Documentary Photography | What it is . . . and isn’t

I’m going to let you in on a little secret . . . and I hope this doesn’t step on anyone’s toes . . . but posed family photos are just not where my heart is at. Even those sessions where moments are created but they aren’t moments that necessarily happen in the day-to-day, they don’t make the cut.

This might be hard to understand. I photograph families in this way all the time. . . what would be considered posed and lifestyle photo sessions. I hire photographers to photograph my family in this way. But what makes my heart sing and my creative juices flow as an artist? Documentary family photography.

Let me try to explain the difference for you. You just might realize that this is what you’ve been longing for all along.

When my oldest was a newborn people didn’t hesitate to tell me I needed to treasure these moments, that the years would fly by so fast I wouldn’t know what happened.  And you know what I was saying in my head?  “Thank goodness these years fly by because I am not good at this newborn thing.”

Fast forward fourteen years and I am sure you can guess what happened.  Now I nod my head and think, yes indeed those years flew by and I wish I had treasured them more. I want to be able to recall those memories, rocking my babies, inhaling their sweet smell, even the struggle of putting food on the table in the midst of a toddler and baby meltdown. And I want to remember the season we are in right now too.

I wanted even more evidence of those moments.

Children grow and change so quickly.  Yet, when we see them everyday those changes don’t seem so obvious.  I love looking at a series of school pictures or family portraits we have had made.  I can see the growth in my children from year to year.  But what about those moments in between the photos?  

How have our morning routines changed from when they were teeny tiny til now. How was my day changed? These things are in my memory and written in a journal I have kept on and off throughout the years. I wanted even more evidence of those moments.  What did they look like? What did I look like? How did I relate to those I love and spent every day with?

I began documenting my family in photos. Ok, so mostly my boys. I wanted to capture them, what they loved to do, what they looked like, their quirky personalities. And I wanted to capture their childhood. Who they spent time with, what their environments looked like, how they passed the days.

These photos mean so much to me. They make my heart sing. I realized THAT was what I wanted to happen for my clients too. I want them to have the gift of life captured, the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful just as it is. Because in a moment it is gone and life is defined by something new.

So what is documentary photography?

Work with the lighting rather than creating extra to fill in the shadows.

Things aren’t shifted, clutter is real.

Struggles present themselves.

Rather than creating a moment, a moment is captured.

There is down time.  Lulls happen naturally and will happen during your session too.  This is ok.

What isn’t it?

It isn’t perfectly coordinated outfit that nobody ever really wears – it is that favorite shirt your daughter wears everyday.

It isn’t posed and frozen smiles – it’s a fleeting glance, a gaze, that tells a story.

It isn’t focusing on how messy your house feels to you – people and connections are the focus.

It isn’t even laughing and walking  together in a field of flowers (because who does that in real life??).

Don’t get me wrong, I love these photos too.  But my heart, my passion is for documenting life as it happens.  You too, would be thrilled to see your walls adorned with beautiful photos of your family interacting in your everyday. Want to learn more?