What you can expect from your documentary family photos

I started my family photography business by taking staged portraits and lifestyle pictures or newborns and families. But after just a few sessions I realized that these pictures of matching outfits and (often) bribed kids didn't quite capture what I was interested in: capturing real memories.

When I flip through albums filled with my childhood pictures, I want to see what we were up to – not just what we looked like. And I imagine the same might be true for you (and your kids), too.

In my effort to help families have real memories as keepsakes, there are a few things that I look for when I’m taking photos:

What it’s like being a kid

How do your kids see the world? How do they experience their everyday life? How will they remember you?

What it’s like being a parent

While parenthood can be awe-inspiring and rewarding, it can also be tiring, frustrating, and challenging at the same time.

And because you’re the one living through those moments, it’s hard to take pictures of that yourself.

Details

Pictures of details can help not just jog your memory, but they can also fill in gaps for your kiddos as they grow and get more curious about how things used to be.

Gentle moments

Because life with kids can get chaotic, the fleeting gentle moments can be easy to miss (and tricky to get pictures of.)

Funny moments

Whether kids are just beig kids – or parents are seeing the humor in rough situations – funny things tend to happen throughout the day.

Interactions and connection

I do my best to capture the bond between different family members – which can be seen throughout the day in how you interact and connect.

The key to capturing these types of memories?

It’s no secret that I think documentary sessions are the best way to get pictures that best represent what your family’s life is like.

Because every family and situation is different, there isn’t a way for me to guarantee any type of image.

But when you’re in a comfortable environment (like your home), and when everyone knows what to do (like your usual evening routines), and you’re able to focus on each other (instead of posing for the camera), your photos are more likely to reflect your natural experience.