My father-in-law followed me to my very first booked photography job.
…I am 32 years old
So, yea, he followed me & I waved him goodbye as my client answered the door to her cute home here in Texas. It was actually perfect because it started the whole experience off on a funny note.
“Making sure I’m not a bad guy, huh?” -Lauren, my client
Here she is with her two sons. It was a cloudy, rainy day. Clouds can be great, especially when photographing outdoors, but it’s not always ideal for indoor shooting. I mean, it absolutely can be, but this was a really dark day. So, I scanned her house as we chatted & noticed all of her blinds were closed. I opened them all up & this window right here let in the most light. Although this was a lifestyle session, I directed them towards this window because I couldn’t pass up this pretty stellar light. And I knew she wouldn’t mind a few posed shots.
You see this kid right here? He took to me the minute I walked in the door. My friend says it must be because of my eyebrows (she thinks my eyebrows are the bomb), but I’m pretty sure it’s because I have two young children of my own & I know how to act. a. fool. He loved my baby voice, my tickles, & my peek-a-boo skills so much that he easily became the main subject in about 100+ photos. He knew how to work those eyes & that smile, I was so taken.
This photo was shot on Lauren’s bed while they read, ate donuts, & hung out. Her bedroom offered one window & it was halfway covered by large furniture. So I decided to keep her nightstand lamps on for some of these shots, which gave my subjects a nice warm glow. I typically like to have zero lights on as long as the windows offer me enough natural light, but I’m also not afraid to work with what I got & experiment.
Lauren’s two boys were surely rambunctious, so they went off to play basketball in the living room after hanging out on the bed. My little cutie who took to me early on in the session copied me by laying down on the floor. My favorite part of taking photos is getting creative with angles, so if that means I need to lay down real quick, but then pop up in a matter of a second to not miss a shot, I will!
My two subjects in the second shot on the right are a bit blurry, but that is because they were on the move! I still consider this picture a winner because it captures a moment in motion – totally documentary style.
The most touching part of this whole session was that Lauren entrusted me with the job of documenting her while she breastfed her youngest son. Although I tried, I failed at nursing my first born because I was naive to the commitment it demanded. I did, however, nurse my littlest love for an entire year & could not be more proud of myself. So when Lauren told me she was still going strong at 22 months, I knew this was going to be good.
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