After I came back from The Family Narrative I really thought about where my heart was in terms of family photography and the work I do. At the very heart of it, I found that what I felt calling me was really telling the stories of families. While I do love doing one hour sessions, and showing a quick slice of life, I knew I wanted to start offering longer sessions that gave a more holistic view of family life.

I scheduled a session with my friend Mandey’s family a week before she had surgery so that we could document their lives on a typical Sunday morning. We started off hanging at home with the boys playing in the living room. After a bit of breakfast we headed out to the Campbell Farmer’s Market and walked around a bit before stopping at a local comic book shop and then heading back home.

It was nice to do a longer session and take my time catching special shots. The session was about three hours long but I only took about twice as many photographs as I do in a one-hour session which I found really interesting. I felt like I was more intentional in the moments I chose to photograph and spent more time interacting with the family without my camera in front of my face. Really taking the time to connect made a difference in the tone of the session, I think. Things were a bit less hectic, a bit more relaxed (and I pride myself on how relaxed my sessions are!), and felt a little more intimate.

I really really love these and I can’t wait to do more of these longer sessions. If you’re interested in doing a longer storytelling session I’d love to chat with you! Get in touch via my contact page and we’ll talk soon!