The Story of a Bedtime Routine | Taipei Documentary Family Photography
Sometimes I think documentary family photography gives us permission to delight in our own lives in a way we didn’t consider before. When planning a family photoshoot, would it normally occur to you to make it all about brushing teeth and reading bedtime stories? Probably not; you’d probably be more focused on coordinating outfits and finding the perfect location. But ask yourself this: What will I want to look back on 20 years from now, when the kids are out of the house and living their own lives? Will I want photos of our coordinating outfits or the weird face my son made when we had to brush his teeth for him before bed?
What to Do During a Documentary Family Photography Session—Taipei Style! | Taipei Family Photographer
People often ask me what they should plan on doing during a documentary family photography session. Everyone knows documentary-style photos are about capturing real life, but there is sometimes a feeling of disbelief that real life is interesting enough to photograph without some planning.
Multigenerational Documentary Family Photography | Taipei Family Photographer
Family stories are history-making stories, though. The moments that make up a family legacy may not be of interest to the world at large, but they’re everything to the people who are touched by that story. Time marches on and memories fade, and when people look at the raw materials that make up their life, they realize: moments matter most.
Year in the Life: An entire year of storytelling with family photos. | Taipei Family Photographer
It’s the most satisfying kind of work to be invited into a family’s inner circle and be trusted enough to help them see and remember themselves. I hope the photobook I hand them at the end of the year will be a kind of mirror, and that they’ll see the best parts of who they are together reflected back.
Taking My Time with Family Photography | Taipei Family Photographer
I love to see how defenses fall and behavior becomes more uninhibited the more time I spend with a family. There’s a good chance a child will end up jumping on the bed naked, and yes, I will photograph it for you.
A documentary family photography session at Dihua Street in Taipei. | Taipei Family Photographer
When we make photos to remember and cherish our lives as they are now with the people we love, we slow time just a tiny bit by weighing it down with our attention. This is a scientific fact, I’m sure.