Tenney & Home

Unscripted is a word that gets tossed around a lot in documentary photography. It’s probably overused—a buzzword in the industry. However, something profoundly beautiful lives in life’s unscripted moments—the laughter that bursts out during a game of tag, the quiet gaze of a child lost in thought, the warmth of intertwined fingers as a family walks side by side. Unscripted is the right word, even if it is overused.

Lifeguard post with lake Mendota in the background at Tenney Park

Mother caresses daughters face at Tenney Park

Black and White: Mother playfully lifts up son with playground in background at Tenney Park

Undershot: daughter on swing at Tenney Park with the rest of the family in the background

These passing moments weave together to form the complex tapestry of family life.  I spent the day with this beautiful Madison family at Tenney Beach Park and inside the cozy nest they call home, seeing life as it unfolded—one authentic moment at a time. After a morning at one of Madison’s best parks, we moved into the cozy rhythm of the family’s home. In that familiar space, the quiet but powerful parts of family life began to unfold. Home brings comfort. It invites openness. It’s where the heart lives and where a family’s true spirit shines brightest and relaxes deepest.

Mother pushes child in red stroller at Tenney Park.

Mother and Father walk strollers containing their young children at a crosswalk

Black and White: Mother and daughter practice "shadow puppets" during evening with a garage in the background

Elder daughter caresses ear while young son holds surprised expression

Daughter in orange dress caresses her ear while father does the same in the background

Daughter in orange dress sits in low-light home-hallway smiling

Diptych: young son wearing blue shirt eats blueberries in a highchair (with top down shot) in home

Mother playfully touches young son's nose at breakfast in home

Son in blue overalls hugs father in blue shirt laying in child's pose at home

Daughter in orange dress reads book about insects while young son, and panda bear stuffed animal play in foreground

Father reads to son, while mother reads to daughter in living room of home

Black and white: mother, daughter and father read a book on the coach as the son plays with his mother

Father in blue shirt and daughter in orange dress make intense/close eye-contact as father eats bagel covered in jam in home

Daughter in orange dress lays on mother's (in striped dress) lap

Young son is embraced lovingly by mother with tears in his eyes

Mother embraces both son and daughter as daughter reaches towards the camera playfully

Mother and father embrace with the dining room of the home in the foreground

As a family documentary photographer, I am not just capturing images-I’m making them as a I see them. I am a storyteller, preservationist of the present, and archivist of emotions. Documentary family photography allows us to freeze time, to hold onto the moments that, too often, slip through our fingers. Our experience with this beautiful family at Madison's Tenney Park and their home was more than a photoshoot. It was an opportunity to witness and hold onto the heart of their family bond. Each smile, each tender touch and tear (toddlers and tears, am I right?), and each burst of laughter was a note in the symphony of their lives, and I was honored to play a part in telling their story.

Reach out to schedule your very own Beautifully Ordinary family documentary session at your home or a special community location.

xo

-jen