Documenting Life Beyond Childhood

On the same day that I had a family shoot with a young couple and their little girl, I also had a session with a lovely couple in a different stage of life, both in their 80s and married 64 years. 64 years! Simply amazing considering she wasn't 100% certain of her decision to walk down the aisle. This is a reassuring admission to anyone who has every had doubts or fears about a choice. Taking the leap in spite of that fear can lead you right where you were supposed to be. Even with some medical challenges, his sense of humour and charm have not faded and her fiesty personality has gotten that much bigger over the years.

Seeing this full circle on the same day - a young family starting out and a couple having lived 80+ years was really an interesting contrast. Witnessing routines and perspectives on life at different points in time. Maybe it makes us uncomfortable to go there in our minds - to think about aging, the idea of impermanence and what that may mean. In this case, there was nothing sad about this couple - only grace and an appreciation for a life well lived.

Think about the older generations around you. All the stories that only they can tell to teach you about your history, to help you understand why those around you are the way they are and the life lessons that they know first hand. Sometimes we forget to ask the questions to those that may actually have the answers as we get busy with our lives.

Take some time to hear the stories of the older family members you are lucky to still have. Your life will be richer for it.

Documenting life shouldn't end when the kids are grown up. Photos of childhood and young families are certainly beautiful and childhood presents so many opportunities to capture those stages that go by too quickly. Don't forget to keep telling the stories of your families beyond childhood because just like childhood, those stories are gone before you know it.

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The J Family

My nerves always act up right before a session. It is just part of the process when I'm doing something that matters to me. Meeting new people isn't always easy because of those nerves but when the door opened and I was greeted with the littlest, smiley-est almost 11 month old, I knew everything was going to be just fine. 

Not even a year old and little S is already busy taking a few steps, exploring the world around her as she tries so desperately to communicate. I have a feeling when this little girl starts walking and talking for real, there will be no stopping her. You can't help but to be taken by her big eyes, the longest lashes and that easy smile. With her happy, inquisitive personality, I can see both that she is the heart of this family and also that she got those qualities from her parents. Despite an early wake up and a shift in the original plan, the family just went with it and opened up their life so honestly for me to capture. I didn't have to look far to find the love and the joy in this home - 

you can just feel it. 

Photobooks

While many photos will stand on their own, often it is the sum of a photo gallery that makes the biggest impact – together, each photo fits together like a puzzle to tell the story. Little details, big details, people and things. This is particularly true when it comes to my approach to photography. Using photobooks is a great way to preserve the whole story. I’ve been testing out some photobooks over the past few years and it has been a long process to find the right book that meets all of my criteria in terms of time invested, costs, options for covers and paper, quality. This article is not about recommending one company over another because I think that is a truly personal choice with so many factors to consider. I feel like it would be equivalent to asking someone to recommend a restaurant without giving them anything else to go on. Answers you get will be very subjective and your choice will depend on the occasion, budget, convenience, personal taste among a multitude of other things. So, instead, I offer some guidance I’ve learned the hard way that you should keep in mind when navigating the sometimes murky waters of photobook suppliers.

1)      TIME

It takes a good amount of time to put together a photobook from the technical aspects of learning the software to the actual design of placing photos with intent, keeping in mind the flow and at the same time creating a visually pleasing, balanced layout. Everyone is busy and so, while you like to think you will get to it, a few years can easily pass and still nothing gets printed and photos continue to accumulate on phones, computers and tablets. Photobook companies will often offer design services – if this helps you to get the book finished, go ahead and use these services. I like the control of doing this work myself but if help is there, why not use it. If you invest in hiring a professional photographer to create beautiful photos, inquire about photobooks as part of the package to ensure that initial investment is translated into something tangible and printed. They can do the work for you. Yes, there is a cost but it will be worth every penny if it means preserving your family history and favourite moments. 

2)      STYLE

Some occasions might call for an upgraded lay flat album and others might not. Think about the subject matter of your photos, who the book is for and how you want to display your photos. A wedding photobook will likely look very different from a book you make of all your Instagram photos. Find the right style and book for your needs. Think outside the one size fits all approach. 

3)      COST

There is a huge price range when it comes to photobooks. Since many popular photobook companies are outside of Canada, what may look like a good deal at first isn’t so sweet by the time you factor in exchange rates, shipping and duties. This is not to say you should always go the cheapest route because that isn’t always a recipe for success either. Just keep in mind before you pour hours into creating a book that the cost at checkout will likely not be the “starts at” price – you will see added costs for extra pages, when selecting higher quality finishes or papers, shipping etc.  

