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Writer's pictureVictoria McDonald

DOCUMENTARY FAMILY PHOTOS | An Alternative to Family Portraits.

Think about the pictures you look at or remember the most from your parent's photo albums or your old ones. If you are like me, those images are not where you're smiling at the camera in your best outfit and perfect hair. They are the ones where your little brother is in his underwear with the container of cocoa mix over his head with a giant grin on his face - or you're inside the giant box that your first computer came in (circa 1998). You have turned into a reading cave with all the pillows and just a flashlight.


They are the ones attached to memories that mean more than the fake smiles that were only there because you were threatened by your mother to lose bike privileges. (it was a different time)


The memories that I have attached to photos from my childhood are the reason that I love Documentary Family Photography. They are real moments that are captured and saved like little treasures.


In this Pinterest - Instagram climate of aesthetic, we are led to believe that when it is time to capture the essence of family life, we need to be posed, smiling at a camera, and be so carefully coordinated. Don't get me wrong - I have taken many beautiful images just like that but that isn't for every family, nor does it reflect the real family dynamic.


Instead, you should consider documenting your family time with A Documentary Family Photo Session.



Dog snout sniffs camera lens while mom and kid play in the background

Why does it make a difference?


1 | Captures Daily Life: Documentary Photography goes beyond capturing special occasions; it captures the beauty in everyday life. Our everyday life comprises connections, emotions, and routines that make us unique. Instead of the perfect Instagram-able photos that we stress out over - accepting the messy moments with genuine cuddles will mean more later in life. Consider a lazy Sunday morning together, a hike in the woods, or pickin' out your pumpkins together over the posed portraits.


2 | Comfort Levels: Does your family have that kid who does not like change? or New places? or an itchy sweater? I get it. My daughter loves to go to new places, but not all those places are not accessible. Her timeframe for things is also very short, and she is generally more happy at home in her own space - I am too often. Changing as little as possible for most people will help bring their guard down, allow more genuine emotions to shine through, and reduce stress levels for the parent who does the planning. Documenting your family even makes watching football acceptable.



the top part of a pugs face

3 | FURBABIES. Speaking of stressing out, our pets are a part of our family and should be involved in photos, but many locations, car rides, and new places can make for restrictions oruding them. Not to mention, hurdles in incl they don't always cooperate the way we want them to (SQUIRREL). Having a documentary session allows them to be naturally involved in the cuddles and play that they are used to being a part of.


4 | It's a little more like storytelling. I call one of my packages 'the Timecapsule' for a reason. A time capsule is a glimpse into the daily life of a certain period. A documentary family photo session is just that, a small glimpse into a period of time with your family that is a short photo story focusing on the emotions, interactions, and small details that, when you look back on them, will bring out how you felt when your kid hugged you or the smell of the cookies you were making. They are emotional snapshots that hold irreplaceable memories.


kids swing on swings hanging froma tree while another runs around

5 | You have heard it before. There are only 18 summers...18 Halloweens.. 18 (insert thing here). Those are if you are lucky and your angsty teenager doesn't push back on doing things with the family as they age. (I may have been that kid... sorry mom.) Documenting life as it is will open that door to allow the angst to stay and participate in whatever they do on those lazy Sunday mornings. Collect those moments but include everyone - especially mom & dad.




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