Documentary Photography

Unlike mainstream photography, documentary style portraits require time and patience (on my end). Without the luxury of directing these sessions and capturing a set amount of posed images in a short space of time, documentary photography calls for a lot more waiting and observing. Definitely consider this when you’re choosing a package. The more time you allow for, the better the images will be.

Pre - Shoot Visit

The day before our session, I'll make a very chill in-house visit to have a cuppa and meet the family: no time restrictions or pressure. I bring my camera to show the kids how it all works. This catch-up makes a big difference on the day. When I show up on the morning of our session, everyone's pretty laxed, and within an hour or so, everyone gets tired of worrying about the camera and gets on with life.

Routines

I encourage families to keep regular routines. An outing with young children is fine, but only for 1-2 hours and preferably close to home. Teenagers can be more challenging to capture in their natural habitat, so getting out and participating in a family event or exercise can help.

Up Close & Personal

Close-ups produce the best images—just something to remember when you can smell my breath.

What I Capture (or not)

Unless the kids need an ambo, I capture the highs and the lows.

Bath and shower time always brings a shit tonne of chaos to the party.

As long as the kids are comfortable and have not yet reached an age where they feel self conscious, I like to keep shooting. By this time of the day, everyone's pretty comfortable.

There's plenty of time throughout the day when not much happens. This is perfectly normal. There's plenty of time for things to evolve naturally and steadily without impacting the final collection.

Be Yo Selves!

Odd socks, punch-ups, food fights and pets. We want all the madness.