"The days are long, but the years are short."
Capture the beauty in your {Everyday}
My favorite images are the kind that tell a story about the people in them. The kind of images that aren't posed with matching clothing but the kind that take you back in time and let you feel the emotion. If you love real life, authentic, and meaningful images that tell the story of your sweet life, you've come to the right place.
What you do is important. You spend your days wiping noses, giving hugs, refereeing, picking up toys and laundry, potty training, and kissing away tears. You are their whole world. It's easy to get lost in the routine of being a mom, and you may sometimes wish these days away, but very soon you'll miss them. Twenty years from now you will look back and wonder where all the time has gone.
Documentary styled images tell that story. Those little moments are shaping their childhood. Riding big wheels down the driveway or playing in the sprinklers, bedtime routines, spending time with the grandparents, making breakfast on the weekends, going to the grocery store, your husband tinkering in the garage, rocking your baby to sleep - those seemingly average moments make up the fabric of your life.
"This is more than just a photo shoot.
We’re creating a window into your life,
Captured forever on film."
You might be hesitant about a photo session in your home. As a mom, maybe you feel like the house is a wreck, the kids have turned the living room into a playroom, clothes are strung from the garage to laundry room, and the muddy paw prints are still on the kitchen floor. I understand. I've been there. The mom guilt is big! But don't say "NO" yet.....
Close your eyes and think back to *your* childhood. Think of the home your grew up in. Can you picture the different rooms? Can you remember the wallpaper? Shag carpet? Special decorations in the house that your mom had? How about the details of your bedroom and the posters on your wall? What games did you play with your siblings when you were 6 or 7? And how that changed when you were teens. Can you picture the times you helped mom with dinner or when your dad taught you how to fix things? Do any of those memories make you smile? How many of those memories do you have photos of?
As a child, I bet you don't remember if there was dust on the bookcase or if the couch was used for folding laundry or if the living room needed to be repainted. That stuff just doesn't matter to kids. *Your* kids are not seeing that either. We moms are our own worst critics.
Between the walls of your home is where your life happens. Your kids are comfortable there, mess and all. It's where they feel most safe and loved and secure and can be themselves. It is the foundation of their childhood. Having a session in your house or yard or wherever your family loves to be together will be a flashback for your kids in 50 years and they can show *their kids* about the details that made up their life.
My goal is to document the relationships between your family members, not dishes in the sink (unless your kids are washing them!!). Your life and your home shouldn't be magazine ready to be wonderful, but if a session in your home isn't something you want to do, we can go anywhere that allows your family to connect - the park, a store, a picnic, campground, the lake -- it's all about being together and the relationship you all have and documenting this stage of your life.
But regardless of where we have the session, PLEASE don't put it off. These should be annual sessions. Think how much your kids have changed even from 2 years ago!! They just keep getting bigger. Their hobbies and likes change all the time. I'm sure you probably lie in bed at night thinking life is going too quickly... And sad parts of life happen and we'll lose someone we love, and you'll either be grateful you have photos of you all together or there will be regret that it was still on your "to-do" list. Photos will be so precious when it's all you have left. Do you have images spending time with those you love doing the things you love most? Every family needs a grandparent session. Time is precious and limited. It's time to do it.
Ready to document your family's life *today*?
Let's get started!!
Step #1 - Let's make an appointment to chat on the phone. A phone call is the first step to a session. A storytelling session is not a traditional posed session and speaking with you will help me understand what you want documented during your session and talk through ideas to make it work. It will also help me make sure I am a good fit for you. We will be spending an extended amount of time together if you choose a session with me so it's important that we get to know each other a little and an email doesn't do that well. After we chat, if we are ready to move forward, we'll set a date to meet!
Step #2 - Before we meet, I'll email you a questionnaire for you and your spouse to complete so I can learn more about each of your family members and all the things you love about each other. I even have a questionnaire you will help your kids complete so I can see what about *you* is special to them. I'll be looking for those details during your session.
At this meeting, we'll go over specifics for your session. It's not required but I hope your spouse will come with you so he knows what to expect too. He might actually look forward to this session since it's stress free and he can stay in his favorite t-shirt!
It's important that you know that you both know you I am a full-service photographer which mean your session is not completed until I deliver your images as printed products for the walls of your home, as an album for your coffee table, and prints to give to family. I will bring samples of those products so you can all the ways you can display your photos in your home and go over my detailed price list as well. You are hiring me to freeze a moment in time so you can enjoy it forever and you can't enjoy your images if they are stuck on a disc. Then we set a date, sign a contract, and collect the session fee.
What is a Session Fee?
A non-refundable session fee is due with your contract to hold your date on my calendar. This session fee covers my time only -- the consult, the actual session, editing your images, and your Proofing and Purchasing session. (Some session fees include a print credit toward the products or digital images you wish to purchase.) Sessions are limited each month so this fee holds space for you. If you are scheduling a full day session, the non-refundable session fee can be divided into two payments, if desired, with 50% due when signing the contract, and the balance due 2 weeks before the session.
Session Options
You have choices. Do you want to document one activity - making breakfast or dinner together, the family playing in the yard or park, a trip to the ice cream store? Then the 2-hour session is perfect! If you would like a little more detailed story of your life, the 4-hour session will let me spend more time with each family member and can capture longer activities like the dinner and bedtime routine, or having lunch and then going on an errand, or play time in the yard.
The ultimate story is a Day in the Life session. The title says it all! Sessions are about 8-10 hours. I'll join you on errands, making meals, the little quiet moments that come during a longer stretch of time. A Day in the Life follows your family through their routine. This session allows me to get a little more personal with the details of your day.
After your session...
Approximately 3-weeks after your session, I will come to your home to reveal your images to you and your spouse. I will take lots of photos during your session but only the best will make the final cut. It's a fun time usually with a lot of laughter and smiles and happy tears as you see your sweet life through my lens.
Through computer software, I will show you what your favorite images will look like on the walls of *your* home and help you design groupings, collages, and even an album for your coffee table. I will bring the samples again of items so you can see the quality and beauty and know exactly what you are investing in. It is important to me that I give you a finished professional product that will withstand the test of time. You will order and pay for the items you want during this session. There is no minimum to buy, just purchase what you love. Clients typically invest $750 - $2500+ on products from their session, and that is *in addition to* the session fee. And if you are unhappy with your images, I will refund your session fee. There is no risk.
Let's go!
Are you ready for this experience with me?!?! I'm excited to show you how much you will love having a documentary session with your family. Complete the contact form below to schedule a no-obligation appointment to chat with me on the phone. Easy!