A big lesson I’ve learned session after session and family after family, is that being in front of the camera is completely different to being behind it, it’s about giving up all control and trusting the person you’ve asked to capture your family memories. Letting your guard down and letting the moments unfold as naturally as they can in between milk breaks, a tired baby, outfit malfunctions and the child who may just not want to smile. This is not easily done when you want to get the most out of your time in front of the camera, making sure the children are smiling, no one is poking their tongue out or picking their nose, chasing down the one child who has disappeared from your sight and trying to get the one image where you don’t have a half open mouth giving instructions! This may become even harder when you’re a photographer yourself.
All of this constantly ties in with my “why”, my approach to photographing others and maybe life itself . It’s what I teach at my own workshops, my passion. Every session is a clean slate, with no expectations, for you to put trust in yourself and have your clients do the same; doing this gives you so many more windows of opportunity that you ever thought possible and it’s when the real happens. When over time you’ve received various of messages telling you “I don’t know how you captured these amongst the chaos” you start believing that it may actually be you and not just luck. Learn to believe in YOU a little more!
The gorgeous Everly Virginia with her parents in San Diego. I love her, the love they have for her and all the moments that make up life with a one year old! Excited to capture her two year session now…
in front of the camera
