Some frequently asked questions..
About Family Photo Shoots
The What, Why, Where and How of Documentary Family Photo Sessions
1 -
What?
WHAT IS ‘DOCUMENTARY’ FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY?
A documentary family photo session is a little different from what people commonly associate with family photography (i.e. the family together, smartly dressed, in a studio environment or perhaps a park or beach, with a selection of group and individual portraits, posed for the camera – passive).
Documentary sessions are based within the activities of daily life. They are un-posed, unrehearsed and completely without any direction from me. They are of, and about, you and your family, doing whatever it is you love to do - without any intervention from me!
Although I'm not directive, I’m not a detached observer either. I’ll be interacting with you and talking to you during our session rather than hovering on the outskirts, I’ll be there with you, enjoying your day.
2 -
Who?
WHO IS IT FOR?
This is for anyone who hates getting dressed up and saying ''cheese'' for the camera.
This is for anyone who’s rarely in the photos because they’re taking them.
It’s for the kids who just want to be themselves 100% of the time and can’t sit still.
It’s for anyone who wants to pass these moments down to their children and their children’s children, so they don’t get lost.
3 -
Why?
THE BIG QUESTION…
- Because your unrehearsed moments are beautiful. And you can look back on them and remember what they felt like, not just what you looked like.
- Because your children are growing and changing fast. Really fast.
- Because you need to be in the pictures too! Your children and their children will want to have photos of you too – with them!
- Because you don’t have to get ready / dressed up for them!
- Because it really doesn’t matter if one of the kids has a meltdown!
- Because I come to you. You don’t have to do anything more than just be yourselves (and that’s definitely enough) – there’s no pressure to be anything else.
- Because if you want photographs of emotional connections, inside real moments, there’s no better way of doing it. The smiles, the tears, the laughs are real moments that happened, unrehearsed and undirected.
- Because you’ll want beautiful prints of moments like this. Not left forgotten on some hard drive somewhere.
- Because you will have pictures that remind you of the ways your children love you and you love them. Sometimes it needs a moment to be slowed down to a single frame to be reminded of that.
- Because you will notice things in these pictures that remind you of things about your family and your kids - that in the hectic pace of life and all its distractions - you just don’t get to see or are just so fleeting that they get lost.
4 -
Where?
A SHORT ONE, THIS…
Anywhere you like.
As long as I can get to it.
It might be a walk in the park, playing on the beach, a hike in the woods, a birthday party, a lazy Sunday at home doing nothing much in particular or a combination of any of the above!
It can be anything you want it to be but most importantly, it’s of you, as a family, together, doing whatever you enjoy doing.
Documentary sessions are meant to capture you and your family as you are, living life, in everyday moments.
5 -
How?
HOW DO THEY WORK?
When you first get in touch we’ll arrange to have a chat over the phone to discuss your needs and what kind of session will work best for you and your family. The two most important things with documentary family photography (or any kind of ‘documentary’ for that matter) are trust and access. So it’s important that we’ve established a rapport before our session and know a bit about each other. I can’t expect you to be completely comfortable with me if we haven’t had the opportunity to get to know each other a little bit beforehand!
Once we’ve had a chance to speak and you’re happy you've chosen the right type of session, I’ll send you out our contract and a session invoice. Once that’s signed and paid your date is set! I’ll then send out a couple of SHORT questionnaires for you to complete, both as a family and individually, which will help you figure out what you might want to do for your session and also to help you visualise what you might expect to get from the experience.
They also help me get to know you a little better as a family – I’m looking for the little things that matter to you and to tell the stories of you as individuals and as a family.
When I have your questionnaires back we can arrange to meet up, have a final chat over the phone or maybe a Skype call to give you a chance to ask any questions you might have about the session (and perhaps for me to meet the rest of the family).
THE DAY!
It’s possible that everyone might be a little nervous to begin with so we’ll spend a few minutes beforehand just saying hello and having a chat, maybe a cup of tea. Then we can get on and do whatever you have planned. Easy, relaxed, no pressure to do anything other than enjoy the day!
6 -
What are the benefits of the longer sessions over the shorter sessions?
The longer I spend with you as a family, the less self-conscious you’ll be.
The natural dynamic of your family flows more easily over our time together - this always results in more meaningful photographs.
It also means that I have more opportunities to make pictures that have all of you in them at the same time as well as being sure to capture each parents / grandparents relationship with each child - and each other.
7.
Can we get a few posed family portraits?
Sure. Whilst I shoot these sessions primarily with a documentary approach, we can dedicate up to 30 mins out of our 4 hour or 8 hour session taking some natural and relaxed environmental portraits…
8.
What should we wear?
Wear whatever you feel like wearing! Wear whatever makes you comfortable. No need to coordinate - no need for matching outfits.
The only suggestion I would make is if we’re at the beach, try to avoid wearing beige...
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