Family sessions have really become part of my heart and soul. When I first started in photography I was focused on fashion. I graduated from The Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale with a full fashion portfolio and my eyes were set on NYC. I soon realized, after working for some fashion photographers, that it wasn't what my heart desired. This is when I began assisting wedding photographers. I started as an assistant and worked my way up to associate photographer and studio manager for a wedding studio. In 2010 I started my own business, focusing solely on weddings. These couples would get married, have children, and naturally they thought back to who their wedding photographer was. I started getting inquiries for family sessions and it scared me at first. I didn't know anything about babies or children so how in the world would I do these families justice. It was rough at first. I didn't know how to approach it. I had learned a lot of studio photography and posing in school and my voice had been so focused on fashion.
It took me stepping outside of myself and just watching the inner workings of these families. I didn't want to "create" moments to capture, I wanted to capture these moments that were naturally happening. Don't get me wrong, I still love a classic, posed family portrait and I make sure to get one at every session. But, there is nothing like movement, laughter, kisses, hugs, etc. When I stopped telling myself how these photographs "had" to look, I started to get the photographs that really matter.
Lifestyle sessions let everyone breathe easier. I had a session a few months ago where the child didn't want to be in any of the photos. The mom was stressed and kept apologizing. I told her to breathe and that this was a time in their lives. It's so natural for kids to not want to be in photos, or to be over it within a few moments. This is how her son was feeling at this time and that's okay. We thought of ways that would be fun and natural for him. I had dad pick him up and hold him upside down. I had mom spin him and tickle him. Brother played with toy trucks with him. These are the moments that we remember. We remember storytime, bathtime, putting baby to bed, nursing, playing airplane (where you are on your back and you fly your child through the air using your feet), pillow fights, and just being a family.
Lifestyle sessions allow me to be a quiet presence in these families lives. They allow me to capture moments that they are never going to want to forget. There are no rules when I show up to a session. I just want to tell your story perfectly.
