Dads on Documentary

Are you a dad who’s facing the prospects of an hours long documentary family photography session? Not sure what to think? Feeling a bit apprehensive and skeptical about it? Wondering what to expect? Read on!

Prior to my sessions, I usually discuss details with one parent. Nine times out of ten, it’s Mom. We’ll call, email, and often meet in person before the actual photo shoot. On several different occasions, as I’m packing up after a session, Dad, who I’ve only just met that day, has said something to me along the lines of, “Wow! That wasn’t so bad, it was just like hanging out with a friend for the day”. So it got me thinking, “What ARE they thinking?? What DO dads think of documentary family photography?”

As such, I’ve reached out to some of the dads I’ve photographed to ask them a few questions and dig around in their heads a bit. Following are the first four responses I received. It was everyone’s first time experiencing a documentary style family photo shoot and I made all plans with the Mom in each case, except for one. Tom is the one exception, and to this day, he’s still the only Dad that was my point of contact. Maybe you’ll be the next?? 😉

Anyhow, aside from satisfying my own personal curiosity, maybe these dads’ thoughts can help you get some perspective on and wrap your head around what having me document your family for a day is like. So without further ado, let’s get to the Q & A!

Before our first session, how were you feeling about me spending the entire day with you?

“A little apprehensive at first because I didn’t know you too well.” — Andy [I think Andy literally came to my door and dropped something off at my house one time before our first full DITL.]

“Honestly a bit nervous, I have always been a bit hesitant to spend the entire day with someone who would be like on the outside looking in. But I feel like it would have been worse had I not known you previously.” — Tom [Tom was a former student of mine from wayyyyyy back in the day – I was his 8th grade science teacher my second year teaching. How crazy is that?!]

“A little skeptical. The idea of someone documenting all aspects of a day in my family’s life was pretty new and a little foreign.” — Orus

“Curious — I’d never experienced this, but you were a social fly on the wall. You didn’t really interfere with us, but you did interact and talk about what we were doing.” — Rich [a “social fly-on-the-wall”, LOL, love this analogy!!!]

How did you feel about the session when it was all said and done?

“Very relaxed, you are easy to talk to and there was nothing awkward about the day at all.” — Andy

“I loved it. I’m just sorry we dragged you all around the city to do things. It was fun however to spend the time with my family and have it documented to look back on without having to do the ‘heavy lifting’ of taking the photos myself.” — Tom

“In a word – great. Any skepticism I had about the day was completely erased. Everything went so fluidly throughout the day. I never once felt like me or my family was being scrutinized; instead, we just went about our routine as normal.” — Orus

“Happy — I had enjoyed talking to you about our activities, and having them documented.” — Rich

What 3 adjectives would you use to describe the photos I took of your family?

“Real. Authentic. Candid.” — Andy

“Intimate/Personal (capturing the best interactions between us as a family was great). Gorgeous (the quality of the photos was incredible, and we loved every one of them). Passionate (it was clearly evident that your passion for this work was put into every photo you provided to us).” — Tom

“Real. Intimate. Precious.” — Orus

“Creative. Surprising. Unexpected.” — Rich

Which photo(s) from our session are your favorite(s)?

“Ben with the guitar is my favorite. I love that picture because it wasn’t Ben hamming it up, he was just enjoying himself and doing what he loved doing in the moment” — Andy

“My all-time favorite photo from our session was the one where I’m tossing my daughter into the air slightly and you captured her smile and enjoyment of it. Anytime I need a pick me up I look at that photo and can’t help but smile and remember how much fun we had.” — Tom

“I love the photo of my youngest daughter bouncing on a ball wearing no pants. It captures her personality perfectly. She doesn’t give an “F” about anything just wants to be herself. I also love the photo of my three eldest kids standing at the gate behind our house, gazing into the forest beyond. To me, this photo is a perfect metaphor. Who knows what is in the forest? Ahead of them is an unknown territory, but they stand with each other – loved and together. That’s beautiful. Finally, I love the photo that was one of the last taken at the end of the day. Just Jen and me on our deck at the end of the day. We are both exhausted, but so happy in each other’s arms. I look at that picture and feel bliss.” — Orus

“One where it’s just my wife and son, having a quiet, private moment (I think he was nursing) — it expressed the intimacy of the moment, and how connected I think they both are.” — Rich [I haven’t included the exact photo he was referencing for privacy, but this one was taken moments after.

Would you do it again?

“Definitely again, which we have done on a few occasions. It’s nice to see what a day in the life was at that section of our lives.” — Andy (After two sessions, Andy’s family opted for my Year-in-the-Life option!!)

“I would love to have another session done through you, it was such a great time and you worked with us so well. I guess it even felt a little like celebrity treatment and that in itself was something new and exciting.” — Tom

“Yes, without hesitation.” — Orus

“Yes, because of the reasons I noted above.” — Rich

If you’ve ever had more traditional family photos, what 3 adjectives would you use to describe those photos?

“Staged. Boring. Cardboard.” — Andy

“The photo shoots we’ve done as a family, or even as a couple prior to having our children, have always been one of two styles, super organized with little room for interpretation, or little to no structure and turned into a stressful situation trying to get the right spot/setup to take photos. I don’t mind the traditional way of doing family photos, but you’ve surely opened my eyes to what a fun experience it can be to have it done in other ways. So as for adjectives, I’d have to say: Structured. Pleasant for the most part. Consistent.” — Tom

“Artificial. Forced. Uncomfortable.” — Orus

“Formal. Staged. Unnatural.” — Rich

Which would you prefer, traditional posed family photos or documentary family photos?

“The only reason to do a posed photo now is to recreate one from my childhood. It’s so much more realistic to do a documentary picture, it shows the realism of our family.” — Andy

“Hmm. I would have to say that I can see the benefits to both. But I definitely liked the documentary style more. For the simple reason that you can lose yourself in the moment, but it’s captured and honestly more “real” if that’s the right way to say it. What I mean is to say that everything is captured without a script. So, you really get the truth in those photos, people aren’t pretending, and I think that’s incredible. The pure joy on people’s faces or the laughter, it’s something that everyone should experience if ever given the opportunity to have it done.” — Tom

“Documentary family photos. Traditional pics look nice, but in my opinion they are designed to present to the world an artificial image. Those posed photos we take are designed to show the world what we want others to see. I’m not interested in that. I don’t take pictures for others… I take them for me. I want to save images of my loved ones that reflect the qualities and capture the moments that mean the most to me. And that is where the documentary style photography works so well. The pictures of my family from that day aren’t posed and don’t always show us in our most glamorous light, but they are real, they are true to ourselves, and I love them.” — Orus

“Documentary — they really showed us and our reality, rather than versions of us who are more dressy and cleaned up which would be shown in traditional photos.” — Rich

Many, many thanks to Andy, Tom, Orus, and Rich for taking the time to answer my questions and for your candid replies. I truly appreciate it and hope that your responses help others who may be on the fence regarding documentary family photography. Still have questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

xo, Anna

#youreverydayisworthit