Journaling.

I'm just going to take a second here in the midst of editing 7 photoshoots to talk about something.  Generally, in photography, I prefer to be documenting something.  My preference is to be able to choose my subjects, my timing, my everything.  To create something that is all from me.  But in photography as a business, large parts of that equation are removed.  I don't get to choose my subjects, they choose me.  I don't always get to choose my location.  I don't get to choose what they wear or how they look when they get there.  And that can be frustrating, to a point.  But somehow, over the last year, I've discovered that I'm okay with it.  Here's why.  Family photography and portraits are just a different kind of documentary. When done correctly, they tell a story.  They reveal who this family is, how they interact with each other, what their lives are like.  And I've realized (somewhat in context with my own family) that the honesty in that is sometimes more important than setting up a shot.  It all goes back to the integrity of the image.  And it's why I have a really difficult time accepting props and external... junk in a photo.  Because it's not a documentation of who these people are. 

Saturday at the beach was an affirmation of this.  Families came and went, each with their own dynamic and spirit.  And, as I am spending these few days editing their photos, I'm seeing how personally specific they all are.  It's such an interesting balance of a photographer's style and the subject's spirit.  Sometimes people get it wrong.  Style can't overwhelm the spirit, or you end up with something that's not genuine.  And that personal, honest journalistic quality is something that's so important when photographing families. 

In two weeks, I will be photographing a family who has never lived together until now.  When their child was a few weeks old, the dad was deployed to active duty. It's been three years.  Their son is now three, and his dad finally came home, and they are now getting acquainted for the first time.  My photos of them will be the first photos they will have as a family.  I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.  But, years from now, when their son is grown, and he looks back at my photos, what will he remember?  What will come to mind about how he built his relationship with his father?  Those are all things I keep in mind when documenting families. And all reasons why I've changed my perspective on portraits in general.