‘Unless I am myself, I am nobody’ - Virgina Woolf

I’ve spent the past year, building and creating a portfolio of works. Experimenting, researching and learning a craft that I find so fascinating, not just technically, or even artistically, but socially. What happens when I point a camera at someone? How does it make them feel? How do I capture the scene in the most honest, authentic way without making it feel forced or staged? I feel the answer is somewhat to do with allowing the time and space to root in, to create a natural flow, and understanding that we are all invested in the idea of making the session as unhurried and fluid as possible.

So much of our lives are filtered, and in the age of social media and it’s weighty comparison culture, it’s difficult to unearth what’s real about the lives that we are living and what’s produced merely to create the concept or idea of how we’d like the world to view us. This makes the magic in the ordinary, in the beauty of every day, seem rather meaningless or dare I say, boring. That’s why I love documentary photography sessions so much. They are a celebration of the life that you’re really living, they are a mirror of who you are now, in this exact moment. They allow you to surrender to the now, to let go, to soak up presence and bask in the joy of truly being yourself. But most importantly, they allow you to deeply honour the life that you’ve created.

This is the second time that I’ve been lucky enough to photograph this beautiful family and I love their gentle nature and the way that these sessions are always calm and mindful. Prior to the shoot, we decided on various activities that felt meaningful and that they would like to incorporate into the session, playing, reading books, feeding, eating and a garden bath. These ideas were woven into the session as a rough guide to help frame the story but we allowed for all of the moments in between. Time and space allowed this session to breathe, and to move forward in the most organic and truthful way, helping to grow the story naturally.

Going forward, I’m working on packages that reflect this style of photography. I hope you enjoy just a few of my favourite photos from this set, finding pockets of light on the most beautiful autumn morning, at home.

A special thank you to the family, for allowing me to share the images, for sharing my work, and for helping me to find my way, through this session. x