I used to think that every session had to be perfect. I wanted the perfect location worthy of a natgeo magazine. I wanted clients to wear what I told them to wear, regardless of their own personal style. I wanted the best light only, and if a location didn’t have that light, I didn’t want to shoot there. And in my mind, these things all made the perfect session. But as I sit here looking back on sessions of the past, the ones I’m most drawn to are the ones that were simplistic and real. The ones where all the family needed to do was show up, and be themselves. The ones where I was just a fly on the wall, documenting them exactly as they were.
And when I think about my own family sessions that I’ve either done myself, or had someone else do. Out of all of the pictures I have of my kids, the ones that stick to my heart are the ones where they’re just in their own world, doing whatever their beautiful little minds think up. Those were our reality, those are how I remember them as toddlers, and those photos are the ones that I cherish the most.
So here are some things I feel differently about going into 2024:
Locations. Yes a beautiful location is nice sometimes, but what I crave more than anything in my work, is connection. That’s more important to me than any location. I can shoot connection anywhere- behind a dumpster, even IN a dumpster 😂 And what you’re going to see as my client, isn’t the trash around you, but your happy family, loving each other fiercely. And that’s really all that matters.
Wardrobe. I’ve completely shifted my opinions on this. I want you to wear what feels like YOU. A tshirt and jeans. A dress. You can come dressed as Mr Potato Head for all I care- do you! I don’t want you to look back at these pictures and think that it wasn’t true to who you were as a person. There are certain colors that look better with my editing (usually earthy tones) than others, but still- if that’s just not you, don’t do it!
Light. I do still have a preferred time to shoot, but I can confidently shoot in ANY light. Whenever a client requests an earlier start time for their session, it’s just a matter of informing them that the light will be different than sunset. More shadows, more contrast, more highlights. But you can get beautiful photos at any time of the day!
I did this session 4 years ago, and loved it, but didn’t know how to share it. It was a session at the client’s beautiful home, in their yard, where they spent most of their time. At the time, I wasn’t doing many at home sessions, so this one was unlike everything else I was doing. But I loved the authenticity of it; the way that this whole gallery was just so *them*. Looking back at these images, I am so inspired by them. Let’s do more sessions like these! More simplicity, more truth.
