Let's be honest for a sec...
Every fall and summer, Hampton Roads turns into a parade of matching outfits (fall=flannel and jeans, summer=white on khaki), "smile for just one picture" bribery, and parents sweating because the kids are acting a fool and that one perfect picture is needed before the sun dips below the horizon.
It's cool. I get it. Seriously. Been there, done that. And you know what? I adopted a better way.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, wrong with the classic family photo or the beautifully coordinated outfits. They're sweet! They are timeless! And most importantly, they have their place.
But if you've ever looked at those photos and thought:
"That's cute...but it doesn't really look like us."
....then you, my friend, might be ready for something a little different.
Something unapologetic that makes a wistful smile appear on your lips.
Something barefoot and a little wild.
Something that feels like a breath of fresh air.
Documentary Family Photography: It hits different as the seasons come and go
Fall isn't just a season with pretty leaves. It's a whole mood. Summer isn't just a season with hot days. It's full of boredom, adventure, and sunshine.
Fall is for jumping in leaf piles instead of posing next to trees. It's for muddy boots, coats, crockpot dinners, football in the yard, early sunsets, nights by the fire, and that "just got home from school energy".
Summer is for sand everywhere, ice cream, barefoot living, hot dogs and watermelon, swimming, and days that seem to go on forever.
A documentary family photo session are family photos that let you actually live that life!
No posing.
No standing still.
No begging your kids to smile at the camera.
It's your family doing what they love and being exactly who they are- full personalities on display here!- and looking wildly photogenic because of it, not in spite of it.
Why These Photos Deserve *actual* Wall Space
You know what's crazy? People sometimes assume that documentary, candid photos somehow don't belong on a wall. They are too real? Too...somthing?
Nah girl, those photos deserve to hang ON THE WALL.
The most meaningful images of your life are likely the ones that no one posed for.
You know, the one where...
- the baby in nothing but a diaper is belly laughing
- Your dad is wearing the same grease/paint stained sweatshirt he's been wearing for 20 years
- Mom's hair is kind of a mess, but gosh she looks happy
- the kitchen is a mess, but everyone's belly is full and stories are being told with world class animation
These are the photos that people come back to- plain and simple. It's these.
These are the ones people stare at because they can feel life in them...and sometimes in today's world, we need a little bit of that life breathed back into us.
Why This Year Should be the Year You Break the Family Photo Mold
Because we're done with matching sweaters.
We've done the awkward bribery.
We've done the "just one more smile for the camera".
None of that is an issue because I'm not asking them to do a DANG thing.
Think about your future self. What would you want to see in those pictures? Actual memories or basically the same picture in different clothes over and over again?
Here's What a Documentary Family Sesh feels like with me
No wardrobe stress.
No "everyone act normal". (trust me, the crazy stuff looks better in photos!)
No dragging unwilling children into frame- remember they can't be unwilling because I'm not asking them to do anything.
Here's what is gonna happen:
I'm going to show up, do whatever your family is already doing, and document the magic.
Are we cooking? Set me a place at the table. Are we playing cornhole? I suck, but I'll play. Are we headed to the beach for the afternoon? Cool, I'm bringing my swimsuit. Having breakfast? I'm starved. Building backyard forts? I'll bring bug spray! Hanging out on the porch? I'm in!
You don't really "have a session" with me.
You're literally making memories.
And me? I'm making art of your moments.
And if you made it this far...
You're probably realizing that you don't necessarily hate taking photos, but you hate photos that don't feel like you. That feel suffocating and tired and like it's a performance.
You're tired of curating memories instead of living them.
You're tired of appearing perfect when you'd rather just be present.
Here's my invitation to you- no sales pitch needed
If this feels like that breath of fresh air? Then this is your permission slip to show up exactly like you are (even if that means sweats and a t shirt!). I'd love to talk with you about what you want.
No pressure. No staged moments. Just real life documented beautifully and authentically in a way that will make you want to hold onto them forever.
Click here to send me a message and we can get this thing started.
