In The Nest | Ford Family

July 26, 2017

Early morning documentary session in the books, once again, & it was perfection.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

 

 

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

 

 

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Lovely blog you havve here

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