You love this concept of Year In The Life sessions and documenting your family, but you think your family is too boring. There isn’t anything that could possibly be captured. You literally do nothing.
My friend, that is not true at all! Your family is uniquely yours and you should celebrate that!
Focus On Who You Truly Are
Documentary family photography is not about creating elaborate scenarios to photograph together. It’s about creating unique images that celebrate your family just as you are! You might step back and look at your life and see something that might not look super exciting to an outside viewer. But ask your kids what they think. Do they think their life is boring? I guarantee you that they don’t! They see every moment as special because being together is special and exciting. Alright, so you don’t go on elaborate hikes and climb mountains together. That’s okay! What you do together matters. Even if it’s reading a book together, taking a walk, cooking dinner, playing video games, or sitting on the front porch watching the world pass by, it ALL matters. And photographing that “boring” life matters to them!
Focus On Togetherness and Acceptance
If I’ve learned anything from photographing my own family, documenting them allows me to focus on our connection and our acceptance of one another. As a quiet observer behind my camera I’m seeing how my kids interact with me, my husband, and each other. I cherish those connections, because as they grow and change, those connections will too. They help us build bigger perspectives as we go out into the world and interact with others. Each one of us is different from the other and recognizing that in our family unit helps us to be better humans and reflect love and acceptance back to those outside our family unit. I can see that in my images and it’s brings that into focus for, not only myself as a parent, but for them as they figure out who they are in this world.
Focus On Making Them Feel Loved
When you choose to photograph your family in a way that truly reflects who you are, boring or not, you’re saying that you SEE them. That they are loved for who they are. And these images can radiate that love back to them. I don’t know about you, but when I’m having a bad day, or my kids are having a bad day, it’s nice to pull those albums out and take a quick peek to gain perspective. It’s a great reminder that even if one thing is wrong, or off, these people are still here for me. These people still love me and no one is going to love me better despite my faults.
There’s nothing better than making your people feel seen and loved. How are you going to make that happen for your family?
