What I Mean When I Describe My Work As ‘Documentary Family Photography’
As a documentary family photographer, I capture moments – big and small – without posing, staging, or styling. I observe rather than direct. I ask for trust rather than cooperation. I make images of genuine expressions of what shows up during a session, without fabricating the moments. All while looking for interesting composition, colors, and existing light to make the best photograph I can. Underneath all those elements, however, are the real emotions and a willingness to be seen that you bring to the session.
The great thing is that when you’re able to trust the process and allow these kinds of moments to be captured, there is nothing that you or your kids can do that is ‘wrong’ during our session together. Being yourselves is the best way you can help your photos reflect the love, joy, chaos, and heart that your family embodies.
But what is documentary family photography, and how is it different from other styles?
There are as many styles of photography as there are photographers holding a camera – and to love the photos you get, it’s important to find a right-fit for you. This is my take on how a few of the style descriptors are being used out there:
Family members are arranged with care and everyone looks at and smiles for the camera. There may be matching outfits; everyone’s hair is perfect, and even the dog is looking the right way. Here in the Boston area, this photo often gets taken in front of the coveted ‘fall foliage in late afternoon light.’
Lifestyle Photography
Photography described as ‘lifestyle’ may be taken in a family’s home, in a curated outdoor environment (think: field of flowers), or possibly in a studio setting that is meant to look like it could have been someone’s home (if your home had all white bedding, white walls, no other decor or furnishings and perfect light coming through a huge window). Those who describe their style with this word also talk a great deal about real life -but in my personal (and possibly unpopular) opinion, these images depict a highly glamorized and stylized version of family life. The lighting and environment used for these images will be as perfect as possible, you may be coached as to what to wear (or loaned clothes from a ‘style closet’), and you can expect to be directed and semi-posed to conjure the impression of spontaneous, happy, adoring connections with everyone looking their absolute best.
Documentary family photography
True documentary style calls for the photographer to make photos that creatively tell a story about what was actually happening. The photographer observes the scene without directing or influencing it in any way. Lighting, environments, and moments unfolding are documented but never directed. Documentary photographers may want to follow your family throughout a full day so they can document the full arc of a ‘day in the life’ of your family at home or on vacation, and a collection of images can work together to tell a fuller or longer arc of story than one single image does on its own.
Emily Sterne Photography
My way of photographing families has evolved after many years of working with families. While I lean enthusiastically toward a documentary approach, I ‘bend the rules’ of the genre to allow some time for a posed group photo if that is desired, and I will offer some light direction if I feel it will help the session flow better for you. However I do want to follow and observe the flow of your time together, and prefer to direct, style, or otherwise interfere as little as possible. In this way, especially when it comes to your kids, I feel I am able to capture what is most authentic about your personalities, connections, and the story of your world.
How I came to my photographic style
I began photographing families about 15 years ago, when having kids of my own moved me away from wedding photography and toward working with young families. As I have continued to align my style with my own values, I have found that I am not comfortable directing people into artificial poses or emotional states. My life’s path has led me to be ever more passionate about allowing for authentic experiences to be seen, especially in the case of children. So I have been moving toward more true-story-telling in my photos – but not at the expense of looking for the beauty, joy, and connection that we all love to see in pictures of ourselves and our people.
I have a real problem with children being told too often how to feel or at the very least how to behave despite their feelings. This amounts to teaching kids to hide or push down their true feelings and perform, and I believe it has lasting ramifications. I strive to undermine this phenomenon by honoring children’s REAL experiences – during my photo sessions, in the photos I make, and, outside of my photography, in the way I (do my best) to parent my own kids.
What I hope you’ll love about documentary family photography
I believe that family photos don’t have to depict the rosiest possible version of you. My photos are for people who are willing to embrace the imperfection of life, which leaves room for the quirks, the humor, the genuine personalities and the memories. My work is for families who want photos of what was real in the moment, who don’t want to be directed all the way through the process, who are comfortable with everyone showing up as their authentic selves.
A posed photo of everyone smiling will tell you what you looked like – I want to help you remember more than that. I want to capture for you the details that will change and pass with time. The image of your toddler clutching his favorite lovey, curled up in your lap for comfort after a tumble, will take you back to the time when a hug could truly fix it all. The stage where BOTH their front teeth are missing, or when they won’t wear any other shirt than THAT one, or when all the sandwiches are cut into shapes…these are things that your kids will certainly outgrow and possibly even forget, but the photos will remind you – that’s where we were then. That’s what I want – for you to look back on your photos in the future, and to feel transported back to the way you were feeling now.
Whether my approach is a good fit or not is up to YOU, and if it’s not, that’s important information to know beforehand! The best way to figure out if my work is a good fit is to look at more of my photos! You can do that HERE. And if you’d like to see your own family in photos like these, I’d be so honored to help. Get in touch; I’d love to hear from you.
