I keep going on about offering documentary family photography for you. But what does that really mean? What does the process look like and what do you get in the end?
Let me walk you through it.
What does it mean to document family life? Does that sound daunting to you? Like serious matter? Because that’s absolutely not what it is.
What I do is capture images that represent the most realistic version of your daily life that I can get. It’s nostalgia in the making…
Remember back when you were a child… What are the things you remember? Details, daily or weekly routines? Most of them live in our heads – and probably change over time. We can’t rely 100% on our memory, our brain changes what happened in our past.
But if you had a photo of your mum brushing your teeth in the morning or your dad getting you dressed for your Sunday afternoon visit to the beach – those memories will stay with you for longer and much clearer.
Wouldn’t you want that for your kids? You do so much for them: try to make sure they grow up safe, feel supported examining the world around them (even if that means a cheeky look in the snack cupboard) and expressing their personalities.
Having photos that represent their lives now will help them understand who they are.
And more importantly, if those images show them with you, it strengthens their sense of belonging, seeing themselves with their parents on photos – displayed on the shelf, on the wall or in those chunky, beautiful family albums.
So how do we get those images?
First of all, before I come to photograph you in your home, I will make sure to address all your questions or concerns. However, those conversations won’t include a style guide or creating an activity plan for the day. I don’t want the fact that you’ll have me around to distract from your usual family dynamics.
So the way you prepare for a documentary photo session is by NOT briefing your kids to behave, by letting everyone (including yourself) wear whatever you they are most comfortable in and by only cleaning the house to the extent you would if you were having a friend around. In theory, there’s no need to clean up at all but we all want our house to look good when we get a visitor. Just don’t feel like you need to scrub any floors or tidy the playroom until it looks like your kids aren’t actually playing there.
The chaos and the mess of your home is nothing you need to hide. In a few year’s time, you’ll look at these images, remember the years of a messy house and secretly miss what that time stood for.
Now that you DIDN’T clean up and DIDN’T brief your kids, it’s time for you to just relax and enjoy a few hours of connection time with your family. This time is a reminder of how life feels like for you and everyone else. Yes, it’s exhausting but it’s also the life you built.
Most of my family sessions take around 2 hours. After I arrive, I get my camera out but I don’t start shooting right away unless it feels like everyone is ok with me just documenting what happens. We can have a chat, I’ll get to know your kids and while their excitement over my camera fades, I just hang out with you for a while.
What you do while I’m around is totally up to you. That could be making breakfast or lunch or you getting ready to go to your favourite park or the beach. Or wake the baby up from their nap and have some time playing.
Think about what kind of things you do as a family that you would like your kids to remember in the future. Those are the things we can do. Just try to avoid planning too many activities within a short time frame. Nobody will enjoy that! And you know what, those few hours of me documenting your life will pass in a heartbeat. At some point you’ll probably all forget why I’m actually there – that’s when the best photos happen.
Sometimes there’s a natural lull after a few hours. Or it’s naptime or the kids get grumpy and it’s not helpful to have a stranger around which means they might not feel like they can just let go – that’s my cue to leave.
And just like that, a morning or an afternoon has passed. I’ll leave and you’ll get back to the rest of your day, whatever that looks like.
Does that still sound so daunting? If not, think of the memories you’d like your children to keep. And then let’s make a plan for how we can capture those for them.
A few weeks after your session, you’ll receive a gallery invite where you’ll be able to watch your day back in a slideshow of photos, set to some beautiful music. The images in your gallery will be a reflection of your family life as it is now.
Once you’ve chosen your photo collection, you’ll be able to download your images in high resolution and use your complimentary print credit to get them off your device and into your hands and your home.
