Finally, after some months of planning I’m so very excited to be embarking on a new journey when it comes to family portraiture and even more excited to be sharing that journey with you and all the wonderful families I have the pleasure of meeting along the way.
Essentially, I am shifting focus a little with my ‘family’ portrait sessions – in essence they’ll have a beloved theme, with the crux being love of course. Love is in all of us, as a couple, as parents, as siblings and sometimes, for what ever reason we loose sight of it. It is my hope that instead of taking images of people and trying to make them look happy or in love (which I’ve always tried not to do), I will focus on inviting them to a place where they are feeling incredible joy and love, and being acutely aware of their connection with one another, and then capturing those powerful, genuine expressions. It is a celebration of love and genuine communication.
Everyone is beautiful; I truly believe this with all my heart. It is not about what one looks like or how they’re dressed. It’s the little things, like the crinkle nose when they smile, or the sound of their laughter. It’s the way they say ‘mumma’ instead of ‘mummy’, how they curl your hair when they’re tired. It’s about the way he touches your cheek tenderly just because or the instant abounding cackle of your toddler when you say ‘boo’.
My goal has always been to make honest images that move people; that document these small moments for you to cherish that may otherwise get lost in a compound of daily living. From now on, I will be inviting families, to share a piece of themselves that I’ll then capture through the art of photography. You will also notice a new focus in my family portraiture and that will be towards the ‘parents’ because I came to realise that my focus has always been on the children as the centre of the family and that made me sad. Sad for all the mums and dads out there who never make time for them or their relationship; who haven’t had a photo together since their wedding 9 years earlier. I want couples to remember they are unique to their children and a unique part of a family.
So, in essence, what I hope for my Beloved family sessions is that instead of reflecting the surface, I want to be an invitation to the families I have the opportunity to meet, to experience the richness that each of their members has within them. It is about remembering what is important – a celebration of love.
Of course, what’s a blog post without some photos. How beautiful is the family below? I smiled and smiled and smiled editing the snippets of their life that day. So blessed was I to share it with them.
by nicolera
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