My New Love

I've been working hard behind the scenes to figure out a way to incorporate video into my photography business. Video can really complement still photos by adding depth to a story. The power of a photograph is how it allows us to savour tiny moments frozen in time, appreciating the details of that moment. I love staring at a photo and seeing details I didn't notice during the moment or taking photos to show clients the beauty of a simple interaction. Video brings the preservation of moments to another level by using movement and sound - little voices, the sound of laughter, mannerisms. It's like stepping back into a memory and reliving it. 

I documented a few everyday routines over the holidays with my kids and I'm slowly finding my voice and a new workflow using both photos and video....and I'm loving it!! My goal this year is to use video more and more - both professionally and personally. I don't want to forget how their voices sound at these ages, their favourite games, how my youngest always pools copious amounts of maple syrup over her crêpes and has to start each meal by announcing "bon appetito". These are moments that videos brings to life. 

One thing that struck me while watching the mini films I put together of our holidays, I'm not in any of them. I'm still working on how to incorporate myself into the story more. This is why I love shooting families. So often, it's the moms who document (not always of course, but often), and so I like being able to give something to families where everyone is in the picture. I hope to do the same with video soon!

For now, click on the link below to see a little taste of what we've been up to - our real, everyday life in all its beautiful imperfectness. 

Ottawa photographer and filmmaker | Melanie Mathieu Photography + Films

3 Misconceptions about In-Home Documentary Photography

1) You just show up and shoot

Although it may seem that way or sound that way when I talk about what I do, there's a lot more to it than that. There is a lot of planning even if I am there to capture spontaneous interactions. I like to know who I'll be meeting to get a sense of what is important to the family which helps me to know what I should be trying to capture. I send clients a short questionnaire before we meet so that I can learn more about their family, little details, favourite activities, what their everyday routine looks like. All of this information helps me to prepare and can also be used to help guide a session. For example, this family mentioned their son's love of trucks and cars. I used it as an ice breaker when meeting them to get them to interact together. The fact that it is something the child loves at the moment, makes it important and worth capturing.

I also need to anticipate what type of gear I will need to bring along. Depending on the type of session and location, I have to decide whether I need a macro lens to capture tiny newborn details or my flash if the lighting may not be ideal.

2) You just take pictures as they happen

This is partly true. I don't like to manipulate the situation too much. I like to gently give some direction if needed but for the most part, I let things play out and follow along. However, this doesn't mean that I snap away without intent. I move around to figure out the best composition or sometimes I compose the image in my mind first based on light, lines, reflections or whatever I have to work with and I patiently wait until the subject enters the frame where I wanted them to be. I see interactions happening and I move in to capture a detail or I move back to add context to the scene. The goal is to make the strongest image possible while playing off of the surroundings and subjects. In my work, I like to create images that make you feel something and this means watching and waiting for everything to come together in just the right way.

3) Documentary Photography is so much easier than studio photography 

Just as lighting setups and posing in a studio are not as easy as the pros make it look, documentary photography is challenging in so many ways. It requires a very specific skill set: you have to be flexible, be able to think quick on your feet, be a good observer. You walk into people's personal spaces as a stranger and have to be able to make people feel comfortable within minutes so that they will look natural on camera and enjoy the experience. Walking into people's personal spaces, their homes, can be a very vulnerable thing and you have to approach it as such. Each family is different which is what makes this type of photography so interesting. Each family has its own dynamic that you have to quickly gauge and adjust to. Lighting is never the same from one place to another and it can vary so much even within the same house. You have to be able to figure out how to use it and other elements to your advantage. As most people can attest to, taking photos of your own kids can be a challenge because they move so quickly. Imagine trying to get those moments together with trying to familiarize yourself with the family, the space, the light.

I love what I do. Working as a photographer challenges me every time. It's different every time. I love meeting new families and also shooting the same families year after year and seeing how they have grown and changed.

My "Why": Photos that Matter

I’m lucky. I have some great family photos of my childhood - holidays, family vacations, birthday parties, camping trips, but also the details: the car we were incredibly embarrassed to be seen in, the bowl cut my sister and I shared for years, photos of our childhood home. Those photos are so valuable to me. There are, however, some moments that I wish I had photos of, but that were never taken because life is busy and, at the time, the importance of those moments wasn’t as obvious.

I was a very picky eater as a child and I was very particular about where I sat at the dinner table. My chair was different than all the others around the table. It had a white vinyl seat and the wood trim was originally a bright 70s orange but my parents had painted it white at some point so that it blended better with the dining room set they had bought. I still remember some spots where the orange peeked through. There were only a few things I would eat and I remember my mom making those classic kid friendly meals for me – KD, grilled cheese, tomato soup. I had a favourite green mug for the soup into which I would dip pieces of toast. I had a plate with bunnies on it that I had to use. I would count the bunnies and get lost in the little illustrations. I loved that plate so much. This type of memory makes me feel something about that time in my life. How many photos do I have of this mug, the plate, my mom making me grilled cheese, me by her side, helping her? None.

I wish I did have those photos, for me, but also so that I could have a visual record to show my kids. I wish I could give them an idea of what our day to day life looked like back then.

There are other moments that aren’t so clear for me. I don’t remember much about my first bedroom – I think it was pink. I don’t know what was hanging on the walls. I don’t remember what blanket I slept with or my favourite toy. I shared a room with my sister and we each still have our half of the bunk beds which our kids now use. How many photos do I have of my bedroom as a child? = 0 . How cool would it be to show my daughter that her bed was once mine and how it looked in my room, sitting below her aunt’s bed.

This is why I am so passionate about the documentary approach to photography. These memories are important and they are the photos we forget to take. You may not realize how much an object or expression can trigger memories and emotions. I want to give that gift to my clients – to give them a piece of their life now so that they can reconnect with it anytime. I want the kids to remember their favourite things and what their room looked like. I want them to see the love their parents have for them in the glances and hugs. I want them to know that life was messy, full of emotion, imperfect but beautiful. Honest, raw and meaningful. I want them to see their whole family together doing what they do on an ordinary day in their own home because those little moments are the big moments. 

What moments from your childhood do you wish you had photos of? Or do you have a photo from childhood that you treasure because it tells part of your story? Share it below!

At home with the B Family

A typical early Saturday morning with the B family. How busy is this family?:

Breakfast
Book reading
Lego building
Show + Tell
Wrestling matches
Swimming
Water gun fight
Biking

All before 9:30am.

If you think you don't have time for a family photo session, here is proof that it can fit right into your daily routine, giving you photos of those moments to remember forever. Here is just a sample of some of the memories that this beautiful family created early one summer morning.

 

 

 

  

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Dads need pictures too

Men in particular tend to be reluctant to have their picture taken. By planning a photo session that centres around an activity, the "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing" uncomfortableness tends to fall away. It gives everyone a purpose. The activity should be something that you usually do so that it is meaningful, but it can be a very simple routine: making breakfast, playing a game, sitting around the campfire, fixing things, reading. 

It doesn't have to be awkward and forced. I promise. 5 photos that prove my point:

Your family will thank you for taking the time to get in the picture with your family. 

Contact me for details on booking a session.

The Everyday

Those everyday family moments are important and beautiful. They can be filled with emotion just like those big moments are. In this session, you can see the love in the glances, the smiles, and in the way they let their kids be kids, riding plasma cars in the house even if that means scratching the floors.