Early morning documentary session in the books, once again, & it was perfection.
One of the top questions I get when booking a session is, “what time should we start?”, & I always respond with my own question, “when are your kids their happiest?”. Mornings have seemed to do the trick for families with young children & I am all for it!
Eli naps fairly early in the day, so I was invited to hang out before he went down for the count & it turned out to work out perfectly.
Another frequently asked question is, “what should we wear?”. Seriously, anything goes, but I love when I show up & the kids are in play clothes or jammies. Keeping it real like this really adds that endearing feeling I aim to evoke in my images.
Someone busted out a good old game of Twister & Dad’s prominent thigh in that one image (bottom right) quickly became the running joke throughout the entire session. So much so that I actually considered making it the featured image for this blogpost!
I was so in love with her hair that I ended up taking several images of it, I couldn’t help myself.
When it comes to photographing indoors, I strive to find that lighting that helps add the perfect amount of “moody” to an image & this house was chockfull of it.
I love how Leah (Mom) was giggling soon after I took these shots of them saying, “I can’t believe I just brushed my teeth in front of you!”. This was so fun! I seriously enjoy moments like these where families are so game to go along with whatever happens next. We were walking by the bathroom & they decided to brush their teeth & I decided to document it – so simple, so funny, & so awesome!
This shot right here is easily one of my favorites as the lighting here was perfection, but it’s also an area in the house that they must encounter multiple times a day. I just imagine them looking back at these photos, years from now, & smiling with those warm feelings of nostalgia. It’s funny because it’s “just” a front door, a pile of shoes, & a rug… but when captured like this, it is so much more. This little ordinary space becomes special simply because they were there.
It’s the best when we hit up every space… from bathroom, to bedrooms, to the backyard – I love documenting it all if I can.
Going monochrome with some of the images, in my opinion, provides that extra oomph to a collection.
Okay, here is my ultimate favorite aspect of an in-home session & it also happens to be one of my biggest personal challenges: getting to know someone new. It takes major guts to invite a complete stranger indoors to witness the going-ons of your life at home, where things can get real. The mess, the possible meltdowns, & all of the “what ifs”. I can be quiet & reserved, so meeting new people & also having to deliver with a service, can be so intimidating! I am so grateful, though, because these interactions not only force me to get out of my shell & enjoy people, but it also helps me express that natural desire I have to want to help others – in this case, help my clients feel comfortable enough to truly invite me inside their lives; help them drop the walls & enjoy each other in front of me & embrace the uniqueness of such an opportunity. Not everyone can get there, but The Fords were a prime example of the ideal client & it is so apparent in the soulful images I was able to capture for them.
Like this real life pout.
And in conclusion, I love to ask clients before I leave if there is anything else they wanted documented & I typically suggest a posed group shot since most people appreciate something like that. We decided on the original crew, pre kids.
