I always photograph newborns in their homes but I don’t always photograph families at home. The more I do though, the more it is becoming my preference. There’s something about being at home that allows people to be more relaxed and for those sweet, subtle scenes of family life to naturally unfold. It allows me as a photographer to get a better idea of who my subjects are in real life. This session worked out to be a combination newborn/family lifestyle session at their Walnut Creek home, which–in the household of a new baby boy and two older brothers–was both parts dreamy and action-packed! I loved telling the story of this quiet, peaceful baby infused seamlessly into the rough-and-tumble household of young boys. The very last frame I shot is the one of mom carrying her son toward the house. He had just fallen and hurt himself. She effortlessly hoisted him up, kissed him, and carried him back to the comfort of home. If I hadn’t been shooting at their home, I don’t know if that moment would have happened…but it’s probably my favorite shot of the set. It’s precisely those moments of raw family life that I want so dearly to document–because for all the laughter and tickling and wrestling and throwing in the air, I know that there is another side to it. The wiping away of tears, the soothing of fears, and the moments of just holding still and soaking it in–these complete the story.
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and want your story told, I’d love to help you tell it. Find out more about my sessions here, or drop me a line here.