Moments worth documenting happen everywhere—even FamilyMart.

I believe that everything in our lives is material for art, but sometimes it takes an outsider’s point of view to see the artistic gems shining in the pile of other life stuff (schedules, illness, bills, etc.). This is why I’m a documentary family photographer—absolutely nothing is more beautiful than real life, and I’m not smart enough to pose people into a “close enough” version that’s kind of like real life except with perfect hair. As the photographer John Dolan says, some photographers are directors and others are collectors. I’d rather notice and collect the shining, unique gem moments when they happen.

And these moments can happen anywhere! That’s the beauty! I often joke over the fact that so many of the families I work with include a trip to the neighborhood FamilyMart or 7-11 in their session time. I seriously could make a book with these convenience store photos at this point, which tells me that there’s something important going on here. I think the neighborhood convenience stores are embedded in our family routine. When we look back on these photos, we remember hot summers in Taiwan, the smell of tea eggs, and picking out our favorite ice cream from the freezer in the back. We think of the way our kids skipped down the street thinking of the treat that was waiting for them, and then the sticky popsicle kiss that we got afterward. These are the gems.