Family Photography Documentary Style

The Photography Session for Families that LOVE Family Time and treasure MEANING over perfection

Dressing up and finding a gorgeous place to take photographs is fun! But what about all those family moments in between? What about the backyard baseball moments with dad? Or hanging out in the garden with mom? Our family lives are rich with meaningful moments that I want to document for you to keep forever.

So EASY!

If you’re looking for photography that’s a little more chill and relaxed where you don’t really even have to dress up if you don’t want to. And you don’t have to leave the comofort of your own home then a documentary session is perfect! What’s even better is that you genuinely can go about your day and activities and at the end, you’re going to receive images that feel like real life art. Your family’s life is beautiful and filled with meaning that you’ll treausure!

3 Easy Steps for your session

1. Let’s create a special session together

I want to hear about what your family loves doing together. We’ll make a plan on how to bring that all into your session. And if you hate planning then we really can just go with the flow.

2. Enjoy your family

You guys enjoy some actual family time together. Sure, maybe it’s weird at first that this new person is here, but that goes away quickly. You guys just get to hang out, and I’ll be there buzzing around and taking photos. If this part is weird then let’s chat more about it when you inquire.

3. You’ll receive the story of your family time together.

My documentary sessions include lots of images because they are telling a story rather than just portraits.

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory
— Dr. Seuss
 

Documentary Photography FAQs

Are these family portraits?

No, but these sessions can include a family portrait for you.

These sessions capture the moments in between. They capture authentic moments that arise when you are just together as a a family doing stuff you enjoy.

Is this the right fit for my family?

This is the right fit for you if you love family time together and enjoy “candid” style photography. It’s also great for camera shy people and for very young children who may need time to warm up.

Documentary is not the best fit for families that prefer more traditional, posed photography. My Playful Portrait Sessions are a better fit.

What kind of images can we expect?

You can expect a broad range of images that tell your family’s story - where you live, your home, what your family likes doing together, authentic, candid images, and a few traditional portraits too if you’d like.

What do you do with these images?

Some families make family photo albums with them. I highly encourage you to do so, and I can custom design an album for your family. I don’t show your images on my website unless you are comfortable doing so. I always assume your family would like to keep your images private.

 

Example Documentary Photography Sessions

Backyard Fun!

You can create a session to highlight all the playful fun you have right in your backyard together! There are games to play, water fun in the summer, swinging, riding bikes and scooters, taking care of the garden, or maybe a backyard picnic.

Weekend Family Time

You can create a session at home to capture what a day is like in your family life right now. When you choose a full day you’re sure to get the a wonderful variety of emotion and moments from your family. We can shorten this to a morning, afternoon, or evening in your life instead of a full day.

Playground and Park Time

We can meet at a playground and capture you playing with your little one(s) exploring the playground. You can add on a picnic too if you like!

Family Day Trip or Vacation

I can come and capture your special family time together on an excursion.

Mom and Me Session

We can do a session focusing on your role as a mother and what that means to you. You’ll choose the activities that are special for you!

Dad and Me Session

We can have a session focusing on fatherhood and all the fun, playful moments for you as a father.

Sweet Siblings

Sibling love is special. I love capturing all the sweet moments, but even those struggles are worth capturing too. We can have a session just focusing on the sibling relationship.

Grandparent “Generations” Session

If you have family close by or coming in to visit then that’s a wonderful time to capture your little ones with their whole family.

Special Activity

There are many special activities that you could do together. I have a list of ideas to choose from.

Your Special Holiday Traditions

Family holidays and traditions are a wonderful time to capture together.

Family Gathering

Any family gathering is a great opportunity to document and remember.

Your Idea!

I’d love to create a custom session to document exactly what your family loves to do.

Boys playing with water in backyard family documentary photography session in Mountain View
 

I’m here to chat about your family photography needs! Please don’t hesitate to reach out. There’s no hard sell here. If we aren’t a good fit then I’ll try to find someone who is.

You can reach me at 650-564-4195 or at deborah@deborahlordphoto.com.

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