Sometimes you don’t need or want a face in the photo.
But, you say, I thought documentary was all about capturing my family and their personalities!
Documentary sessions are many things, including showing your personalities. But it’s also about capturing the details. Do you remember what your babies fingers or toes looked like? Did they look like sausages or more like a grand pianist? It’s ok if you don’t know. Children grow so quickly it can be hard to recall everything about them.
Getting the details can be tough. You may not know that those little fingers are your favorite. You may not realize how much you like the way your husband’s arm flexes when he flips the pancakes. You might not know that you bite your lip before you respond to make sure you give a thoughtful reply.
You may not be able to tell me what you want documented.
So I look and watch and try to capture the moments that seem to matter — sometimes zooming in on details that seem important or repetitive. I try to look for something you may want later. These little details are harder to find in a short session, but I try. I study. I observe. Because I know you will love them when your baby grows up and no longer has those cute lil sausage fingers.
Alone the photo may not seem like much, but within the rest of the pictures, they tell a story. Like this image. I am utterly in love with his lil sausage fingers on the playground. He wasn’t sure about the playground at first. He kind of ran around a bit and then slowly started climbing and trying to get mom’s attention. He was standing up on a platform, and I saw his little hands and got in close to them. He was so proud of himself climbing up there all by himself!
I made the artistic choice to only offer this image in black and white. Without color, you feel more. The bright green of the playground was distracting in this particular image. I really wanted the docus to be his hands.
