photograph them on land that’s been in their family for generations is something special and the Riggans make it even more meaningful every single year.

Their property sits up Wimpey Creek, and every time I’m there, it feels like a tiny adventure. We bump across fields, open a few gates, splash through the creek, and end up in the prettiest pockets of land that only a family who’s lived there forever knows about. As a Salmon Idaho Photographer, these are the places that inspire me most, the kind of hidden corners that carry history, memories, and years of love. Seeing life through my clients’ eyes, even just for a sliver of the afternoon, is one of the best parts of this job.

Now, if you know Taylor, you know she brings the fun. She has a whole collection of Christmas sweaters, and some years she even talks James and Valentine into matching themes. The last time we did this, they were rocking dinosaur sweaters. This year? STAR WARS.

James and Taylor showed up in their themed sweaters, and Valentine, being the imaginative kiddo he is, grabbed a stick and instantly turned it into a lightsaber. Without missing a beat, he launched into full Jedi mode. So of course, I leaned right in. We created a mini Star Wars–inspired “battle scene” for him, complete with dramatic poses and all the pretend-action magic a kid can dream up. These are the moments that make being an East Idaho Photographer so much fun, the candid, silly, unplanned pieces of childhood that deserve to be remembered.

From the sweeping family land to the festive sweaters and Valentine’s lightsaber adventure, this session was everything I love rolled into one: connection, laughter, tradition, and a whole lot of personality. Another year with the Riggan family, and already looking forward to the next one.