If you have ever tried to get your kids to stand still, smile at the camera, and look “nice” for a family photo, you already know how quickly it can turn into chaos. Someone doesn't want to smile, someone is looking away, someone is suddenly crying, and now you are stressed because you are worried the photographer isn't getting anything. But honestly, that is not how I approach family photography.
Unless you specifically want those traditional posed photographs where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling, I would much rather let your family be your family. When I photograph family sessions in Sudbury, Ontario, I like to build the session around things that actually feel like you. Baking together, playing board games, going to the beach, hiking, painting, having a pizza picnic, running through the sprinkler in the backyard, exploring the library, honestly the options are pretty much endless.
The goal is not to make your children perform for me. I don't want you standing behind my camera saying, “Look at the photographer! Smile! Sit still!” for an hour. Your kids don't want to do that either, and honestly, I don't blame them. I would much rather photograph them laughing while they are covered in flour, running through the backyard, concentrating on a painting, or completely wrapped up in whatever activity we are doing together.
That is where the real photographs happen. I can still give you a little direction when we need it, and there will absolutely be moments where I ask everyone to come together, but I am not looking for perfect behaviour. I am looking for the way your family actually interacts with each other. The little looks, the hugs, the chaos, the laughter, and all of those tiny things you might not realize you will miss one day.
And most importantly, I don't want you as the parent or guardian to feel responsible for making the photographs happen. You do not need to get your kids to cooperate for me, and you do not need to spend the entire session trying to make everyone behave. Come as you are, let your family be themselves, and let me do the rest.
That is what I love about this kind of family photography in Sudbury. Years from now, I don't want you to look back and only remember how hard you worked to get everyone to smile. I want you to remember your children exactly as they were — messy, funny, loud, sweet, curious, and completely themselves.
Because those are the memories we keep, and the stories we tell.