Family photography has made me a better person.
A strong statement to be sure.
As my photographic journey has evolved, there was a time where I had hoped to be a moody portrait and landscape photographer and the thought of making a living shooting family sessions was the last thing I thought I would be doing.
After many more rotations around the sun I have come to realize that I absolutely love the fact that I have become more of a generalist than a specific genre style photographer. I need to say it again. Family sessions HAVE made me a better person. Shooting families requires patience and a different skillset than normal portrait work. It has to be genuine to be effective. I strongly feel you can’t fake it…you have to be invested in what you are shooting. The need to get to know a group of people in a very short time…put them at ease in order to get a great family image is a skill I never knew I had. This is a skill that wasn’t necessarily there when I started but grew quickly as I evolved.
I envy other photographers that do many sessions a day…volume is profit and I know bills must be paid but as of yet I haven’t been able to achieve the volume based approach. I seldom plan for more than two sessions a day unless I have no choice. I enjoy getting to know the family as much as I can before the shoot so that I can make the actual shoot as easy for them as possible. It’s just as much about who I am as it is who they are. The number of families I have shot are in the hundreds and the one aspect that started to jump out at me was the better images were based on better investment. I wasn’t always engaged as I am now…but it was a learning curve that I quickly understood that if I didn’t invest my effort in…the output was obviously not as good.
Over time two individuals have inspired me to be a better family photographer. I have had the wonderful opportunity to get to know both of them. If I had chosen a different path I don’t think I would have every crossed paths. Fate strikes again.
The first is a New Brunswick photographer by the name of Joni Burt. Having been lucky enough to meet her in person and even shoot alongside her has left its mark on my outlook. Her style is unique and honest but what struck me the most was her ability to be genuine and kind when she works with her clients. This lady has mad skills. Her enthusiasm for what she does is contagious and if you aren’t a better person for knowing her, well, you should be. After watching her work, listening to her speak and looking at her results, it help me move forward to better embrace what I want to be as a person and a photographer. It again showed investment bares results. You can see her amazing work here: https://www.facebook.com/JoniBurttPhotography
The second individual might not be as obvious as to why I would be influenced. She is one of Chicago’s best wedding photographers and has a style very unique and creative. Elena Bazini shoots from her heart and even when she is overcome by the sheer volume of her work she finds a way to make each experience special for her clients. Elena has an infectious enthusiasm as well…she teaches by doing and if you have the time to listen and watch you will become better yourself. Elena’s work can be found here: http://elenabaziniphotography.com/
This past year has been a struggle for everyone. I don’t need to elaborate details but trying to be a photographer in the middle of a pandemic is a challenge to say the least. I personally have had more clients cancel sessions than show up but the ones that have shown up seem to have one thing in common…a true appreciation of what family is. A very common thread of discussion at the sessions this past 9 months, have been around how much more folks simply appreciate family time.
Social distancing and isolation have left families torn apart and when the opportunity is there to get together safely, family images are more appreciated now than ever and I enjoy being part of that.
After my arrival in Halifax and the wonderful support we received, I decided that I needed to give something back to this wonderful community. I asked my followers on Facebook to nominate families that might not be able to afford sessions for what ever reason. I was blown away by the response and as a result I chose five families from the list of many and set up complimentary sessions for them. The families nominated were an incredible cross section of society and made it quite difficult to choose. The families were comprised of strong single parents, young families struggling to make ends meet or families that were dealing with health issues or great personal loss.
After each of the complimentary sessions I was left with some level of astonishment. One mother working hard to protect her two daughters from the dark side of relationships, one family struggling with the loss of a loved one or a family preparing to be without a loved one or a family struggling to be young parents and making it work. I found myself parked on the side of the road after one session. The emotion of the day had caught up to me. I knew at that moment that fate had caused the afternoon to happen and despite the emotion of the moment, I would be better off for having been there.
I am better for knowing each and everyone of them and I do hope I get to see or photograph them again as their story evolves.
So…family sessions are now the mainstay of my journey.
Yes…I still shoot moody portraits and as much landscape as I can find but getting to know a crazy family of five or a quiet family of three makes the challenge of being a family photographer that much more rewarding. I am finally at the point that I can say honestly, that I am a Family Photographer and proud to be one.
We all need family at times like this and I am more than grateful that I can help by giving a family a lasting image of who they are.
