How I Came Upon Family Documentary Photography

“Tell me about when I was a baby...”

How often have you heard your Little ones say that?

My four year old LOVES to hear stories about when he was a tiny little ball of baby bliss.

But back then, I was not as in tune with my documentary self.

I took newborn pictures of him in a fox outfit and snuggling with a cute stuffed animal. I made a blanket and photographed him in baskets. He was adorable and my newborn photo skills were spot on that day, but he most definitely was NOT.

He was stressed, he was crying, he just wanted mommy to hold him. To be warm against my skin, to feel my heart beating with his.

When I look at those images, that is the memory I think of.

~ They don’t tell anything about his infant personality.

~ They don’t say anything about the connection I’ve had with him since day one.

~ They don’t show the love his daddy and his sisters have for him.

THERE IS NO STORY THERE. At least not one my son would want to hear.

And it wasn’t just my newborn. His big sisters couldn’t handle the stress either. They didn’t want to “cheeeeeese” on command. They didn’t want to sit still and pretty. They just wanted to be KIDS.

After I went through all that chaos, that’s when it hit me. That was not the photographer I wanted to be.

The couch snuggles, the bonding, the breastfeeding, the sisterly love, the joy and happiness that rained down upon our home...

THAT is what should be photographed. THAT is what brings out the stories.

From that moment on, I have not posed my Littles. I rarely ask them to smile and say cheese. I document them as they are. So now we have plenty of images to bring on ALL the stories.