Some Thoughts About Documentary Family And Newborn Photography

Over the past couple months I asked documentary family photographers from around the world to answer some questions about how they see the work they do. It's only fair I answer the same questions, right?

What is the difference between lifestyle sessions and what I do?

I truly want to capture who a family is in an empathetic, curious and honest manner. The photos are not meant to remind families about the photographer, but about that specific time in their lives. It might be the time when the oldest one still enjoyed cuddles, when the little brother had lost his first tooth, when the 10 month old learned to stand up on her own, or when a newborn in the house meant new challenges for the first-time parents.

Why do I choose to make documentary pictures?

I used to think it was just because I wasn't good at posing families, or getting kids to "behave" in front of the camera. As time goes by I realize that it goes deeper than that – I have to feel that what I do matters, and making pictures that don't reflect the family's own personality just isn't interesting enough for me. I also think about what the kids will want when they are older – surely they'll be more interested in what their real life was like than an album filled with only posed pictures?

What kinds of pictures am I drawn to make?

The photos I'm most drawn to are people touching each other. A gentle hand stroking a newborn's hair, or a protective arm reaching out towards a toddler. I didn't used to be a touchy-feely person as a teenager, but as I've gotten older I see how much we all really need physical contact. It can be reassuring, supportive, a sign of agreement or love.Other things that get my shutter going are the more subtle kinds of connections between people, whether it's a look or kids copying their parents' behavior.Struggles of parenthood are very interesting to me, as well as the little things that happen throughout childhood that are forgotten when we grow up. I'm quite nervous when I think about having kids someday, but seeing how others tackle parenthood with humor gives me relief.Lastly, kids do weird stuff ALL THE TIME. I like to document that for my families, because I love that my clients love their little weirdos just as they are.

What do I do with my documentary pictures?

I print them! This year I've been pretty obsessed with printing pictures, because I worry about what will happen to my digitals incase something happens to me. Someday when there are kids in the picture (pun intended) I'll have to rethink a little, I will probably start ordering yearly albums as well.[gallery targetsize="full" captions="hide" bottomspace="none" gutterwidth="20" columns="1" size="full" ids="6625,6627,7382,6163"]

What do I wish I had documentary photos of?

We spent most of my childhood summers out on my parents' boat, and there are a lot of photos from these summers spent with friends we'd meet at sea. But someone always had to be behind the camera, and the photos were a bit more planned than pure documentary. I don't think documentary family photography even existed 20+ years ago.My grandparents both passed away while I was in college, long before I had intentions of becoming a photographer. I really wish that someone had been to their home and taken pictures of a day in their lives – my farmor (grandma) was very camera shy and there aren't a lot of shots of the two of them from when they were older.It's been almost 4.5 years since me and Marcus moved from Finland to California. I wish we had photos from those first few weeks when we owned nothing but clothes, a mattress and kitchen supplies. But we had each other and that was all that mattered. I will say, getting a dinner table after eating on the stairs for a couple months was glorious.The first 4 weeks with our Australian Shepherd Nova were stressful – but I'm sure it would be pretty fun now to see photos of what it was like. I remember mostly how exhausted I was, how poorly I slept and how I barely had time to grab a bite to eat while she took a 5 minute nap, and we constantly worried about neighbors hearing her bark and whine at night. I'd love to see what positives a photographer would have captured for me – of course I have a TON of pictures of Nova, but guess if I'm in them?See what the other ladies had to say in previous blog posts:1 | What is the difference between lifestyle sessions and what you do?2 | Why do I choose to make documentary pictures?3 | What kinds of pictures am I drawn to make?4 | What do you do with my documentary pictures?5 | What do you wish you had documentary photos of?