A Day in the Life of Kim & Andy · Marlborough, CT

When I was first starting out almost two years ago, I reached out to my local MOMs club to see if anyone was interested in having me document their family for an entire day. I had recently been exposed to and fallen in love with documentary family photography and finally knew what I wanted to do with my life! Never mind that I was already 38 at the time. Forget whether or not I could do it, or whether or not I would be any good at it. First thing I needed to know: was there an interest? Granted, I offered to do them for free as portfolio-building sessions, but still. Having a stranger with a fancy camera come into your life for AN ENTIRE DAY with access to pretty much EVERYTHING and permission to share ANY AND ALL of those pictures can understandably be a bit intimidating and/or overwhelming. Nonetheless, I happily received a lot of interest. I chose the first two who responded and scheduled two full DITL (Day in the Life) sessions in one weekend!! Kim was the very first to respond to my request.

Family photojournalism: capturing the magic from the crack of dawn until the sun goes down!
6:59am: Rise and shine! They always start the day with a banana (they leave them on the bedside table)!
Documentary family photography: capturing the Mom and Dad team from sun up 'til sundown. Here mom holds their son's feet while dad moves in to tickle him.
7:46am: Everyone is finally up and moving. A bit of foam block fun and rough housing to start the day off!
Capture the love within your family - hire a documentary family photographer today!
7:47am: A big old smooch from Dad.
A little boy flashes a smile at his dad while vigorously helping to scramble the eggs for breakfast.... capture the little details like this by hiring a family photojournalist
8:07am: Flashing a smile at Dad while he vigorously scrambles the green eggs.
Capture all the excitement with documentary family photography - here a young boy enthusiastically watches dad cook eggs for breakfast (I didn't realize you could enthusiastically watch something until I met this kid!!)
8:10am: I wish I was this pumped in the morning!!!

I remember being completely blown away. I wrote the day after, “What a weekend! I shot two real day sessions (one eleven hour day and one thirteen hour day) with two awesome families. I was kind of worried about doing two full day sessions back-to-back, but I have to say, it was SO MUCH FUN (and it went by in the blink of an eye)!! It really was an experience like no other. I can’t quite explain, I think I’m still processing it. But to have a front row seat to all the intimacies and intricacies of a family – I had no idea just how moving it would be…”

Environmental portrait of a little boy playing a toy guitar (almost) in the buff; you can see his fingerprints covering the glass of the French door beside him... let a documentary family photographer capture authentic portraits lie this of your children.
8:31am: Guitar practice in the buff.
They're only little once, why not hire a documentary family photographer to capture the times you sat together, them in nothing but their undies, playing. THESE ARE THE DAYS! Don't forget them!
8:42am: Putting together all the puzzles.
Capture the special bond between children and family pets with a family photojournalist.
9:15am: Typical morning for Superboy – rescuing caged animals and the like, all before nap time.
Capture the special bond between children and family pets with a family photojournalist. Here a dog gives his little human a big ole' slobbery kiss.
9:43am: Doggie kisses.
Environmental portrait of a young boy jumping on a trampoline in the dining room. These days are hard, and so easily blend into one. Hire a documentary family photographer to capture all the magic.
9:53am: Time on the good-old, trusty indoor trampoline – there’s nothing better to get a bit of energy out on a cold winter morning!

Those words rang truer than ever as I delivered an album to Kim and Andy a few months later. Their session was my first ever documentary maternity session, but they were never able to bring their second son home. He had a true knot in his umbilical cord and four loops around his neck. Just days before he was to be delivered via a scheduled c-section, his lifeline ultimately took his life. I was heartbroken for them. I couldn’t imagine the pain and suffering they were going through. I wanted to do something, but what?

Capture authentic maternity photos with a family photojournalist. This Momma is just glowing as she works in the kitchen.
10:59am: Mom preps dinner – Pizza with a squash crust.
Capture the ever changing dynamic of your family with a documentary family photographer. Here a mom and dad share a laugh at the kitchen counter while their toddler son plays, half naked, on the floor behind them.
11:23am: Mom and Dad share a laugh.
Want to remember it all? Capture the love, the fun, the joy, the expectation, of being pregnant with a family photojournalist.
11:35am: Raspberries for the baby.
Not sure how mom and son ended up snuggling on the kitchen floor, but it's beautiful, nonetheless. Capture intimate, real, moments like this with a documentary family photographer.
11:36am: And some snuggles. Can’t remember how they wound up on the kitchen floor?!
Annoying now, super sweet when you look back on it. Why not have a documentary family photographer create art out of your everyday moments? They're only little once!
12:19pm: Clutching Mom’s leg as she tries to get stuff done.

So I made an album of their DITL for them. We hadn’t discussed an album, but it seemed the right thing to do. Once I had the physical album in my hands though, I wasn’t so sure. Would it help or only make them more upset? I struggled with what to do, but eventually decided to give it to them.

