What is Family Documentary Photojournalism? And Why do it?

Jun 24 2016

What is Family Documentary Photojournalism? And Why do it?

You may have noticed the words Family Documentary & Family Photojournalism popping up around the website and Facebook page, and wondering what does that mean? What is happening over there at The Journey? Why would I ever want to book a Documentary Session?

According to Merriam Webster the definition of Documentary is:

1 : being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing <documentary evidence>

2 : of, relating to, or employing documentation in literature or art; broadly : factual, objective <a documentary film of the war>

Websters aside Family Documentary Photojournalism is basically when a photographer captures a slice of life.

It is capturing an event or moment as it unfolds. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The Journey is taking a left turn, if you will, and offering something different. We are offering Family Documentary Sessions. Photojournalism in your NORMAL EVERYDAY seemingly MUNDANE life. Even our portrait sessions will be less about perfection and more about interaction, activity, capturing moments, doing REAL LIFE with our clients.

Why? Why would you want to document the ordinary? The boring? The un- glamorous?

Well, that is where the BEAUTY and LOVE are; in those ordinarily seemingly mundane moments.

Over the years as I have processes and combed though photo-shoots, it is NEVER the photo where everyone is doing what they are supposed to that makes my heart pitter patter and skip a beat. It has always been the photos of that one kid being a little bit naughty or goofy that make my heart smile. It is REAL LIFE. It is HONEST. And often it is a reflection of a personality.

So why do you as a client want us to come in to your life and document a slice of it?

I know, I get it, the thought that someone with a camera might catch me yelling at my kid when I should be having a conversation, is not something I want documented for the world to see. But what about the tender moments? You know the one where my hand lingers on their head. Where I’m laughing at the dinner conversation because, well, it is silly. Where my kids are being creative in their play. As a mom I want to remember the RAW, the REAL, the AUTHENTIC parts of our lives, even if some of the moments are down right UGLY.

We have been conditioned to only remember or documents moments that have been created and can be perceived as perfection. We forget in the middle of the bad and the ugly there is GOOD. That good is called LOVE. It should be remembered, documented and celebrated.

Attaching a little about a Day in the Life Session:

A Day in the Life session is totally different from a portrait shoot. It should be completely organic, not directed, and the environment should not be changed in any way.

This means the photographer does not move or touch anything during the shoot, including turning lights on or off, opening or closing shades or blinds or use a flash.

While it is necessary to communicate with the family throughout the day, it is not the photographers job to influence the moments or activities. We let them happen totally on their own.

I went to vault for these photos. They were taken back in 2010, soon after I switched from film photography to digital. Most of this series is of tip to the cabin my husband and I took with my parents and our kids to Northern Pennsylvania. I was just capturing life. Normal things that happened over the weekend. Nothing spectacular but everything about each of these pictures is special.