FAQ for documentary family photo sessions / FAQ pour les séances photo documentaire de famille

1)      What is a documentary family photo session? / C’est quoi exactement une séance photo documentaire de famille?

This type of session is all about capturing, real every day moments in and around your home. You don’t have to pose or smile at the camera. You spend time with your family as you normally would doing an activity or two while I take photos.

Le but de ce type de séance est de capturer les moments naturelles de la vie quotidienne chez vous. Pas de poses, pas juste des photos avec tout le monde qui regarde le caméra et sourit. Vous passez le temps ensemble en faisant une activité (ou plusieurs) et je prends des photos. 

2)      How long do sessions last? / Combien de temps les séances photos durent-t-elles?

My typical in home session lasts 90 minutes. This sounds like a lot to some people but I can assure you that time flies by.  I’ve never had a session where the client was looking at the clock as if to say, ok, when is this going to be over. I don’t shoot the entire time. Sometimes I ask questions. Sometimes kids want to show me their favourite things or check out my camera. This helps to establish trust and a connection that gives me those opportunities to get real shots and emotion. I could come in, take a bunch of photos and leave but this would not allow time to get past the surface and to see glimpses of the soul. 

Mes séances durent 90 minutes. Parfois cela semble peut être un peu long mais je peux vous assurer que ça se passe très vite. Je n’ai jamais eu une séance ou les clients ont demandé quand est-ce que la session sera finit. Je ne prends pas des photos tout le temps. Parfois je demande des questions. Parfois les enfants veulent me montrer leur objets favoris ou ils sont curieux et veulent inspecter mon caméra. Cela m’aide à établir la confiance et une connexion pour pouvoir capturer les moments réelles, avec émotions. Je pourrais rentrer, prendre beaucoup de photos et partir mais cela ne laisse pas le temps d'établir les liens qui me permettent de capturer la vraie vie.

3)      How many photos do you take? / Vous prenez combien de photos?

I take a lot of photos during a 90 minute session. I try different angles, different compositions and exposure. Once I sort, remove any test shots, or ones that don’t work for one reason or another, I’m usually left with between 80 and 100. It sounds like a lot but many photos are there to support the story – detail shots of hands, toys, rooms, or wide shots to set the context. 

Je prends beaucoup de photos durant les 90 minutes. J’essaye des compositions, angles et expositions différents. Lorsque je trie, enlève les photos qui sont presque pareils ou qui ne marche pas pour une raison ou une autre, ça laisse environ 80 à 100 photos. Plusieurs photos aident à raconter l’histoire – les détails des mains, les jouets, les salles ou les photos qui aide à mettre en contexte. 

4)      Can you do a photo session in a pretty location outdoors? / Pourquoi pas des photos dans les endroits dehors?

I have nothing against photo shoots in the park. If you and your family often go to a park and play a certain activity or spend the day there, it makes sense to have a photo session take place there. For my work, the only thing I ask is that the setting have meaning because it is such a big part of the story. Not sure you can find activities in your home to do for your shoot? Check out my Ideas for In-Home Documentary Sessions for some inspiration!

Je n’ait rien contre les photos dans un parc. Si votre famille visite souvent le même parc pour jouer ou passer votre journée là, ça fait du sense de capturer les moments dans cet endroit. Pour mes photos, je veux seulement que l’endroit signifie quelque chose parce que ça fait partie de l’histoire. Si vous avez besoin d’idées pour les activités à faire pour votre séance, svp voir ma liste d'idées pour votre séance guide! 

5)      How do we prepare for a session? / Comment preparer pour une séance?

Once we have agreed on a date for the session, I send clients a customized questionnaire to learn a bit more about you and your family. The answers help to guide the ideas for the session and help me to recognize what moments are important to you and your family. I ask clients to select an activity or activities that they would like to have documented – activities that are meaningful and part of everyday life. We select a time of day that would be appropriate. For example, if breakfast is a really important part of your Sunday morning, we would build the session around that time of day.  

Prior to a session, I usually ask clients to open up any curtains or drapes to maximize the natural light. I remind clients that the idea is to really be yourselves and to try to forget there is a camera around - to treat me like an old friend coming to visit. If you have little ones who aren’t in the mood for a certain activity, there is no pressure, we move on to something else. If the family needs a break from being in front of the camera, no problem, I use that time to take a few detail shots of the environment.

Lorsqu’on a choisit une date, j’envoie aux clients un questionnaire pour que je puisse mieux connaître leur famille. Les réponses aident à sortir des idées pour la séance et m’aident à reconnaître les moments qui sont importants pour vous. Je demande aux clients de choisir une ou plusieurs activités qu’ils aimeraient documenter – des activités qui sont significatives et qui font partie de la vie quotidienne. On choisit une heure de la journée selon l’activité. Par exemple, si le déjeuner est très important les dimanche matins, on construit la séance autour de cette activité.

Avant la séance, je demande aux clients d’ouvrir les rideaux pour s’assurer qu’il y a beaucoup de lumière naturelle. Je rappelle aux clients que l’idée c’est d’être eux-mêmes et d’essayer d’oublier le caméra – de me traiter comme une amie qui est en visite. Si les enfants ne sont pas intéressé à participer à un certain activité, pas de problèmes, on continue et on fait autre chose. Si toute la famille a besoin de prendre une pause, j’utilise ce temps pour prendre des photos des petits détails de l’environnement. 

