What is documentary?
So, you are probably wondering this big question as to what makes a session documentary? Within the photography world, us photographers, love to throw out words such as documentary, lifestyle, natural light, etc. It becomes a bit hard to understand what that means and is it something we want? When you think of the word documentary, what comes to your mind? Possibly a Netflix Documentary? When we search for the true definition of the word, we come up with something that “presents factual information and real-life events.” So, what is a documentary family session? A session that depicts real-life events.
What makes a family session documentary?
As a documentary family photographer myself, I love answering this question. I love photographing these types of sessions because each session can be so different from the next. The thing about documentary family session is that they contain minimal control. The less control, the better. With documentary session we are trying to depict real-life events and once we start directing the scene, we start to devalue the real sense of “documentary.”
How did I get into documentary sessions?
I got into photography because I always had an itch for the camera and taking photos. It didn’t fully start until I became a mom and started taking photos of my daughter with my crop sensor canon rebel camera. From that point I knew that studio and portraits wasn’t going to be my “thing”. Can I photograph it? Yes, of course. But, with anything art related, I knew that studio work didn’t light my heart up. I knew from the get-go that lifestyle work would be my actual niche. You still get true emotions but with a more relaxes approach than constantly posing everyone into perfection. Years went by and I started following photographers that were the epitome of documentary photography. This sort of craving led to some documentary photography education through CreativeLive with Kirsten Lewis. Which is a phenomenal course BTW! Through this course I learned the fundamental aspects of documentary photography and just started practicing with my own children.
How do you photograph documentary sessions?
If you are considering getting into this specific niche of photography, I highly suggest you take the course through CreativeLive. Practice and practice within your home. Set-up a model call and specify what type of session they are getting. This isn’t a smile for the camera type of session. You will be documenting their life as it is, no fluff, no posing, no instructions. You will be a fly in the wall, going through life with them as their day evolves. Within this niche, some photographers do a full 8-hours, some do a long-term project that involves multiple sessions throughout the year, some do 4 or 2 hours. I prefer to do 4 hours to allow ample time to document different scenes and not be rushed per se. Once you establish this and you have reserved a documentary session, prep the client on what the expectations are.
What are the expectations to documentary sessions?
When it comes to prepping your clients on the expectations, it’s important for them to realize that this might not be their typical photo session. There won’t be posing, or you directing them to smile at the camera. This type of session has no specific direction. You are a fly in the wall capturing photos as their day progresses. They should proceed this session as if you were not there. You are like the invisible photographer just walking around and documenting what you see fit. You are creating a story based off their day in their life. Sounds simple? It’s because it should be. As the photographer it’s your job to capture their story as artistically as possible.
How can you set the expectations on kids?
Once you are photographing your session, you’ll either get a shy child who want’s nothing to do with you or, a child who wants everyone to look at them. It can be challenging considering your session is documentary focused. Just don’t pay them attention. Once the child realizes that what they are doing isn’t capturing your attention, they will hopefully stop trying to capture your attention. Sometimes even a “pretend I’m not here” can work on children. The more attention you give a situation, the more they are inclined to perform that action.
What camera gear to use?
As artist we all know that camera gear is all based on our preferences. So is there a go-to gear for this specific style of photography. The short answer is, no! Use what you like and what you are used to using. Make sure you have plenty of battery, extra packs if needed, make sure you have multiple SD cards since your session will be longer than usual. This is true especially if you are a family photographer who normally does 1-hour sessions. Due to most of these sessions being indoors, I like to use a 35mm lens. I am able to approach various angle without having the need for additional space. I do often use a 50mm if space isn’t a concern and I can move freely. Some like using a 24mm for optimal space but it can distort the image depending on how close you are to the subject. I don’t bring external lights; I use the light available throughout the house and crank up ISO when needed. Editing style is another thing that is completely up to your discretion. You are the artist and storyteller so no one should tell you otherwise. BUT, on that note… don’t over edit to the point where it doesn’t seem real. Don’t go photoshop crazy and start removing fly aways or whitening teeth. Documentary sessions are not meant to be “perfect”, you want these sessions to be real and close to their true reality. Once you start removing distracting items from the photo or altering the image, it loses its authenticity for what your actual goal is. If your actual goal is to document their life as is, then leave their images as is.
Still have questions?
If you are a photographer wanting to learn more about this, please feel free to reach out! I love talking about documentary sessions and my love for them. If you are a family wanting to reserve a documentary family session, I would love to help you out! If you don’t like the idea of a documentary session but would like a regular lifestyle photography session, I also do those!