An authentic family portrait. Sitting down together for lunch.
12:35pm: Lunch time!
There's so much love present, even on the most ordinary of days. Family photojournalists are trained to tell the love story of your family.
12:52pm: Climbing up Dad for some kisses.
When you're so little that you can sled down the small snow banks of your driveway for fun... and your mom still looks worried! Capture it all with a family photojournalist!
1:10pm: When you’re so little that you can sled down the small banks of your driveway for fun… and your mom still looks worried!!
Capture sweet, authentic (unposed) moments with a documentary family photographer.
1:27pm: Kisses for his baby brother.
I will take a posed portrait or two throughout the day, like this sweet photo, if my clients would like.
1:29pm: I called Dad over for a quick posed portrait.

Kim just recently wrote to me, “I’m forever grateful of our ‘accidental’ maternity shoot. It’s not my style to do maternity photography, yet in our visits you captured exactly the memories I needed of my pregnancy with Thomas and the love that surrounded him.”

Show your kids how much you did for them when they were little - hire a documentary family photographer to tell your story for a day!
1:44pm: Dad helps with the tooth brushing before nap.
Parenthood is positively exhausting! As if you don't already know, a family photojournalist can help you visualize just how hard you work.
2:06pm: Nap time!
Documentary maternity photos show just how much love and excitement there is leading up to the new baby's arrival. Here a pregnant mom reads to her two sons.
5:41pm: Mom reads a couple stories after nap time.
Temper tantrums: sometimes they're just so ridiculous you have to laugh. If you're not laughing in the moment, like this mom here, you may after the fact. The melodramatic antics of a temper tantrum are great subject matter for family photojournalists.
5:47pm: Mini meltdown… sometimes you just gotta laugh.
An authentic family portrait. Dinnertime.
6:27pm: Dinner time. Cooling down their pizza.

Thank goodness. That’s my number one goal when I document a family, my be-all and end-all: to capture the love. It’s always there, it just changes form as families grow and change. All the other things: the humor, the details, the tantrums, the surroundings, the humdrum of daily life, the environmental portraits…, these are all just extras, bonuses, if you will. They add to the story, but the story revolves around love. Always. And sometimes it’s terribly sad, but it’s always, always worth remembering. I’m pretty sure of that now.

An authentic family portrait. Dinner time - Dad attempts to steal food from his young son.
6:32pm: Dad, unsuccessfully trying to steal some food.
Capture the excitement of bath time - or any old time - with the help of a documentary family photographer!
7:06pm: Mexico! Every now and again, they get their sunglasses, bathing suits, and floaties on for a “trip to Mexico”. He doesn’t get too excited 😉
Parents aren't always innocent - a family photojournalist captures not just the love, but the playfulness of parents too. Here a dad claps a handful of bubbles so they land smack dab on his young son's face!
7:07pm: Bubbles in the face…. thanks Dad!
Preserve fleeting little traditions with the help of a documentary family photographer - like how this Dad rolls his son into a burrito after bath time.
7:22pm: Clean burrito.
Capture the uniqueness of your family with the help of a documentary family photographer. This family has a projector rigged up to play movies on the ceiling over their master bed; here they all are relaxing and watching a movie on the ceiling before bed!
7:31pm: They had a projector rigged up that would play movies on the ceiling directly over their bed. Pure genius!! Here they all are watching a movie before bed.

After their free session, Kim hired me to document several of their weekly visits with her Grandmother. I want to include a few photos from the first session with her Grandmother, as Kim was 8 months pregnant, and the love and excitement surrounding the baby was palpable.  

A grandmother and her very pregnant granddaughter share a laugh together. Capture authentic moments like these with a family photojournalist.
April 2017: Kim sharing a laugh with her Grandmother.
An authentic family portrait of four generations, spending time together at the Matriarch's house, by documentary family photographer Anna Holden.
April 2017: Four generations gather together weekly for lunch and to spend precious time together.
Too tired to sit up, grandma reaches up from he seat on the couch to feel her pregnant granddaughter's belly. The love and excitement is palpable in this photograph by documentary family photographer Anna Holden.
April 2017: Great Grandma saying hello.
Four generations of hands lovingly touching Mom's belly, anxiously awaiting baby.
April 2017: With each session, I will do a couple minutes of posed portraits if my client wants. At this session, Kim’s Mother asked for a photo with all their hands. Here are four generations of hands, all lovingly on Kim’s belly.

My heart still aches for them. I know there’s not a day that goes by where they don’t think of their son, Thomas James, whom they were never able to bring home and watch grow up. They have since had another healthy baby boy, but the pain of losing a child never goes away. And through Kim, I’ve learned that it’s shocking how common it is to lose a baby. I invite you to leave a heart and/or name in the comments if there’s a baby you love more than the world, who left your arms much too soon. 💓

Please reach out if you’re interested in having your family, your love story, preserved. Am I too far from you? Fear not, I can help you find a documentary family photographer in your area! Feel free to send me an email, text, or call.

xo, Anna

preserving your everyday, because #youreverydayisworthit

anna@annaholdenphotography.com

914.318.6696