Documenting Families
What exactly does documenting families mean?
It means I am here as a friend with a camera, that has a skillset to determine the best situations for atmosphere, light, compositions but also to stand on the sidelines and observe you as a family unit doing your daily activities so I can curate the story of your daily life as a family, in this moment. Documenting families is so special to me and if you are here, I'd love for you to understand why.
"Tell the story that's been growing in your heart, the characters you can't keep out of your head, the tale story that speaks to you, that pops into your head during your daily commute, that wakes you up in the morning." - Jennifer Weiner.
My goal is to capture emotion, connection and the authentic moments you experience on the daily so that you can look back years from now with happiness and love. I full heartedly believe that this style of photography releases the best kind of reactions within our heart. These moments will be preserved and looked upon for lifetimes.
Do you direct and interact during the session?
I do direct and interact during the session in a limited way. I want to keep the session as authentic as possible, so I try to keep a balance between snapping and speaking. I'm there to streamline the session in a way that is authentic to your family. The direction I offer is emotive and contains movement so that you can be relaxed and comfortable. I often make suggestions before the session and during the session, and offer brainstorming ideas for activities that suits each family individually. If your children are having a bad day, that's ok. We can work around it. The goal is to create an environment that is playful and adventurous filled with connection. Not everything in life is perfect and I try to depict that in stories. For families with small children, those tantrums can make cute moments that make you laugh years later, possibly even miss them.
How does this work?
I have two packages and they contain a time of 1-2 hours. My goal is to spend as much time as I can with you and your family to capture the fleeting moments that you may not notice. Normally, I start in the home as this is the most comfortable setting for children whilst meeting me, the photographer. This helps with building a relationship in a safe place which results with many raw candid and emotional photos. The getting ready photos are my favourite as they offer a glimpse into the routine of your family. Then we head to the location of choice. From there, we will have fun. There will be activities to do, adventures to have and cuddles to sneak. My goal is to create a space where you forget that I am there.
What would you suggest that I do with the photographs?
My style of photography goes well in photo albums. My second package contains a heirloom album which preserves the memories of your session. I will curate the images in a way that create the story of your day together. Candids are also beautiful when hung on a wall and put into frames. However, I of course take a few portrait style photos of everyone looking into the camera. Overall, I want you to have a variety of ways you can savour these memories. I truly believe in that importance.
What happens when the session ends?
When the session ends, within two days I send a sneak peek slideshow, along with 10 images preview. It will take two weeks for the gallery to be complete. You will receive a full gallery of images to download, edited, at high resolution. I keep the images in a private online gallery for one year. I would suggest that you save your images on an external hard drive or two.