The What
What makes the perfect family session? What is the one photograph everyone covets? When you look back at your album, what draws you in? Why makes you feel something? What brings you back to this very moment in time? The families I have the privilege of working with come to me for many reasons, but mostly because they see the value in my art and the moments I see as important. These aren’t the Christmas card ready, perfectly posed and smiling moments, but the moments I see when families let their guards down. The way they intertwine their fingers and sweep their child’s hair to the side. The way they grab hands and run giggling unto the sea spray. The way they ignore the wet sand and wet waves crashing onto their wardrobe. The secret snuggles and the pure and real laughter are what truly steal my wool as a photographer.
The How
How do I elicit these moments? Well…the secret is, I allow families to let their guard down. The first fifteen minutes of the session is always the ice breaker. I let the kids run and explore. Knowing they have the freedom to explore their world uninhibited makes them comfortable. I chase them around and capture tiny happenings while they play. I turn around when their parents are least expecting it and catch them giggling and holding hands. To see their kids roaming through their natural world is enough to fill their hearts. I am your fly on the wall. I ask families to pretend I’m not there. It encourages the real moments to unfold. I don’t interfere much. Just to move to new spots, or to angle your chin up, or to look toward the light. Documentary photography becomes less than true documentation the moment I speak. Once I interfere the moment is no longer truly organic. You can see more of my family and personal work here.
This winter evening was perfection. Together we outran the waves and listened for the secrets the sea whispers to us when we stop to listen. We watched the light stream over the rocky crags. We inhaled the sharp smell of the salty air, and watched as the clouds bounded beyond the horizon. We felt the golden grass and the wind play with our hair. These are the very moments to be captured. The in-betweens. Where no one feels pressured to smile and make sure their hair is tamed. These moments evoke the very feeling of love these three have for each other. You can book your own coastal adventure here.
