DOCUMENTARY Session Prep Guide
Thank you so much for booking with me and supporting my small business! I love what I do and it’s families like yours that make my heart sing! So, thank you! I am looking forward to working with you and documenting your gorgeous family history … in the making. All the emotion, your personalities, your connection … your family story. Please use this guide as your go-to resource to help you prepare for your mini session.
what to Expect with a Documentary session?
Documentary photography is a style of photography that tells the story of real-life events. You can think of documentary family photography as photojournalism of your family – it’s the story of your life as it unfolds naturally, not planned or posed, but authentically as it happens.
The goal of a documentary family photo session is to create a record of how your life looks and feels at this moment in time. Documentary family photography strives to tell the story of your family in the most honest and authentic way possible.
Timing & LoCATION
Documentary family photography sessions are scheduled whenever and wherever life happens. These are usually a half or full day in order for family life to unfold naturally. I prefer at least 3 to 4 hours to allow enough time for your kids to get used to me so they then forget that I’m there. That way, I can really capture their personalities. That’s when the real shenanigans start to happen. I am flexible, if you need a shorter session, though, so do let me know!
Typically, these sessions happen at your house, or anywhere you go during a normal day. I’ll tag along for the length of your session and your normal routines become the backdrop for your family interactions.
As a documentary family photographer, I won’t prompt you to do anything, but rather I become part of your family – not immediately, but pretty quickly your kids will trust me and then they’ll forget that I have a camera in my hand. I’ll record your life as it unfolds – the good, the bad, and the beautiful.
Do I Need to Clean My House …
I love in-home sessions and capturing your family in their natural habitat! Seriously though, you don’t have to clean everything perfectly – just clean your house like your best friend is coming over. If I need to scoot something over temporarily, I will, but I can usually get an angle that de-emphasizes the mess and focuses on the interactions.
And just think, when you look back in ~20 years, you’ll kind of miss the mess – or you’ll celebrate the absence of it! (full disclosure – this is my kiddo and her mess and I do kind of miss it – random toilet paper rolls and all!).
what to wear
Look, I have a whole wardrobe of pandemic-era yoga pants that I love and if that’s what you hang out in most days, I’m good with that – I want to document these days of family life as genuinely as possible.
If it is something that you are self-conscious about, then pull together a simple outfit that you will be comfortable and confident wearing (my favorite = jeans and a plain t-shirt or sweater). Comfort and confidence is key!
I love capturing kids wearing their favorite outfits (ie: letting them dress themselves is awesome in my book!) that allow them to do their thing – whether that’s baking muffins in their pajamas, taking a trip to fairyland in a tutu, or playing in the dirt.
Speaking of Playing in the Dirt …
It is great to have some idea of an activity that your family likes to do and depending on the time of your session could be: waking up and making pancakes for breakfast, building legos, going to the park, or playing in the sandbox.
Got older kids? No problem! We can document their favorite things too – from building robots to throwing the football in the backyard to singing at the top of their lungs from their favorite play. If you need suggestions, let’s discuss what works before your session – I’m full of ideas!
During your session, I’m a fly on your wall , or rather I become part of your family – just capturing you in all your genuine glory – including snotty noses, grumpy behavior, the giggles and shrieks. Of course, it’s always good to feed the kids so hangriness isn’t an issue, but otherwise, I’ll do my best to capture it all, with a focus on your connection and the beauty of parenthood!
what happens after the session?
After your session, I will get to work on culling your images down to the very best of the best. I’ll go through and edit those images, build your slideshow, and then load everything to your gallery. Once they’re ready, I’ll be in touch with the link to your slideshow.
When you’re ready to click the slideshow link, I encourage you to make an event of it with the whole family. Queue it up on your tv or a large computer screen and gather around (sound up!)… the first time you see your photos is always the best, and if there are tears and laughter during the debut, I count that as a success!
Remember, your slideshow is only available for 24 hours or until you purchase your collection. Once you’ve selected and paid for your collection, your gallery will be available for thirty days, pre-loaded with your print credit and set for you to download the number of files that corresponds with your collection.
copyrights (and wrongs)
Once you’ve got your digital files in hand, you are free to print them when, where, and as often as you wish – you can use them to make holiday cards, share on your social media pages or personal blog, etc.
The only things you can’t do are related to the resale of your photos or use for commercial/business purposes. For instance, if you authored a book, you’d need additional permission to use one of the photos on the dust jacket, and you wouldn’t be able to enter one of the photos into a contest and win prize money for it.
I believe in the power of print …
I strongly believe you should print your family images to share and enjoy. I’ve searched for the highest quality professional print labs the world over. I source the highest quality products and these are archival quality and will last a lifetime. So get excited and start thinking about what heirloom products you’d like to share with your family.
Not sure which products you might like the best? Let’s chat – I’m happy to help you select something that you will love. I also offer design services (think wall displays and album design) to my clients.
printing your images
While everything that I offer in my store is printed in professional labs and guaranteed to be beautiful, I also recognize that you may want to print your images yourself, and thanks to those digital files, you absolutely can!
I recommend artifactuprising.com for local online printing (they’re in Denver) or mpix.com. Both of these labs offer higher quality prints than some other popular consumer labs. Be sure to upload the original files you downloaded, not copies. The files you receive from me should allow you to print up to 20′ x 30″ at a minimum (but holler if you need help – I’m just a phone call away!).
THANKS FOR CHOOSING ME for your Documentary session!
I know there are a lot of photographers out there and I do not take lightly the trust that you’ve placed in me. I look forward to working with you and creating gorgeous images of your gorgeous family. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again ….
Your life is a story worth telling.