What is a day-in-the-life/documentary family session like?
It can really depend on what time of day I come over to photograph your family, and maybe how old your kids are, but overall it feels like I’m just a friend who came over to hang out with. you. I do not direct your family on what to do. We can talk about ideas of what you might want to do for your day beforehand, but when I get there you’re ready to just relax and have fun. If you want a few posed family shots, we’ll get those in at some point during our session, usually at the beginning.
So personally, I like bullet points, so I’m going to list out for you things that families have done while I am there for a session, and some things I’d love to still photograph but haven’t yet!
What some families have done already:
Eating breakfast and having coffee
Baking cookies
Doing school work
Letting the kids have some free-play time
Reading books
Jumping on the trampoline
Gardening
Going for a walk to a park or beach
Playing board games
Getting ready for naps/bedtime
Bathtime
Picking apples
And some more ideas I’d love to capture:
Having a bonfire
Strawberry/blueberry/pumpkin picking
Just going to the store
Taking kids to baseball/soccer/etc practice
Decorating the house for a holiday
Family reunions or other parties
It really is whatever you normally would do! For longer sessions, you can expect some downtime, not every minute has to be jammed pack with activities, so don’t panic about that. Or how clean your house is. I focus on you and the people in your family, not the clutter.
I really like to think of it as, “well what would I want captured about my daily routines or rituals that I do with my loved ones?” And during those times, you’ll be surprised at how many interactions we can capture that you didn’t even know were worth remembering. If you don’t care about matching outfits and finding the right location for your family photos, like if you want to just remember what your family looks like AND feels like, then try out a day-in-the-life session.