6)      What to wear during an in home photo session? / Quoi porter pour la séance photo?

Wear what is comfortable and what is appropriate for the activity you will be doing with your family. It’s that simple!

Portez ce que est confortable et approprié pour l’activité, c’est simple!

Do you have more questions? Send me a message! https://www.mathieu-photo.com/contact Ottawa Photographer | Melanie Mathieu Photography

Vous avez d'autres questions? Envoyez moi un message! Photographe Ottawa Gatineau | Melanie Mathieu Photography

What to expect from your family photo session with me

How does a family documentary photo session work?

For those who have already had a photo session with me, you will know the answer to this but for those who haven’t, I thought I’d take a bit of time to explain the process. 

When I am first contacted by a client, I follow up with a brief description of how I work and I ask questions to get more details on what my client is looking for. I want to be sure that my photography style is a good match for what they want. Sometimes this means answering more questions or a phone call to go more in depth. Once we have agreed on a date, I develop a list of questions that are tailored to that client. I want to get to know my client before I meet them so that I can really understand what is important to them and what they want to remember about this time in their lives. Maybe it’s an object like a favourite t-shirt, or maybe it’s an interaction like the way Dad turns his toddler upside down or sometimes it’s a general feeling of the chaos and movement of everyday life. The answers to these questions help to guide the session and inspire the activities for the session itself. For example, if I read about how special breakfast time is for a family, my first thought is to ensure we set a time that will allow us to capture this. I read my clients’ responses to questions several times ahead of the session and keep the details in mind while I shoot. The idea is to create photos that make you feel something and the only way to do this is to go deeper and to connect - to capture real life moments that are authentic.

You won’t find a “what to wear” section on my website. It’s all about being comfortable and dressed according to the activity you will be doing. You don’t need to do a major clean before I arrive since those real life elements are what help the story and make it your own. No posing required, just enjoy time with your family. If someone isn’t interested in doing a certain activity that day, that's ok too, we move on and do something else. 

I give very little direction and instead let everyone fall into the routine of being themselves. I take a lot of photos. I shoot details, objects, close ups of tiny toes and wider angles to get the whole room or family in the picture. All of these pieces come together to tell the story. 

Not sure what activities to do for your family session? I'm working on a list to help inspire you. Stay tuned!

Documentary photo sessions aren’t just for families with young children – they can include anything from a simple wedding, maternity sessions (documenting life before baby arrives, preparing the nursery etc.), documenting the story of your family's older generations or how about the creative process behind a business? More on those specific sessions another time!  

I’m happy to answer any questions so don’t hesitate to hit reply and send me a message.

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!

Top 3 Reasons To Book a Documentary/Lifestyle Newborn Session

You may be asking yourself, what is a documentary /lifestyle newborn session? 
A photo session that documents real moments between you and your baby where you spend most of your time – in your home. You go about your routine while a photographer captures those moments in an artistic way to tell YOUR story. The goal is to create perfectly imperfect, honest photos with real emotion. 

Here are 3 reasons to consider this type of session. If you make it through these reasons, you can see for yourself what this type of session is all about in the photos below.

1)      Sessions take place in the comfort of your own home. 

When I think back to my first few weeks at home after having my babies, personally, the last thing I wanted to do was leave the house. I felt like it took me so much time to finish the simplest tasks that trying to plan for a photo session seemed out of the question. For such a little person, they bring lots of changes, emotions and new routines. In-home photo sessions mean that you don’t have to think about what to bring in that diaper bag, packing up everyone in the car, scheduling your appointment around feeding times or hoping that everyone is in a great mood the entire time. You can stay in the comfort of your own home and just do what you do. There is such a raw beauty in that because it is personal and represents your life as it is now. 

2)      You and your family can focus on just being you.

If you have other children, they can easily participate without having to worry that they will get distracted, bored, or throw a tantrum. True emotion is welcome and in fact, that is the whole point of a documentary/lifestyle session. You may be amazed at how children so easily forget that the camera is there, enjoying the attention and proud to show their world to someone new. Also, let’s face it, some Dads aren’t as pumped about a photo session as Moms. As much as they will love and treasure the photos, they are often along for the ride at first. Documentary/lifestyle sessions take the pressure off - no expectations to pose – they can be themselves and just enjoy time with their family.

3)      Capturing the details

Documentary session are all about being authentic and honest. Having a baby is a time filled with joy but it is also challenging, exhausting, [insert every other emotion here]. Why not be true to this fact and capture the fuller range of what it means to be a mom of a newborn. Think dishes, laundry, diaper changes but also all of the good stuff like little baby hands and toes, those little pouts and how they feel cradled in your arms. Remember that nursery that you spent so much time planning? This is the perfect backdrop for your baby’s first photo shoot – a space filled with personal items picked just for them. And, speaking from experience, once they get older they will "decorate" themselves and so it will never look quite the same. So, document it now!

Kids love hearing about their story and what better way to tell it than through photos that capture all of these details of real family life.  As many moms will attest to, lack of sleep and hormones play tricks on your memory. Having photos will fill in those gaps for you.

To find out more about a newborn in-home photo session, please contact me!  

www.mathieu-photo.com