4)      KEEPING IT SIMPLE

Sometimes too many options is just as bad as not enough. I know I can easily get paralyzed by indecision when faced with too many choices and the anxiety of not making the right choice for the cover material, the paper type or what layout to use. Simple is good and most often, timeless.

5)   QUALITY

The quality of printing, materials and binding are so important. The last thing you want is to spend all this time designing a book, invest a good amount of money and then be disappointed by seeing your priceless photos in a less than perfect book. You often get what you pay for, yet sometimes you pay more and still don’t get what you want. This is where customer service comes into play. Don’t be afraid to contact the company if you aren’t happy but know that some are much stronger than others when it comes to rectifying the situation. Do your research on return policies and client support available. Sometimes, ordering some test prints before investing in a book is a good way to test the quality of printing and service.

I started out the article by saying I wouldn’t make this about recommending one company over another. I will however, let you know which printing companies I use. For most projects lately, I use Pikto. This is a relatively new switch for me but their products suit my needs and I like the simplicity of their options. The customer service has been wonderful so far and I love that they are a Canadian company using Canada Post for shipping. The shipping times are better than I’ve experienced elsewhere.  I also use GTA Imaging based in Toronto which is a family owned business offering a great range of quality products exclusively to professional photographers.

It is so worth setting aside a budget and the time for printing photobooks. Don’t let those photos sit on a computer or think of them only as something to post on social media where their lifespan will be short-lived, quickly buried in your feed. Display them in your home and flip through them with those you love to remember how things once were.

I do - Weddings!

 It’s official. I recently had the privilege of photographing my first wedding! It was an intimate ceremony with only immediate family present. One of the family members hired me as a gift to the couple. The catch: the couple didn’t know I was going to be there AND I was only hired the day before the ceremony.

 Fear was telling me this was a crazy idea that would be hard to pull off. The romantic in me just couldn’t turn down the opportunity. No consultations with the couple, no shot lists prepared, no previous visits to the location other than desperate Google searches about the venue that didn’t turn up all that much. All I had to go on was a time (1:00pm) and a general idea of where it would take place outdoors (Rockliffe Park). I showed up early to get my bearings and to get some detail shots of the venue. What saved me is realizing that this event, while an extremely important event, has all the elements that I love so much about my family sessions. It’s about connection, documenting real life, and waiting for those moments when nobody is paying attention to the camera. In spite of all the planning I do, I can’t control how the important moments will unfold – the sudden laughter, the gentle comforting touch, the sideways glances, the tears. Those aren’t planned, posed or staged. They just happen when they happen. My job is to observe and to be prepared when they do happen so that I can capture the honesty of those moments in an artistic way. I don’t need a shot list for those. My goal is to have photos that tell a unique story of the people in front of me and not to replicate a Pinterest board of beautiful images that belong to someone else. No matter how gorgeous those photos may be, they are just that: other people’s photos.

I won’t be sharing photos of this wedding out of respect for the couple’s privacy but trust me when I say that it was truly beautiful in its simplicity. Pared down to a couple in love and those closest to them to witness the union – it doesn’t get more romantic than that. I'm pretty sure I even saw a heart-shaped sun streaming through the trees - do you see it?

I had booked what I thought would be my first wedding back in February which will take place at the end of July. I’m really excited for this wedding since I know the couple truly understands and respects my approach. That is the reason that they hired me. The hours I’ve put into planning for that day – communicating with the couple, visiting to the location, researching gear and equipment, planning the sequence of events, developing a list of key shots, hiring a second shooter (well, that was an easy one - my dad) are well beyond what I had time to do in the case of this intimate wedding. These are all important aspects of planning at least for the things under my control. However, this first impromptu wedding is what has helped me to re-focus on the essentials: 

  - Whether it is a small intimate ceremony or a wedding that took a year to plan, the photos should tell a story that is unique to the couple
- Purely authentic moments cannot be planned and those are the moments that are at the very heart of the story
- Let the moments unfold. Be present. The rest will fall into place.

Do you know someone who is getting married and looking for a simple, photojournalistic approach? I’d love to be the one to document their day and to create a gallery of images that will allow them to remember how the day felt.

L Turns 2

One of the things I like the most about a birthday party is the preparation beforehand. I think this may be tied to the idea of reminding myself to enjoy the process and not just the end result. The quietness before the chaos. When we are wrapped up in getting ready with a 'to-do' list a mile long, it's hard to focus on those moments that happen in-between. I followed the K family as they were preparing for L's Minnie Mouse themed birthday party - complete with custom handmade invitations, Minnie Mouse cupcakes and pink lemonade. My favourite image of that day was of Mom getting L ready on the change table - something about the light in the room and capturing the little everyday detail of getting ready. One day soon enough this activity will unfold quite differently as she outgrows the change table, the crib and as she becomes more independent.